Seven years after his playing career ended, former Pittsburgh Steelers LB Ryan Shazier joined Mike Tomlin’s staff. But instead of working with linebackers, Shazier took a turn as an offensive assistant, primarily working with running backs. Even Shazier initially thought he would be working on the defensive side of the ball, the area he knows best. But in an interview with Thought Liters, Shazier explained why Mike Tomlin thought it would be best for Shazier to work on the offensive side of the ball.
“Coach Tomlin, he gave me some advice. When I first started coaching, I coached last year; this year, I’m on staff, but I’m not a coach. Last year when I coached, I thought I was gonna be on the defensive side, working with the linebackers. He actually put me on the offensive side of the ball and I was helping with the running backs,” Shazier said. “What he was saying, was ‘Ryan, people don’t grow in a place of comfort. They grow in a place of discomfort.’ ”
Shazier said it helped him learn every day and that he learned different terminology and saw things from a different perspective. Had he been coaching the linebackers, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity for growth and development as a coach.
While Shazier doesn’t have an active on-field coaching role anymore, Tomlin was high on his abilities as a coach and his potential coaching future. Being able to absorb and understand things from an offensive lens could certainly help Shazier if he decides to continue down the coaching path. It makes him more well-rounded, and he can explain things from both offensive and defensive perspectives.
In the interview, Shazier said there were plenty of things he thought he knew, but he learned nuances and was able to explain to defensive coaches that what they were seeing might not exactly be the scope of what was going on. It’s an experience he really seemed to enjoy, and Tomlin certainly deserves credit for having the foresight to put Shazier in a position where he had to adapt and learn on the fly.
Tomlin came up as a defensive-minded coach despite playing wide receiver in college. That may have influenced him to try Shazier out on offense, but regardless, it’s important for a successful coach to have knowledge of both sides of the ball. He allowed Shazier to learn from real experience, and there’s little doubt Shazier is better off for it.