EVEN MORE STEELER COACHING NEWS

Anyone else tired of Steeler assistant coach news? If that's the case, you might want to skip this post, because the action is still fast and furious at Steeler HQ.

The team announced today that Randy Fichtner, the current Steeler WR coach, will be re-assigned to QB coach, effective immediately.

Fichtner coached the QBs at Memphis from 1990-93 and 2001-06, when he was also the Tigers' offensive coordinator. His prize pupil during his first stint at the school was WR Isaac Bruce, who now ranks fifth all-time in the NFL in career receptions. The second time around at his alma mater, Fichtner's superstar player was RB DeAngelo Williams, who would go on to be the Carolina Panthers first-round pick in 2006. For a school not exactly known as a football powerhouse, those are two nice names to have on the resume.

Fichtner also held the QB coach position from 1997-2000 at Arkansas State, where he worked alongside Mike Tomlin and mentored QB Cleo Lemon, who rewrote the school's record book en route to a gig in the NFL. This would also explain the Steelers' interest in signing Lemon in a moment of need last season after Kansas City sent two of their quarterbacks to the ER in the same game.

Fichtner joined Tomlin's staff in 2007 and his receivers have experienced virtually nothing but success on his watch. I'm guessing that his familiarity with the personnel with make this a seamless transition with his new unit.

In other Steeler coaching news, former LBs Jerry Olsavsky and Earl "The Hit Man" Holmes are candidates to replace defensive assistant Lou Spanos, who recently took a job on Mike Shanahan's Washington staff.

"Jerry O", who hails from Youngstown, Ohio, was most recently employed by Youngstown State as coach of the linebackers. He was let go along with the rest of the staff at the end of the season. Olsavsky had a solid career at Pitt and entered the league as a 10th round pick of the Steelers in 1989, where he lasted until 1997. He also spent time in the Cincinnati and Baltimore organizations at the end of his career. Since leaving the pro game, Olsavsky has coached at Carnegie Mellon and North Carolina in addition to YSU.

Holmes, a fourth-round pick of the Steelers in 1996 out of Florida A&M, was with the team through 2001. He had a colorful and productive career in Pittsburgh before signing with Cleveland in 2002 and moving on to Detroit, where he played from 2003-2005.

Fichtner Takes Over As Steelers' QBs Coach [WTAE]
Former Steelers Olsavsky and Holmes candidates for assistant job [PG]

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STEELERS LOSE AN ASSISTANT, MAYBE TWO

Lou Spanos, a Keystone Oaks HS product, 1989 Big 33 alum, and 15-year veteran of the Steeler coaching staff, is moving on.

Spanos, who joined the Steelers in 1995, is one of only two assistant coaches to be on both the Super Bowl XXX, Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII squads, along with defensive line coach John Mitchell being the other.

An assistant linebacker coach with the Steelers, Spanos will become the linebacker coach for Mike Shanahan in Washington. During his time in Pittsburgh, Spanos has worked with some of the most talented linebackers in the game, from Greg Lloyd and Kevin Greene to James Harrison and James Farrior, so I think it's safe to say that he'll be able to handle himself.

Spanos' boss, linebacker coach Keith Butler, may be moving on as well, as he was granted an interview with Miami to possibly become the defensive coordinator for Tony Sparano.

Butler joined the Steelers in 2003 after four years in Cleveland and made the transition from the Cowher staff to the Tomlin staff in 2007. It certainly didn't hurt that Butler and Tomlin previously worked together at Memphis in 1996, when Butler was the linebackers/defensive ends/special teams coach and Tomlin served as the DB coach.

Again, Butler brought out the best in many a linebacker during his days with the Steelers, tutoring the likes of Harrison, Farrior, LaMarr Woodley, Larry Foote, Joey Porter, and Clark Haggans. That's a lot of Pro Bowl appearances on one coach's watch.

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And finally on the coaching front, here's an interesting link that's a few days old but no less interesting. Recently fired OL coach Larry Zierlein's son recently penned an article about his dad's firing on his blog, and it's a good read, with lots of interesting insight.

Steelers lose one defensive assistant, possibly another [PG]

Even though you had to fire my dad, I'm not mad atcha, Coach Tomlin [The Z Report]

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