Back in the trenches and having success

Mike Munchak and Mike Tice might have failed as head coaches, but there should be no disputing their abilities in coaching offensive lines.

Both former head coaches have gone back to their roots and they’re a big reason why the Steelers and Raiders are in contention for AFC wild card berths.

Munchak is playing without his All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey and his left tackle, Kelvin Beachum, who was lost for the season with a knee injury after the sixth game. All the Steelers have done is average 133.4 yards rushing per game and keep their quarterbacks well protected.

The Steelers are fifth in the NFL in rushing  and first in yards per carry with a 5.1 average.

In the three games they Steelers have played without their top center and left tackle they’ve averaged 152 rushing yards per game. Credit goes to backup center Cody Wallace and backup left tackle Alejandro Villanueva for stepping in and playing well, but Munchak deserves credit, too.

The Steelers have developed Villanueva, who came to them as an unpolished player who spent the spring and summer of 2014 playing defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played offensive line at Army, but not exclusively. He also dabbled at receiver and tight end.

To convert a player from project to starter in little more than a year’s time is highly unusual, but Munchak has Villanueva playing well in the running game and is doing his best to make him a competent pass protector. He’s not a finished product by any means, but the Steelers offense keeps churning along without arguably their two best offensive linemen at the beginning of the season.

Tice, who served as Minnesota’s head coach from 2002-05, is in his first season as Oakland’s offensive line coach. Other than center Rodney Hudson, he has a bunch of no-name players on his line. The Raiders have allowed only 10 sacks all season (third in the league) and they’re averaging 4.5 yards per carry, which is tied for seventh in the league.

Tice was 32-33 as a head coach in four seasons with the Vikings. Munchak was 22-26 in three seasons with the Titans. As offensive line coaches, they’re proving once again that coaching at that position can make all the difference in the world.

Just look at how the offensive lines performed before they arrived at their current jobs.

The Steelers had injuries in 2013, but they were a mess under former coach Jack Bicknell. Pouncey was lost for the season after one game and his backup, Fernando Velasco, missed the final four games. That season, they finished 27th in the league in rushing and gave up 43 sacks.

Last season, Oakland was dead-last in the NFL in rushing. Now the Raiders average more per rush than 20-some other teams.

Offensive line coaches are among the most important hires a head coach can make. Mike Tomlin and Jack Del Rio got it right, and they’re reaping the rewards this season.