Steelers Now
Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase gave the Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Tomlin vibes in their virtual interview with him, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Tomlin, who was 34 at the time, blew away Dan Rooney when he interviewed for the head coach position in 2007. Scheelhaase is 35 and considered an up-and-coming coach in league circles.
“I’m not going to say he’s the top guy because some of these candidates still have to interview in person with [Art Rooney II], and he’s the one who will make the call,” Dulac wrote in his weekly Q&A chat. “But I will say Scheelhaase was an impressive interview, which fits with what other NFL people think of him. Hmmm, so was Tomlin…”
The Rams’ 20-17 overtime victory over the Chicago Bears sent the Rams to the NFC Championship Game, where they will face the Seattle Seahawks.
That means the Steelers will have to wait another week to do in-person interviews with Scheelhaase and Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, who’s also a strong candidate for the Steelers’ HC position.
Scheelhaase was the first person the Steelers requested an interview with for their opening, according to a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN last Wednesday. The 35-year-old is in his first season as the Rams’ passing game coordinator. Before that, he spent one season as an offensive assistant in LA.
A Davenport, Iowa native, Scheelhaase was a college quarterback at Illinois, throwing for over 8,000 yards in his time with the Fighting Illini from 2009-13, and was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in his senior year. He holds the Illinois records for career passing yards and season completion percentage.
Despite his career passing success, he did not pursue a professional career, instead going almost directly into coaching. He started his coaching career at his alma mater as an offensive assistant from 2015-17. He moved to Iowa State, where he worked as running backs coach, wide receivers coach, and offensive coordinator under head coach Matt Campbell from 2018-23.
Scheelhaase is the latest offensive coach to come out of the well-worn Sean McVay coaching tree, including current NFL head coaches Zac Taylor, Matt LaFleur, Kevin O’Connell and Liam Coen.
“I mean, it’s a successful system,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said two years ago, when the team was in the midst of a search for an offensive coordinator. “There’s no two ways about it. Those guys have had a lot of success and their approach to offensive football has been pretty impressive.”
Scheelhaase also had virtual interviews with the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Brows and Las Vegas Raiders for their vacant HC positions.
Scheelhaase is scheduled for a second interview with the Browns after the NFC championship game.
Alan Saunders contributed.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Report: Nate Scheelhaase Blew Away Steelers in Interview
