After promoting Keith Butler to replace recently departed defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau last month, the Steelers again looked within the organization to fill a vacant position.
Defensive assistants Jerry Olsavsky and Joey Porter were both promoted to replace Butler as linebackers coach. Olsavsky will coach the inside linebackers and Porter will coach the outside linebackers.
Both men got their starts in pro football as linebackers for the black and gold. Olsavsky was a 10th-round pick out of the University of Pittsburgh in 1989 and spent nine seasons with the Steelers, playing in 108 games, mostly on special teams. He had his best season in 1996, when he made started 13 games and made 46 tackles.
Olsavsky coached linebackers at Youngstown State for seven seasons before the Steelers hired him as a defensive assistant.
A decade later, Porter was a third-round draft choice from Colorado State. He spent eight seasons starting at right outside linebacker, racking up 60 sacks and 323 tackles. Porter was a member of the 2005 squad that won Super Bowl XL. He finished his career after five years seasons in Miami and Arizona as a four-time pro bowler.
Porter was a defensive assistant for one season at his alma mater before joining the Steelers staff in 2014.
Olsavsky and Porter will have an immediate chance to make a mark on the defense, as they will be mentoring a pair of former first-round draft picks that look to make an impact in 2015.
Inside linebacker Ryan Shazier, the team’s top selection in 2014, played only 10 games last season while suffering from injuries. Jarvis Jones, the top pick the year before, also had an up-and-down season, playing in only eight games and being replaced by veterans James Harrison and Arthur Moats down the stretch. Moats and Harrison are both unrestricted free agents.
