Chris Shula seemed destined to replace Mike Tomlin as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach earlier this month, but then plans went awry. Now, the reason for it has seemingly come out.
Last Saturday, the AFC North champions reportedly entered into a verbal agreement with Mike McCarthy. This came after past speculation that they were considering hiring Shula.
According to 93.7 The Fan’s Andree Filipponi, however, the current Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator performed poorly during his virtual interview, with one insider saying he “bombed.”
He also arguably hurt his case when his unit allowed 31 points in Sunday’s loss at the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC championship game after averaging only 20.4 in the regular season.
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Report: Rams DC Chris Shula did not interview well for the Steelers HC job. In his virtual interview. Per sources. In fact, one person went as far as to say he “bombed” the interview. Shula’s defense gave up 31 points to the Seahawks in the NFC championship game.
In fact, former Steelers defensive tackle Breiden Fehoko had some harsh words about him after that game:
Pittsburgh Steelers dodged a bullet with Chris Shula.
Also passed over was Rams offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. Besides the Steelers, Shula also briefly drew interest from the Tennessee Titans, only for them to turn around and hire Robert Saleh. He was also invited by the Cleveland Browns but has so far not held an interview.
Another team still in play is the Las Vegas Raiders, who are still searching for a successor to the fired Pete Carroll. They have also held a virtual interview with Shula, and veteran beat writer Vincent Bonsignore recently posted this on social media:
Regarding @Raiders head coach search: @Rams DC Chris Shula is in the mix. A name to keep an eye on as his potential OC is @Rams QB coach and former @Falcons OC Dave Ragone.
Former Steelers OL expresses surprise at franchise snubbing Chris Shula for HC job
Elsewhere, there was at least one person who thought Chris Shula was a shoo-in to become the Steelers’ new HC in Willie Colon. The former Super Bowl-winning guard said on Monday’s episode of “Good Morning Football”:
“I was shocked by the hire (of Mike McCarthy). I thought it was gonna be Chris Shula, being young, defensive-minded, has experience on both sides of the ball.”
Still, he could understand the rationale behind getting McCarthy:
“I know some people are like, ‘What are we doing here? This feels awkward and clunky.’ But the man’s a proven winner… This is about stability and strategy. The Steelers want to be competitive. Right now, in my eyes, they have the best coach in the division.”
The team will also need a new offensive coordinator after Arthur Smith’s departure for the same position at Ohio State.
