Now in his 50s, Brian Angelichio isn’t quite as fiery during practice as he was cutting his teeth in the NFL. When the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense takes the field in training camp, Angelichio’s voice will be a little quieter. His message, though, hasn’t changed.
“I’ve probably mellowed some as I’ve gotten older,” Angelichio told Steelers.com’s Missi Matthews in an interview shared earlier this week to the team’s Youtube channel. “But I try to be someone that’s honest, you know where I’m coming from. I think there shouldn’t be any gray area.
“I just try to be authentic, passionate about the game,” he added. “Really try to give the players everything that I could give them. And along the way earn their trust.”
Matthews’ question referred to Angelichio’s reputation in Green Bay. One beat writer described Angelichio’s style as vociferous while coaching the Packers’ tight ends, something we noted in our “Big Book” of him.
No matter how Angelichio coaches, the substance is what matters. His honesty and transparency are admirable traits absent in some coaches. For a veteran-laden team adjusting to a new staff, buy-in is crucial.
Angelichio is a longtime coach but an NFL offensive coordinator for the first time, last serving that role at D-II Ithaca, save for a one game stint as an interim at Pitt. Mike McCarthy will handle play calling, but Angelichio will play an important role in game planning and overall preparation.
Familiarity played a role in Angelichio’s hire. He reunites with McCarthy after spending time together in Green Bay.
McCarthy is one of several quality coaches Angelichio has learned from. Kevin O’Connell and Brian Callahan are other notable names.
For the first time in a while, Pittsburgh’s offense has reasonably high expectations. In past years, the internal goal was to simply avoid losing the game with turnovers and mistakes. Externally, average felt like a win. Arthur Smith brought the offense to 15th in points per game last year, but much of the unit still fell short of modern NFL goals.
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