Kirby Wilson leaving Steelers for Vikings

Posted by Mike Florio on January 25, 2014, 2:41 PM EST

Two years ago, Kirby Wilson suffered serious burns in a house fire.  He made a full recovery, returning to his job as Steelers running backs coach later that same year.

Wilson is now moving on from the Steelers.

According to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Wilson will be joining the Vikings’ coaching staff, led by new head coach Mike Zimmer.

Wilson, 52, joined the Steelers with coach Mike Tomlin in 2007.  Some thought that, but for the house fire, Wilson would have succeeded Bruce Arians as offensive coordinator in 2012.  More recently, there was speculation that Wilson would replace current offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

It’s unclear whether Wilson is leaving on his own or with a nudge.  His decision to interview for the offensive coordinator position in Baltimore raised no eyebrows because it would have been a promotion.  In Minnesota, he’ll at best be a position coach.

If Wilson becomes the Vikings’ running backs coach, he’ll have one of the all-time greats as his primary pupil.  So while it would be a lateral move on paper, it could be a major step up for Wilson to be working with Adrian Peterson.



http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/25/kirby-wilson-leaving-steelers-for-vikings/


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I wonder if the Munchak hiring had anything to do with him not wanting to be here anymore

fer69 wrote:

I wonder if the Munchak hiring had anything to do with him not wanting to be here anymore

Nah, I think it's a sign that Haley will be our OC for the foreseeable future. More than likely, Wilson would have replaced Arians if he hadn't had his accident. Since he's not going to be the OC in Pittsburgh, he got another opportunity and took it. Good for him. Most Steelers fans have been big on Wilson, but personally, I haven't been too impressed with what he's done with our running backs since he's been coaching them. I'm not sure why there was such a push for him to get promoted to OC. But like I said, good for him.

EDIT: I knew Wilson was being looked at for at least one OC position and assumed he got the OC job in Minnesota before actually reading the entire story. If it's a parallel move, then there has to be a reason. More money? Doesn't get along with Haley? Jumped at the chance to "coach" Peterson? Pissed that Haley is staying and he won't get the Steelers OC job? No clue.   

I'd rather him be in Minnesota than in Baltimore. Good Luck to him (until he plays the Steelers).

Quote :

Kirby Wilson Explains Why He Left For Vikings’ RB Coach Job

PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) — Former Steelers running backs coach Kirby Wilson joined The Fan Morning Show on Wednesday to speak for the first time since leaving the Steelers to take the same job with the Vikings.

He explained that his departure had everything to do with his career path and nothing to do with the Steelers’ organization.

“During my seven years here, I absolutely loved it,” Wilson said. “There wasn’t a negative mark in my mind, because I loved it there so much and I felt the love from the community and the organization. It’s just after, you know, a certain amount of years in your career, you look for a change sometimes. And that’s what I did, and that was solely what it was based on.”

He told the guys that his relationship with Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley hadn’t become strained, as some speculated it might have.

“Not at all,” Wilson said. “Todd’s an excellent football coach. My relationship with Todd as well as the other coaches was very good and there was never an issue behind closed doors, there was never an issue on the field in front of the players. We were always professional.”

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/02/12/kirby-wilson-explains-why-he-left-for-vikings-rb-coach-job/

Making a mountain out of a mole hill. He left, he had a reason. Time for everyone to move on.

stlrtruck wrote:

Making a mountain out of a mole hill. He left, he had a reason.  Time for everyone to move on.

I don't think anyone was making a big deal out of it. It was just a curious situation as to why he'd leave the Steelers for a parallel position. It's kind of like when the Steelers fired Al Everest a few years ago. It didn't make any sense from a football perspective, so it made you wonder what was going on behind the scenes.