PITTSBURGH — I remember the amazing tributes when long-time offensive line coach Joe Moore at Upper St. Clair High School and Pitt, among other places, died in 2003. This was one of his former linemen at Pitt, the late Jim Sweeney: "There are levels of goodness and levels of greatness. Then, there's the level just below God. That's where I put coach Moore."
I saw the devotion the Steelers defensive players had to defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, "Coach Dad," as they knew him. This was Aaron Smith in 2008: "If he tells us to jump off a cliff, I believe we would do it."
Now, I am seeing that same respect and love Steelers former defensive linemen have for their coach, John Mitchell, who retired from the team on Wednesday after 29 years with the team. This was Brett Keisel on Thursday: "He took guys like me and Chris Hoke and Aaron Smith — guys who came to him from nowhere — and turned us into players. Not just players, but good players who ended up hoisting hardware. All of us owe so much to Mitch."
