Grimm's chances are good

Neither the team nor coaching candidate would confirm that preliminary contract talks have begun.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Russ Grimm sounded like a man who can't wait to coach the Pittsburgh Steelers. He can only hope the Steelers agree he's ready to become only their third head coach in 38 years.
Grimm, a Steelers assistant for six seasons and their assistant head coach for three, met for six hours Wednesday during his second interview in a week with owner Dan Rooney, president Art Rooney II and director of football operations Kevin Colbert.
Inferences
The length of the meeting suggests Grimm and the Steelers were discussing more than strategy and philosophy, and that they may have started preliminary talks about a contract. However, neither side would confirm that.
"I thought things went as well as could be expected," said Grimm, the one-time lineman for Pitt and the Washington Redskins. "I was happy with the way things went on my end but, again, I've got to sit back and wait for a decision to be made and we'll go from there."
While the Steelers identified Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera as a finalist earlier this week, it is uncertain if they will wait until the Bears' season ends to hold a second interview with him.
If the Bears beat New Orleans in the NFC championship game, the Steelers couldn't interview Rivera until Feb. 5, or a month to the day since Bill Cowher resigned after 15 seasons.
Another finalist
The Steelers have not said if they will talk to Rivera again, only that the search will end when they are confident they have found their coach. They met Tuesday for four hours with Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin, their other finalist.
"It's a big decision -- but I know if I was on the other end of the table, I'm not going to make a decision until I'm comfortable with somebody," Grimm said.
If Grimm's second interview went as well as he thought it did, the Steelers may not need to talk to Rivera again.
Grimm and former offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt were considered the clear front-runners before the search began, but Whisenhunt felt he couldn't wait for the Steelers' search to end and accepted the Arizona Cardinals' job Sunday.
The 47-year-old Grimm has never been a head coach -- he was a Redskins assistant from 1992-2000 before joining the Steelers. That isn't expected to be a factor, since neither Cowher (1992-2006) nor four-time Super Bowl-winning coach Chuck Noll (1969-1991) were head coaches before the Steelers hired them.
Ready for move
"I'm excited for the opportunity, I'm at a point of time in my career where I'm ready to make that next move," said Grimm, a finalist for the Bears' job in 2003. "I'm confident in my ability to run this team. ... I don't know if I need more on the resume or whatever, but it's flattering to have this chance."
After nearly becoming a head coach three years ago, Grimm spent more time watching coaches around the league -- including Cowher -- and how they handle game situations, players and off-field demands such as dealing with the media.
"I feel confident as far as when to use timeouts, when to throw the [challenge] flag, when to run or pass, when to punt, when to go for it," he said. "... Am I saying I'm not going to make any mistakes? No. But the more you coach, the more you see and those things come up and you learn from them."
Opportunity
Not many coaches have the chance to take over a team that is one season removed from winning a Super Bowl, and Grimm doesn't think the Steelers' 8-8 record this season means major personnel changes are needed.
"You like to think there's a good nucleus on this team, there's enough ability on this football team," he said. "It's just a matter of getting things in place, making sure that chemistry is there from year to year, taking one game at a time, eliminating some mistakes -- and we'll see what happens."
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