Military background helps Mike Sullivan adjust to calling plays amid Steelers’ QB carousel
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Since taking over play-calling duties for the Pittsburgh Steelers in November, Mike Sullivan has found himself calling upon his experience in the U.S. Army when facing trying circumstances.
In five games since replacing Matt Canada in that role, Sullivan has needed to prepare each of his three quarterbacks to make starts.
Some have fared well. Kenny Pickett helped the Steelers surpass 400 yards of offense in Sullivan’s debut. Most recently, Mason Rudolph guided the Steelers to a season-high 34 points. In between, however, Mitch Trubisky replaced an injured Pickett and struggled to the point during a three-game losing streak that he was benched for Rudolph.
The carousel of quarterbacks couldn’t have been what Sullivan imagined when he was tasked with helping interim offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner navigate the Steelers out of the Canada era. But he was prepared. His work as an infantry officer and graduate from Army Ranger, Airborne and Air Assault schools taught him as much.
“Expect the unexpected,” Sullivan said Thursday in his first interview since being elevated to his new role. “Hopefully, things work out well, but having those contingency plans and what ifs, that goes back to my military background. If you’re preparing for a mission … it’s not something anybody wants, but it’s part of the game in term of injuries.
“It really reinforces the philosophy of making sure everyone makes the most of their opportunities, the mental reps and trying to make sure everything in the meeting is detailed.”
It didn’t hurt, of course, that Sullivan already was intimately familiar with the quarterbacks for whom he was calling the plays. He was in the second half of his third season as Steelers quarterbacks coach when he was given the added play-calling responsibilities.
It might not have been easy if, for instance, Sullivan had been coaching wide receivers or tight ends before Canada’s dismissal.
Sullivan was matter-of-fact when asked to gauge his return to play-calling duties after doing it in previous stops with the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“It’s gone well twice,” he said. “Not so well three times.”
The sixth challenge comes Sunday when the Steelers (8-7) play the Seattle Seahawks (8-7) at Lumen Field with Rudolph making his second start in a row.
Faulkner carries the offensive coordinator tag, formulates the building of the game plan and oversees meetings during the week of preparation. When it comes to the quarterbacks, though, he realizes that is Sullivan’s area of expertise and allows the QB coach to tailor plays to each passer’s preference.
“Coach Sully has a good pulse on what those guys like and what they do well,” Faulkner said. “Depending on who is in there, that is how we make those decisions.”
Pickett’s ankle injury and Trubisky’s inability to consistently produce points resulted in Rudolph becoming the third quarterback to start a game in five weeks. Rudolph is the lone holdover in the quarterback room from 2021, Sullivan’s first season on the Steelers’ payroll. That year, he worked with Ben Roethlisberger after previously working with Eli Manning on the Giants.
“He’s trained Hall of Fame quarterbacks before, and he’s so detail-oriented,” Rudolph said. “He gives you a lot of good information each week. I’ve appreciated how he still coached me hard when I was a third-string quarterback. He does a good job of preparing everybody in the room. He doesn’t neglect anybody.”
That includes practice squad quarterback Trace McSorley, who was added to the roster after Pickett’s injury. Sullivan goes out of his way to not single out any of his quarterbacks, preferring to discuss them as a collective.
“Regardless of who is taking the snaps, I’m so impressed with those guys and how they respect one another, like one another,” Sullivan said. “Most importantly, how they support one another. Mason had his opportunity, prepared well. Fortunately, it worked out well for us and put us in position for a great game at Seattle that we’re looking forward to this week.”
Sullivan has the final say on which plays get called when during the game, but he appreciates the input provided by his trio of quarterbacks. He said their weekly skull sessions include some spirited debate.
“We have very interactive meetings,” he said. “I learned a long time ago that a good quarterback room is a noisy room. There is a lot of communication, lots of dialogue. There can be disagreements and agreements, and it’s just coming up with the best possible solution.”