What Makes Penn State’s Mike Munchak one of NFL’s Top OL Coaches
By Evan Smith
Current Broncos offensive guard Dalton Risner joined The Matt Lombardo Show (of FanSided’s Stacking the Box NFL Podcast network) to talk about what makes former Nittany Lion MIke Munchak one of the NFL’s top OL coaches.
Mike Munchak was an offensive linemen for Penn State Football from 1978 to 1981 and was named second team All-American his senior year. He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the first round (8th pick overall) and was a nine time Pro Bowler and a two time first team All-Pro, earning a Pro Football Hall of Fame invite in 2001. He coached for the Oilers/Titans, Steelers and Broncos, hired in 2019 as an offensive line coach.
Risner, one of Munchak’s current lineman, praised Munchak, stating: “The credit to how our offensive line has grown, how Garrett Bolles has grown, and how I have grown is all to Coach Munchak. It’s easy for us to listen ot him, it’s so easy to visualize what’s happening on the field. It’s so easy for him to say ‘I can see how that happened, or how that call was made, or what the defense was doing. It’s so nice to have a coach who understands it, like we do.”
Risner’s praise comes with results as he played 999 snaps and didn’t allow one single sack and didn’t commit one single penalty!
“[Munchak’s] going to demand a hard work ethic,” Risner explained. “The one thing with Coach Munchak is, he’s going to expect it. He’s not going to toy around with it or hope you give it, he’s going to expect that you give it as a Denver Broncos offensive lineman. You have to have a tremendous work ethic and be a selfless football. Those are really important things.”
Risner has started all 32 games he’s played since being drafted in the 2nd round (#41 overall by the Denver Broncos) and he praised the experience PSU’s Mike Munchak brings to the table: “He’s played the game. He has a Gold Jacket as the position. How can you not listen to a guy who’s done that? Anything he sayd, you don’t want to feel like you sohuld do something difference because this guy played the game. He’s done it all. He’s in the Hall of Fame.”