PITTSBURGH -- Offensive line coach Larry Zierlein has been fired, the first Steelers assistant coach to lose his job since coach Mike Tomlin was hired in 2007.

Zierlein was supposed to meet with some of his linemen on Wednesday, only to be told he was being replaced. He was seen leaving the Steelers' offices with several large boxes.

Zierlein previously coached for the Browns and Bills, plus five college teams.

Zierlein's offensive line had season-long problems, allowing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to be sacked 50 times as the Steelers (9-7) failed to make the playoffs a season after winning the Super Bowl.

The staff change was the second in as many days after Tomlin went three seasons without altering his staff. Quarterbacks coach Ken Anderson retired on Tuesday after 33 seasons as an NFL player or coach, 16 as a Bengals quarterback.

Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians held a long meeting Wednesday with Tomlin and is expected to retain his job, despite some dissatisfaction within the organization about the decreased emphasis on the running game.

One Pittsburgh media outlet reported Wednesday that Arians would stay with the team for the 2010-11 season, but Channel 11 only confirmed that Arians was set to meet with Tomlin. Arians has a year remaining on his contract.

Rumors regarding Arians' status have been swirling in Pittsburgh all week.

One Pittsburgh radio station reported Tuesday that Arians had been fired, but Tomlin said his evaluation of the season was in its "infancy." Tomlin said he hadn't even met with any of his coaches yet and that he wouldn't do so until after he met with each of his players.

“When teams lose, rumors start,” said Channel 11 Sports anchor Alby Oxenreiter.

Arians was named to the Steelers’ coaching staff in 2004 as the wide receivers coach. He was promoted in 2007 to offensive coordinator.

Arians, largely responsible for abandoning the Steelers' long-standing commitment to the run to lean on a heavily pass-oriented system, was the assistant coach who was most critiqued during the season -- not only from outside the organization, but from within.

Tomlin apparently wants Arians back -- Roethlisberger, not surprisingly, is a major supporter of Arians -- but the Steelers' front office is not believed to be totally in agreement with the abrupt change of direction.

The Steelers' 428 rushing attempts were the second-fewest they've had during a 16-game season except for their 394 attempts in 1991. Their 536 passing attempts were the fourth-most in team history. Big changes, indeed, for a franchise that went into the season with 5,000 yards rushing more than any other NFL team since the 1970 merger.

Arians has more than 32 years of coaching experience, including 16 years in the NFL.

Given the special teams struggles this season and the philosophical differences that may exist in the organization with the offense's undeniable change of direction, there could be more.

Tomlin isn't saying when more changes might occur. He began meeting with every player on the team Monday and will talk to all staff members after that, a process that could take most of the week.

"I don't approach making major changes in response to our record, I like to use to use the term appropriate changes," Tomlin said Tuesday. "Those aren't knee-jerk reactions, those aren't quick decisions. My mentality will always be to make appropriate changes. Big changes is not something I necessarily I buy into."

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