Former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, who led the team to a championship in Super Bowl XLV, seems to be constructing a sort of Green Bay east in his new role as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He’s already hired long-time Packers coach and consultant James Campen to be his offensive line coach; he publicly stated he would welcome his former quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, back for another season in black and gold as well.

And the latest rumored hire is his former backup quarterback and assistant coach Scott Tolzien, who will soon be interviewed for the role of offensive coordinator.

Packers fans, of course, remember Tolzien for his brief stint in a starting role in 2013 following Rodgers’ collarbone injury during Week 9 in a game against the Chicago Bears. It was an injury that sidelined Rodgers for much of the season. That pressed backup Seneca Wallace into service as the starter in Week 10, but the veteran quarterback was injured early in the game. Enter Tolzien, who had been on the practice squad for most of the season.

Most of us remember Tolzien primarily for one specific play: a deadly spin move for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings. Interestingly, however, Tolzien did show some signs of life apart from that one play, which we’ll revisit in a moment. 

When Wallace was injured against the Philadelphia Eagles, Tolzien came into the game, evoking memories of Randy Wright in his No. 16 jersey. But the backup journeyman, who had played for the Chargers and 49ers before coming to Green Bay, flashed more life in his arm than Wright ever did.

While the game ended in a 27-13 Packers loss, Tolzien went 24 of 39 for 280 yards in about three quarters of action, tossing a touchdown pass to tight end Brandon Bostick (remember him?). The flaw in Tolzien’s game might have been his look of a true gunslinger, which resulted in a pair of interceptions.

When Tolzien got the start the following week against the New York Giants, there was some measure of hope, and Tolzien again delivered in terms of moving the ball. He went 24 of 34 passing for 339 yards and an impressive 10.0 yards average, with zero sacks. Once again, however, his flaw was that penchant for picks, including a game-clinching pick-six to linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul, who actually predicted his big play to teammates before the ball was ever snapped. Not a good look for the Packers offense. Final score: Giants 27, Packers 13. Randy Wright, indeed.

Tolzien drew the start again the next week versus the Vikings, a game in which he cemented his legend. Well, sort of. Tolzien was only 7 of 17 in this game, also taking two sacks. But he did engineer an 87-yard scoring drive that culminated in that aforementioned spin move. 

On second and goal from the 6, Tolzien dropped back to pass and faded right, but the protection quickly broke down. He pump-faked one rusher into jumping, ducked under him, and scrambled to his left. At the 6, defensive lineman Letroy Guion (who would become a Packer the next season) made an attempt to corral Tolzien, but the quarterback spun back to the right, leaving Guion grasping at turf and looking a bit foolish in the process. From there, Tolzien stumbled into the end zone awkwardly to cap the scoring drive.

As we all know, Tolzien would ultimately be benched in that game in favor of Matt Flynn, who had returned by way of being waived by the Seattle Seahawks. The game ended in an unsatisfying 26-26 tie, but it set the stage for a memorable finish to the season, with Flynn keeping the Packers in playoff contention with a couple of big wins, including an incredible comeback against the Dallas Cowboys.

Tolzien remained with the Packers through the 2015 season, but barely saw the field following the 2013 season. From there, he went to Indianapolis for two seasons. 

Now 38, Tolzien has made a name as an up-and-coming coach, spending four seasons in Dallas with McCarthy and last year working with promising New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. If he gets the OC job in Pittsburgh, he and McCarthy will be looking forward to making some Green Bay-style magic. 

But it’s safe to say that, short of winning a Super Bowl, nothing Tolzien does in the Steel City will match the famed Tolzien Spin Move.