Mainstream Media Won’t Criticize Steelers’ Coaching

The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently riding a four game losing streak into Cleveland, where they will take on the lowly Browns in a game that should bring that streak to a screeching halt. 

Many in Steeler Nation have questioned exactly what is wrong with the 2009 Steelers.  They are basically the same team as last year’s Super Bowl team, although injuries to Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith have had a tremendous impact on their defense, both run and pass.

These injuries would explain some of the degradation in the defense, but not to the degree that we’ve seen.

The offense hasn’t had such injuries. The problems there seem to be very poor play calling and untimely mental mistakes.

On special teams, the kickoff, and to a lesser degree punt, coverage teams have been horrible, to say the least.

So, this brief and painfully obvious recap of the Steelers season has led to a (somewhat) general consensus on this site that the biggest issue with the Steelers has been coaching. 

Bruce Arians has been under fire all year.  More recently Mike Tomlin and even that crafty, old genius Dick LeBeau are starting to come under question.

But again, only on this site and other fan websites have these words been uttered.

I have not seen one article from a “mainstream” publication that has been remotely critical of the Steelers’ coaching staff.  The television broadcasters won’t say it either.

ESPN , Fox Sports , the Sporting News —I haven’t heard or read one critical report.

Neither the Post Gazette, nor the Tribune will even remotely utter criticism about the coaching staff.

I do not live in Pittsburgh (I’m a West Coast Steelers fan).  So, I don’t know what’s being said on the local talk shows. 

The question is why?

It’s understandable that the NFL employed broadcasters wouldn’t say anything.  But you’d expect the papers to be unbiased.

I think it’s this lack of accountability that has given Tomlin (and the rest of the staff) the free pass to basically blow the whole season before making a move.

Congratulations to Tomlin for finally making a tough decision.  It’s only his second of the whole year (the first was the minor tweaks he made to the ST before the Baltimore game, which helped for one week) and it’s one that is primarily based on injuries.

Tomlin has said that we’re going to see changes, which could include:

-Joe Burnett and Keenan Lewis in for Ike Taylor and William Gay (injured)

-Ryan Mundy in for Tyrone Carter

-Keyaron Fox in for Lawrence Timmons on rushing downs

-Ziggy Hood in for Nick Eason

-Mike Wallace in for Hines Ward (injured)

-Ramon Foster in for someone (I’m thinking Trai Essex)

These are all moves that could have, and in some cases should have, been made much earlier in the season (except for Ward).  The biggest one, in my opinion, is Fox for Timmons.

Timmons does not seem suited for inside linebacker—a much better fit would be on the outside.  He has done a very poor job against the run.  Fox has been solid when he’s been in.

The other big one is William Gay.  He’s been bad for a while and should have been replaced earlier in the season.

Ike Taylor has always been schizophrenic—great one week, horrible the next.

The real question is will Tomlin really make this many changes.  My guess is no.  NFL coaches tend to be very conservative about their roster (unlike the casual fan, who wants to make changes in the lineup week to week).

I, for one, have lost confidence in Tomlin and the entire staff (even LeBeau).  Let’s see if the coaches can do a few things right with the remainder of the season to change my mind.  That is, win the rest of the games, get lucky and make the playoffs, then make a decent showing in the playoffs.

The talent on this team is still good enough to win the Super Bowl, but the coaching staff is holding it back.  As always, I’m hoping to be proven wrong.

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Looking for the Positives in The Steelers Loss to Cincy

The Pittsburgh Steelers 18-12 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals was a crushing defeat (to say the least).  Not only did they fail to take the division lead, but also they lost to the Bengals for the second time this season, something that hasn’t happened since the 1998 season (one of Bill Cowher’s down years).

There are obviously many negatives that came out of this game.  Most notably was the horrendous (to put it mildly) play calling from Bruce Arians, which has been well documented on this site (and not just this past week).

Arians (and the kick-off coverage team) aside, the most distributing aspect of this game was how bad Ben Roethlisberger played.  He looked panicky when dropping back, was constantly looking to the covered man when there was an open receiver, never threw to the check down back when the rush was coming (part of this is the play calling), and most importantly, was very inaccurate.

All of these are traits that we’ve seen in previous years from Ben, but not this season, one in which an MVP mention would not be laughed at.  If I were quarterback coach for a day, I’d have Ben work on nothing but the deep ball—it seems to be his biggest weakness. 

On Sunday, he was short twice to Mike Wallace when he was behind the defense and long when the coverage was tight and an under throw was more appropriate.  I’m thinking/hoping this was a one game aberration that will get corrected in Kansas City.

 

So, what about the positives?

1.  The defense has played very well and seems to be getting progressively better each week.  As the days start to get colder, this will be increasingly important to the Steelers.  The defense should be able to keep the Steelers in any game (regular season or playoffs).

The only concern is Troy Polamalu’s knee.  The defense doesn’t fall apart when he’s out, but it dearly misses his intimidation and big play ability.  They are just not as feared without Troy.

 

2.  The Steelers lost to a good team.  A loss is never a good thing, but I think it’s a better sign for a good team to lose to another good then to lose to a bad team.  And as difficult as this is to say, the Bengals are a good team. 

The Steelers and Bengals look like they have the two best defenses in the AFC.  Both teams are built to win playoff games:  play hard, tough, physical defense and score enough on offense to win (although, the Steelers offense should be putting up big numbers, if not for Arians).

You can’t win every game.  This last week should just go as one of those Ls that every team will get during the course of a year.

 

3.  As odd as this may sound, a division crown is not out of reach.  The Steelers have two grudge matches against the Baltimore Ravens, which are always physical, but the Ravens don’t look as good as they have in the past (and I’m not just talking about the way they handled The Clowns, who would have trouble against the local Pop Warner team).  The rest of the schedule looks to be pretty easy for the Steelers.

Games still need to be played, but it would not be too much of a stretch to say that the Steelers will win out and end up with a record of 13-3.

The Bengals also have some very easy games on their schedule, but they close with three of the last four on the road against good teams—Minnesota, San Diego, and the NY Jets (well, two good teams anyway).

It also wouldn’t be a stretch to say that they’ll lose two of those three games (Minnesota and San Diego) and end up with a record of 12-4.

Stranger things have happened.

The bottom line is the Steelers are still in good shape to return the Super Bowl.  There are only two things standing in their way:

1. Bruce Arians and the location where his head is stuck
2. Mental mistakes—this not only includes giving up returns for touchdown, but also offensive lineman (yes, you Kemo and Max) having temporary amnesia about how to block an on-rushing defensive lineman

The Steelers get one week to recover, and then face the Ravens at Baltimore.  I think we’ll know more about any positives the Steelers have after that game.

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Pittsburgh Steelers Show Character in Win Over Minnesota Vikings

In a game that was far from perfect, the Pittsburgh Steelers came away from Heinz Field on Sunday with a much needed win. 

Some of the same problems that we’ve seen each week were present:  critical dropped pass, this time by Hines Ward; untimely turnover (Rashard Mendenhall’s fumble); mental breakdown (giving up a kick return for a touchdown, after Brett Keisel’s strip and Lamar Woodley’s scoop and run should have all but ended the game).

The Steelers needed a second spectacular play on defense by Keyaron Fox to finally put the game on ice.

The two spectacular defensive plays marked the first time all year that the defense stepped up and made a big play when they had to in the fourth quarter.  The defense was solid all game, holding Adrian Peterson in check, until the fourth quarter, when he made a train wreck of William Gay. 

Brett Favre, the crafty veteran that he is, looked to have his team poised to steel one (no pun intended) in Pittsburgh.

Dick LeBeau’s group was having none of it.  Despite having a bye next Sunday, the Steelers D should be able to take the momentum of this game into the next two contests (against Denver and Cincinnati), games which will have a lot to do with defining the Steelers season.

A week after this writer called the Steelers an offensive team, two things happened:  the defense stepped up (as previously mentioned) and Bruce Arians returned to his questionable play calling ways.

The Steeler offense, and Ben Roethlisberger, could never get into a rhythm. 

The play calling returned to plain vanilla, with the exception of the three end-arounds.

There were no attempts to stretch the field—I thought at least one deep ball to Mike Wallace per game was a given by now.  The two long pass plays, which accounted for 85 of Ben’s 175 yards passing, were of the catch and run variety.

The best drive of the game for the Steelers was when they were in the no-huddle just before half-time.  Which begs the question:  Why not use the no-huddle in the second half, when the offense was struggling?

Much credit has to go to a tough Viking defense.  But this was a team that was 20th in the league against the pass.

The Steelers are yet to put together a complete game.  But this game was their best from a defensive standpoint, and was the first time all year that they showed heart and determination in the fourth quarter.

A sign that they are indeed ready to repeat as Super Bowl champs.  If only Bruce Arians play calling doesn’t trip them up.

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New Steelers Win Again, Face Tough Vikings Next

Much has been written on this site and others about how the Steelers are not the same team we’ve known, loved, and cheered for over the years.

Discussions about how the Steelers are no longer a running team, but rather a passing team, fall a bit short in my view.

These Steelers are an offensive team.

Yes, the defense is still good (can’t say great yet this year), but it’s the offense, and Ben Roethlisberger in particular, that defines this team.

The good news is the offense can score on any team in this league, which has no dominant defense this year. The Giants are statistically No. 1, but I dare say, New Orleans had a thing or two to say about that.

And so it goes with the NFL this year. The biggest problem with having a great offense is that it forces the other team’s offense to do more to keep up. I think that’s one of the reasons why the Steelers games have been so close, a trend that I fear will likely continue.

The mark of a great team is to win those close games. The Steelers have not shown that greatness this year yet, winning most, but losing a few close ones.

This team clearly has the talent to win another Super Bowl. The question is do they have the character?

Here’s a few conclusions we can draw about the Steelers after the Cleveland game:

Willie Parker is done.

Thanks to Tomlin for not blindly sticking with the veteran, as the previous coach in Pittsburgh liked to do.

The fact is, Rashard Mendenhall looks good. Despite the “fumble waiting to happen” way that he carries the ball, he’s been solid, hitting holes hard and breaking tackles. The future looks good at RB. I, for one, have jumped off the “Redman for President” bandwagon, thanks to Mendy.

Laurence Timmons is better suited to be an OLB.

His forte seems to be rushing the quarterback, something he’d likely do more of on the outside. I’m guessing LeBeau sees that as well, which is why he and Farrior have been blitzing more. That, and the fact that Lamar Woodley can’t get to the QB.

There should be no more mention of Limas Sweed this year.

There’s only room for so many receivers and Steelers have three great, although maybe a bit inconsistent, guys in Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, and Mike Wallace. Add Heath Miller and Mewelde in the mix and the third down offense is set this year (barring injuries).

See ya next training camp, Limas!

So, that’s it. Let’s see how the New Steelers fair this week against Brett Farve, Adrian Peterson, and the rest of the Vikings.

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Steelers Looking to Break the Mold

Much to the chagrin of Steelers fans everywhere, this season has developed into a clearly defined pattern: dominate on offense for most of the game, make a bonehead blunder to keep the other team alive, then hang on (or try anyway) for dear life, as the game goes down to the wire.

This past week in Motown helped solidify this disturbing trend. The offense looked unstoppable again, scoring on four consecutive possessions. The blunder this time was the second pick six of the season for Big Ben. Fortunately, the defense stepped up in the end to insure that the Steelers would hang on.

Here’s a novel thought: How about a nice, boring blowout? Shouldn’t a dominant team have a few of those each season? 

It looked like last week was going to be such a game. With the Steelers up 28-13, I actually considered flipping to the Bengals-Ravens game, which at the time was a much tighter game. In the closing minutes, I was actually watching both games (two TVs).

As the Steelers have become a pass-first offense, there are a few disturbing side effects:

1. Interceptions have been a regular occurrence. Ben’s completion percentage is ridiculous (almost 74 percent). Despite that, he’s thrown a pick in almost every game, including two for six. Not every interception has been on Ben; the receivers and QB need to be smarter in this area.

2. The Steelers can’t go away from the short passes late in the game. Bruce Arians is a genius for two or three quarters and then becomes a complete moron again in the fourth quarter. The good thing is he seems to be realizing it (based on his comments after the Lions game)—a good sign that correction may be forthcoming.

Memo to BA: If your back has 65 yards in the first half, he should get 100 for the game, not 77. Mendenhall had six carries in the second half for 12 yards; half of the carries went for minus yards. This is a testament to poor play calling. That is, not knowing when to call a run play (in my opinion).

3. Steelers receivers have to stop dropping wide open touchdown passes. It’s not just Sweed; Mike Wallace and Santonio Holmes are also guilty. Couple that with Ward fumbling inside the five and it’s only Heath Miller among receivers (I know he’s a TE) that isn’t guilty of temporary insanity (not that I’m wishing he would join this inauspicious club).

As for the defense, it will be very interesting to see if Troy Polamalu really makes that much of a difference. The defense without him is quite vulnerable to the passing game, particularly the short stuff and also in the fourth quarter. It’s a mystery that Columbo would have trouble with.

Lamar Woodley seems to be another case for my favorite 70’s police detective.  His lack of pass rush has had a tremendous (negative) impact. It’s not clear if last year was an apparition or if there’s something wrong with Lamar. He looks like he’s only trying to bull rush and not speed rush. It would be nice to see a spin move as well; not sure if he’s capable.

We’ll also see if the run defense can survive without Aaron Smith. Smith is probably the most under-valued DL in the league (outside of Pittsburgh) among fans. His presence will be greatly missed.

So, there’s one more week to figure it all out (against Cleveland). The next three games after that will be against two undefeated teams (as of now) in Minnesota and Denver, then the first place (that’s right) Cincinnati Bengals. 

If the Steelers win all three, they will again be in control of the division and will have showed the AFC that they are the team to beat (no disrespect to Indy). Anything less and it’s going to be a nail-biter all the way to the end.

So, let’s hope we can be bored for at least this week with a Steelers blowout.

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Pittsburgh Progress Report: Steelers Look to Improve From Season’s First Quarter

A quarter of the season is over (four games), and here’s what we know about the Steelers so far this season.

Offense

 This could be the best Steelers offense ever, or at least, the most “high-powered”. Ben is completing over 73 percent of his passes and to a nice variety of receivers. Minus a handful of drops, not to mention Limas Sweed, the receivers have been solid.

Mike Wallace is a future star and Heath Miller may finally get enough stats to get him his first trip to Hawaii. The passing game is also starting to open up the running game, which has gotten progressively better each game.

It looks like Mike Tomlin could have been right about Mendenhall. Yes, he runs way too high, but he showed explosiveness that we haven’t seen from a Steelers back in a while. He actually broke tackles, which is the first time we’ve seen that in a game from Mendenhall.

Furthermore, the offensive line looks like it’s starting to gel. I don’t remember seeing any mental errors that were so prevalent in the Tennessee game. I don’t think there’s a defense in this league that the Steelers cannot score on.

Defense

The run defense has been superb. So far it’s ranked third in the league at 61.5 yards per game. The Steelers have given up three big runs, two to Chris Johnson, one to Cedric Benson. If not for those three incidents, the stats would be unbelievable.

The pass defense has been very good for 75 percent of the game, but has broken down on a couple of drives. That inconsistency has been one of the factors in the 2-2 record. This indicates that small tweaks, and the return of Troy Polamalu, should be all that’s needed for correction.

The most disturbing shortcoming of the defense is the lack of takeaways. Pittsburgh has only three this season. This seems to point to a lack of pressure on the quarterback and an overall lack of intensity. This needs to change.

Special Teams

 Kick coverage has been very solid, and has been helped in large part by the return of Sepulveda (on punts). Kick returns are definitely better with Stephan Logan, but it would be nice if he could break a tackle, which is the only thing preventing him from taking one back all the way. He also has to learn to fight hang onto the ball, because you can bet after last week, teams will be trying to rip the ball away from him. Minus the Chicago game, Jeff Reed has been solid.

Coaching

The offensive coaching seems to be getting better each week, a very good sign. Defensive coaching still seems a bit conservative, but I’m guessing that will change when Troy comes back.

Mental Lapses

 I put this in its own category, because it appears to be a problem the Steelers face each week.

Week 1 it was the offensive line, and Hines Ward fumbling late in the game. Week 2 it was Santonio Holmes dropping easy passes and Reed missing two standard field goals. Week 3 it was Holmes running the wrong route, leading to a pick six, Wallace stepping out of bounds on his way to the end zone and Sweed dropping an easy touchdown pass.

This past week, it was Logan getting stripped and Ryan Mundy not making an easy recovery on the onsides kick. Tennessee was the first week of the season, and that was a hard fought game Pittsburgh won despite the mental issues.

The other three games should have been blowouts and would have been if not for these mental errors. Correction will be a direct result of being better prepared for games, mentally and physically. Tomlin needs to lead the charge in this category.

Although the Steelers should be 4-0 at this point, the remaining schedule is favorable enough to hope for a 12-4 season, which should be good enough to win the division and possibly home field advantage. The next three quarters (of the season) will tell.

 

 

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