Steelers Want Roethlisberger For Life, Look To Get Him Big Target

"We've got to have Ben (Roethlisberger) retire as a Steeler. There's no doubt about that."

Those were the words of Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II last month when talking about a contract extension for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He said that he wants the franchise quarterback to finish his career where he started it.

Fast forward to Wednesday of this week and General Manager Kevin Colbert mimicked that same sentiment during an interview on 93.7 The Fan.

“We all recognize we are very fortunate to have a franchise quarterback,” Colbert said. “He still has a lot of tread on the tires. We feel great about how last season finished and we hope to build on that. It’s unanimous we all want Ben to finish his career here.” - http://tinyurl.com/lho3xsf

To win in the NFL, you need some skill as well as some luck. To win consistently in today's NFL, as in three Super Bowl appearances and two wins in 10 years type of consistently, you need great quarterback play. And the Steelers have great quarterback play.

Last season, despite his horrendous start, ended up having a very good year. He ranked among the top NFL QBs (with a minimum 290 pass attempts) in QB Rating (92.0), touchdown passes (28), passing yards (4,261), completion percentage (64.2%) and in comp. pct. when under pressure (per Pro Football Focus).

Big Ben also played every snap in throwing for those yards while setting a Steelers record for completions in a season (375). He had a 2-to-1 TD/INT ratio and becoming the franchise's career leader in TD passes (219).

Since 2004, his rookie year, Big Ben also ranks fourth among QBs in the regular season with 95 wins (T.Brady-114, P.Manning-113, and D.Brees-100), and second in Super Bowl wins.

Naturally, then, they should and do want to extend him in order to keep him in town. The question is as to when as both Rooney II and Colbert have both been confident yet non-committal.

"When both sides are able to come together on an extension," Rooney II further said. "I don't know when that will be, but there's no doubt we look at Ben as somebody who's going to be here for the long term and hopefully five or more years."

In the meantime, what is known is that, according to Beaver County Times last week, WRs Markus Wheaton, Derek Moye and Justin Brown traveled to Irvine, CA to work with Big Ben.

"It was really about (Roethlisberger) getting a feel for some of us a little bit more," said Moye. This was also done in part because Emmanuel Sanders is not expected to return. - http://tinyurl.com/mng7ntk

As far as what is known that the Steelers as an organization is doing is that they are looking to do something else that will potentially please the franchise passer.

In an interview with Adam Lefkoe of the courier-journal.com, Gerry Dulac reiterated information that If It Ain't Steel had quoted him as saying before - that the Steelers will go after a big/big-play wide receiver early in May's NFL Draft. He elaborated on what he'd formerly said.

"I believe that they are going to target a tall wide receiver in the first round of the draft. .... I don't think there's any question, Adam, that one of the guys they've liked all along is Mike Evans from Texas A&M. He's...a former basketball player, big guy - 6'5", 225 pounds. Goes up and gets the ball, very athletic."

ASIDE: As the NFL Combine has begun its measurements of QBs and WRs, with the actual pageantry beginning this weekend, we now know that Evans is actually 6'4 5/8" and 231 pounds.

Dulac continued with the other WR that he believes the Steelers want to possibly get for Big Ben when he said, "It's hard not to like Sammy Watkins, the kid from Clemson.

As Dulac pointed out, Colbert saw the (currently) 6'1", 205-pound Watkins in person earlier this year and he believes that one of the two is at the top of the Steelers list.

"When Kevin Colbert talks about wide receivers, tall WRs, he talks about guys who can play big. But there's no question the Steelers wants to get a receiver who was tall enough that makes it easier for Ben Roethlisberger to complete passes to."

The only foreseeable problem with this is that I can't see either of those players still around at pick No. 15 where the Steelers sit. Nor will the Steelers reach. If they aren't available, there are several other big WRs who could be gotten between their first and second (46) picks.

Kelvin Benjamin, 6'5"/240 LBs, Florida State: 1st round - A rare combination of size (4% body fat) and speed - says he hopes to run a 4.3/40 at Combine on Sunday. A physical mismatch vs. defensive backs and linebackers. Very smooth with the media at the Combine podium. Says he's "gonna come work everyday." - http://t.co/PAYxJEGbGk

Strong, will go across the middle, great at catching jump-balls at apex (ask Auburn), superb body control, fluid, good separation speed, adjusts and tracks well over his shoulder, very good YAC, and does not go down easy. (Not that I've followed him or anything...)

Allen Robinson, 6'3"/210 LBs, Penn State: 1st-2nd round - 2012 and 2013 Big 10 Receiver of the Year. Third-team AP All-American. "Fluid and flexible athlete for his larger frame with room to get stronger. Deceiving acceleration with sharp cuts to be a dangerous catch-and-go pass catcher," per CBSSports.com

Jordan Matthews, 6'3"/205 LBs, Vanderbilt: 2nd round - Good size/speed combination along with very good his hand/eye coordination and body control. Has pedigree as well: is cousin of Jerry Rice.

More in the coming weeks.

The Seven Musts For The 2014 Steelers Offseason

Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert told a handful of local Pittsburgh writers on Wednesday that the team has work to do this offseason. It is work that will include “terminations, restructurings, and extensions.” - http://tinyurl.com/kc8tfwo

As Colbert himself stated, a second straight 8-8 season is "disappointing," but it differs from that of "2012 because of {the} 6-2 finish.” Therefore, per Colbert, the Steelers are "never going to say, OK, we're not going to be a contender, let's gut this thing and start over.” 

So, then, If It Ain't Steel discusses that and the seven things the Steelers need to do this offseason to avoid 'gutting it' and to hit the ground running in 2014.

Despite missing the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since Bill Cowher's 1999 and 2000 teams, the Steelers finished strongly. This was due mainly to their offense, an offense led by Ben Roethlisberger.

EXTENDING BIG BEN should be priority No. 1 this offseason. Even with his horrid start (he himself accounting for nine of the team's 20 turnovers before the bye), he still had one of his best seasons, setting team records for attempts and completions, and was largely responsible for the offense truly clicking as many knew it could.

It was an offense that averaged 28.2 points in the final nine games, led by Big Ben's nearly brilliant second half as well. Though he suffered nine interceptions in the first half of the season, Big Ben cleaned up his act and had only five the rest of the year. He also improved his overall QB Rating to 93.5 in the second half of the season to finish with a 92.0 rating overall. 

He finished the season as the 11th-rated QB in the league and 8th among all quarterbacks when under pressure according to Pro Football Focus - which might have been a higher ranking were it not for his ineffectiveness in the first part of the season, and despite suffering from an inordinate number of drops (36 - 6th highest) from his running backs, receivers and tight ends. 

The franchise quarterback turns 32-years old next month and has plenty of good play left in him. The Steelers, as we have written before, need to extend his contract now in order to ensure that finishing his career in Pittsburgh is a reality. Something with which many agree. - http://tinyurl.com/m8kkcqx

With all of this being true, the next thing that must come to pass is that there need to be, regarding both players and coaches, FEW CHANGES ON OFFENSE.

“I like the way we finished and some of the things in terms of how we finished — the improvement of the offense,” team president Art Rooney II said. “Those, I think, are positive signs. In general, I think there's a lot of younger players we feel good about....I thought we were pretty effective on offense coming down the stretch."

That effective offense allowed just 11 sacks in the second half (and just seven in the last seven games), was 14 for 20 in the red zone in the final six games and ran for 99.3 yards per game in the final eight games, including 115.3 YPG over the final four, as opposed to the pedestrian 73.6 YPG in the first half of the year.

Also, the infusion of more of the no-huddle energized the offense, allowing the Steelers to finish the 2013 season with 20 or more points on offense in their last nine games. 

For all you revisionist history majors, the Steelers never did that once under Bruce Arians. Not once. 

The few changes that are to happen should mainly come from what has to be a CAN'T-MISS NFL DRAFT, which Colbert says is "as deep across the board" as any he's "seen in 30 years." 

In saying that, Colbert brought wonderful news to many, but also put a possible noose around his own neck if he doesn't produce because of it. - http://tinyurl.com/l79tslp

Over the next two months, we'll chronicle the players who would fit the needs the Steelers have. One need which may be a present for Big Ben if beat writer Gerry Dulac was correct when he wrote, "Their intent is to take a tall receiver early -- they have already indicated that to Ben Roethlisberger." -
http://tinyurl.com/lqu9p4p

Those who follow the If It Ain't Steel Facebook page or my (Jason's) tweets on Twitter know I have finally been an advocate of a big receiver this offseason. If for no other reason except that there are a bevy of talented big receivers in this draft. So strike while the iron is hot. - es.pn/M0T5n5

If, though, the rare combination of size and speed that is Kelvin Benjamin isn't in the cards, there are about five or six others we'll soon be highlighting as part of our offseason wish list. 

The other aspect of how the draft needs to be addressed is the approach, i.e. DRAFT HEAVY FOR DEFENSE.

That said, other possible first rounders are nose tackle Louis Nix III (especially if he can stay on field as sub package rush DL also), defensive tackles Aaron Donald or Timmy Jernigan (if the Steelers feel they already have their NT), cornerbacks Darqueze Dennard or Justin Gilbert, or even safety HaHa Clinton-Dix. 

Due to a trade of their 3rd rounder last year, the Steelers currently have six draft picks. They will likely end up with a total of nine (barring any action by the league) via the compensatory picks. So more defensive selections than offensive, especially in the higher picks, and more hits than misses are both paramount.

Even so, the draft may not be enough. The time may be to LOOK TO FREE AGENCY to fill in gaps and procure the players they need. 

That doesn't mean making a big splash the moment the FA period opens, but getting players who can contribute immediately. 

B.J. Raji, Brandon Spikes and Brent Grimes are names that come to mind. The reason being that the Steelers highly value a quality NT, Spikes knows how to win and the Miami Dolphins' secondary wasn't the same when Grimes wasn't in there. And while they themselves may not be the exact names desired, it is definitely those types of players they should covet as Kevin Greene, James Farrior and Ryan Clark once were. 

Speaking of free agents, the RE-SIGNING OF JERRICHO COTCHERY is imperative. They must find a way to keep a guy who was tied for 10th in the NFL with a career-high 10 touchdown passes, the most by any Steelers player since 2010. 

As I've always said about him, Cotchery is clutch ("Clutchery?") - all of those touchdowns came in the red zone. An approximate 2/3 of Clutchery's career touchdown receptions have come inside the 20-yard line as well.

Clutchery (ok, I'll stop) also caught 46 passes in 2013, the most since he's come to the Steelers. 

Colbert said that he would like to see certain players signed before the start of free agency and the new NFL year (March 11th). It's likely that Cotch was one whom he meant. 

Speaking of re-signings...

Colbert said that the team 'could keep both LaMarr Woodley and Jason Worilds.' He wouldn't estimate, though, the chances of RE-SIGNING JASON WORILDS.

Colbert said it's a "concern" when a player like LaMarr Woodley has "constant injury issues.” He wouldn't say, however, if Woodley's injury issues are enough to consider cutting him and eating $14 million in dead money this year (or taking lesser Cap hits over the next two years).

Regardless, Worilds is a priority. The 25-year old outside linebacker had a career-high eight sacks last season, seven of which came in his last eight games when the Steelers finally just put him on the left side and...well, left him there like we had been advocating for a year that they do. 

Worilds wants reassurances that he'll continue to be a starter before he'll sign. Rightly so. He is a more dangerous pass-rusher on the left, and Pro Football Focus ranked him the Steelers' second-best run defender behind nose tackle Steve McLendon.

Point blank: the Steelers need to re-sign him. Though it's a less likely scenario, they could place the franchise tag on him, as we've brought out in the past, which would cost between $10-11 million.

Colbert has said that it is unlikely they'll use the Transition or the Franchise tags, though it would be a wise investment. 

They say that a cynic is someone who knows the cost of everything yet the value of nothing. The value of Worilds far exceeds his cost, and he is a key component to truly, as Colbert alluded, building a team to compete for Super Bowl again.

~

TIDBITS: Ryan Clark turned last Thursday's episode of ESPN's First Take into "First Toke," when he said that some of his teammates smoke marijuana and that the NFL is "fighting a losing battle" in that regard. -
http://t.co/hQBESi0Msq 

Though Colbert said that RC25's comments were a 'player's thoughts and not the organization's, Marijuana use in the NFL is still a blazing topic lately, yes, and players - I would imagine an approximate 2/3 of them - turning to it to help with pain and stress is to be expected. So I don't now, nor did I ever, understand the uproar behind RC25's statements, for which he did later apologize saying, "To Steeler Nation I apologize that I didn't say 'I know people who smoke but not on my team.' Just didn't think that was believable.”

As I privately said at the time and as Scott Brown, AFC North writer for ESPN, has written since, it was much ado about nothing and the general public "misses the point." - http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/77836/criticism-of-ryan-clark-misses-the-point

~ 

Per Mark Kaboly, "Steelers LB Sean Spence working out at renowned Bommarito Performance Systems in Miami."

Art Rooney II: State of the Steelers - Offense And The Need To Sign Roethlisberger

Golf legend Tiger Woods has been known to say that "you don't win a tournament with one round (on Thursday), but you can lose it with one round." Your typical PGA Tour tournament begins on Thursday and ends on Sunday. Four days of rounds where, if you stumble out of the gate, you can put yourself too far behind the clubhouse leader to be able to comeback and win.

That's exactly what the Pittsburgh Steelers did in the 2013 season. When they lost their first four games, they dug themselves too deep of a hole and missed the playoffs by a foot - literally and figuratively.

But it was the surge in the second half of the season that has team president Art Rooney II optimistic.

"I certainly liked the way we finished," said Art II in his season-ending interview. "Unfortunately, we got off to a slow start. I liked the way we finished....You want a team that's playing its best at the end. I think for the most part that's what we did, and that leaves me excited for next season already. We're looking forward to getting started on preparing for next year."

The finish he's referring to is a 6-2 record, a 28 points-per-game average, a +7 in turnover ratio and, maybe most importantly, No. 7 was only sacked seven times in the final seven games.

"There's no question, Ben, like the team, got better as the season went on," said Art II. "You have to like the fact he stayed relatively clean the second half of the season. There's no doubt that's what we'd like to see. We'd like to see him last another five, six or seven years, whatever it is. In order to do that, we have to protect him, and he has to protect himself."

In order for him to "last another five, six or seven years", he has to be under contract also, though. The Steelers generally sign their quarterbacks, as well as other players, with two years remaining on their deal. Well, Ben Roethlisberger has two years remaining on his deal.

However, Art II seemed to indicate that the head brass wouldn't necessarily do that.

Per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette Art II said that Big Ben knows “our intention is we want him here beyond this contact.” He even said he would want Big Ben to "retire" a Steeler.

"We've got to have Ben retire as a Steeler," Art II said. "There's no doubt about that."

But Art II added that the team possibly won’t extend the current contract in 2014 or 2015. He said that’s “not set in stone . . . it’s not something that’s automatic.” - http://tinyurl.com/lkeu9tp

That may not be the best choice. There's already enough dead money owed which hurts the Cap, plus Big Ben's Cap restrictions.

As was brought out in an article by Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review brought out, “That kills every team, if they’ve got dead money, the cap is against them — on a very flat cap (a cap that doesn’t go up much from season to season). When you pay your quarterback a lot of money like they pay Big Ben, and you look around the league right now, every team that’s paying a quarterback $20 million or thereabouts, none of their defenses are top 10 defenses." - http://tinyurl.com/l97wt3f

So striking while the iron is hot and freeing up money would seem to be the best bet - for Big Ben and for the Steelers - as Steel City Blitz's Marc Uhlmann also points out.

"My suggestion...get a new deal done for Roethlisberger now rather than later....The longer the two sides sit without a new deal, the worse things will get. Keep in mind both sides had to deal with the report by NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport that the Steelers and Roethlisberger were ready to part ways at this season’s end." - http://tinyurl.com/ma72wcv

Maybe the Steelers will just ask him to do one more, if you will, "minor" restructure for now. That would convert a portion of his $12.1 million salary to an offseason signing bonus, with half of the amount counting against this year’s Salary Cap and the other half against next year's.

I hope not. Either way, though, something has to be done sooner than later.

~

TIDBITS: Running Backs - Who will be the backup to Le'Veon Bell next season? As for who the primary backup will be? Jonathan Dwyer, Felix Jones, and LaRod Stephens-Howling are all free agents.
Likely, two of them come back on a veteran minimum or qualifying contract.

Jonathan Dwyer is my choice and the only one I could see making it through Training Camp. Being that he’s still only 24 years old and has had some good games, he unfortunately could get interest elsewhere also.

Felix Jones was the first one off the bench late in the season, so I think Jones probably makes the team in some fashion being that the Steelers do need a regular kick returner. However, OC Todd Haley likes small-ish backs who are elusive and can catch passes out of the backfield. At 5'10 and 215 LBs, Jones doesn't exactly fit that mold. That brings us to...

LASH at least gets a Camp invite. He's still recovering from his knee injury, but if the versatile back is healthy enough to practice he'll be able to compete at and for a couple of different roles.

Art Rooney II: Steelers Will Appeal Further Punishment, Praises Tomlin; Khan Gone?

Wednesday morning, Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II addressed the media regarding several matters associated with his team. Included among were support for head coach Mike Tomlin and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and various other points.

Art II said that he would expect NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the league to notify the team of any additional discipline - the losing of a draft pick - before the Spring owners' meetings, and that they would appeal it.

“(We've) notified the NFL that we would appeal if there is additional discipline," said Rooney II via Steelers Digest's Bob Labriola. "(We'd) disagree strongly if that were to happen.”

As Rooney II stated further, Tomlin has paid the piper. He took full responsibility for his actions and insisted that they were not intentional. He referred to them as "embarrassing" and "inexcusable" in the subsequent Tuesday press conference.

Tomlin paid the price dearly in fact, as he was fined $100,000 by the league for stepping onto the white area of the sidelines and nearly onto the field during the long kickoff return by Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones.

Never mind that similar incidents of coaches actually stepping directly onto the playing field had occurred previously and since, meeting little to no punishment. Now Emperor Goodell wants to take away team draft picks also?

“Mike has paid the price and as far we’re concerned," Rooney II further said. "It should be behind us.”

Yes, it should.

More from Rooney II: Preparing for next year, as he put it in his interview, starts from the top down. That means an evaluation of the head coach. Have no fear (or "eat it" to the haters), Rooney II is completely fine with Mike Tomlin.

"I thought Mike did a very good job in the sense that, even though we created our own situation, our team continued to play hard through adversity," said Rooney II. "That's not always easy to do. They continued to fight, continued to believe in themselves, and most of that is a tribute to Mike and the kind of coaches and players we have here. They fought hard all the way through, and in the end, we came pretty darn close to being in the playoffs. Like I said, I believe we were playing our best football at the end, which is what you want to have happen, and I think that's obviously due to coaching."

So, he's here to stay. Thankfully.

Someone, however, may not be here to stay. The Miami Dolphins have requested permission to interview Steelers Director of Football & Business Administration Omar Khan. Though he is mainly a Salary Cap wiz, don't underestimate the possibility of his leaving. Thus the hiring of Samir Suleiman last year as their Football Administration Coordinator and Khan assistant after the Jets showed interest in Khan. Is he a personnel guy, though? Plus, the Dolphins are a mess at this point. Time will tell, but Behind The Steel Curtain gives a further breakdown here: http://tinyurl.com/l99u4jo

Tomlin Takes Responsibility For Personnel Woes - Should He Do So Alone?

by Jason and Jayden

When things are going badly, like they have lately with the Pittsburgh Steelers, it's common and all too easy to point fingers. It's equally easy for the accused to retaliate defensively since we tend to operate with a self-conscious notion/tone without the perspective of relative responsibility.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin doesn't seem to have a problem with this.

In his weekly press conference Tuesday, Tomlin handled questions regarding the state of the team, which centered mainly around the historic beating they took with Sunday's loss still fresh in everyone's mind. Those questions expanded not surprisingly to the quality of players the Steelers have. When asked essentially how figures into draft-day decisions, he answered in no uncertain terms.

"I take responsibility for the players we've drafted," Tomlin said.

He even repeated it more succinctly and sternly when the media tried to have him expound upon his initial answer.

Falling on the grenade and, somewhat literally, taking one for the team is admirable of the Super Bowl-winning head coach.

Admirable, but inaccurate.

No single individual is solely responsible for each year's draft decisions. In fact, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert has in the past alluded to himself as having the final word in the NFL Draft. The coordinators and position coaches have a certain say in players as well. Beyond that, players have to take opportunities as they come and to make the most of them.

So, despite what he contends, this isn't by any means a burden that Tomlin carries alone. The Steelers' poor draft record through much of his tenure - in the five years from the 2008-2012 draft, only 18 of the 42 players drafted (43%) remain with the team - has many calling for him to not just fall on the grenade, but his sword also. Again, though, this doesn't fall solely on him. Not by a long shot.

Colbert has the responsibility to oversee the draft as well as the Salary Cap, with Omar Khan at his side, under which those draftees will perform.

He is directly in charge of providing the coaches, including Tomlin, adequate talent to be developed into a winner. By way of his own visits to games, suggestions from the coaching staff regarding players who catch their eye and the ever-so-vital information brought to him from the team's scouts, he looks to maintain a certain level of talent on the field. A talent level that has clearly been below the line in recent years.

Along with that is the Salary Cap which has been mismanaged since the uncapped year of 2010 when the team uncharacteristically signed several free agents that would result in their recent Cap hell that they still aren't completely out of yet.

In doing so, they have tied up too much of their Cap space in expensive contracts owed to older players past their prime (Aaron Smith comes immediately to mind).

As a for instance, they didn't attempt to retain cornerback Keenan Lewis this past offseason and instead re-signed William Gay and also chose to hold onto to 33-year old Ike Taylor. The result: Lewis has three interceptions for the Saints this season while the Steelers as a team have four.

Such bad decisions by Colbert and company cause them to constantly restructure contracts to get back down under the Cap. In effect, just pushing money forward and mortgaging their future, over which Tomlin has no control.

Returning to the draft itself, Tomlin does absolutely have a say in who is selected, yes. But could it just be that he doesn't have enough say? Or maybe it's that the two don't work together as well as Colbert and former head coach Bill Cowher did?

It is just speculation, yes, but it is certainly feasible. Cowher and former Director of Football Operations Tom Donahoe had their own issues during a time when the team was similarly bereft of talent and wins. Those issues turned into a bit of a power struggle that caused Donahoe to leave after the 1999 season.

Enter Colbert into the mix and the rest is history, as it were. But Cowher was established already and seemed to have greater control of the draft. Remember the t.v. shot of prospect Ben Roethlisberger on the phone being told he was about to be drafted by the Steelers? He was on the phone with Cowher.

Maybe Colbert isn't as qualified to take on majority control of the situation? Maybe he is approaching his Waterloo. - http://tinyurl.com/bh7eytc

Not to suggest an ouster or that another power struggle is forthcoming, but maybe he should acquiesce more of the control to Tomlin. Whatever may be most accurate, if Tomlin is to blame for the recent woes, Colbert and team president Art Rooney II are as well, if not more so.

Speaking of Rooney II, his role in more recent results cannot be understated. Though it might have seemed to make sense at first (as it was just meant to be a "tweak", right?), Rooney II's meddling in team affairs was the beginning of the current snowballing.

Rooney II's signing of the "retirement" papers for former offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, after Tomlin had said Arians would be back, undermined Tomlin's authority and made him look like an impotent figure head.

Poor personnel decisions from the front office, like the release of Jonathan Dwyer in favor of Isaac Redman despite Dwyer having been the team's leading rusher last season, having fumbled less and having blocked better, have further tied his hands when attempting to put forth the best talent.

Yet, Tomlin stands firm and tall with a hypocycloid target on his chest willing to take the responsibility or blame, as a true leader should. Irrespective of whatever slings and arrows come his way, it's his dog and he's walking it.

Jonathan Dwyer: There's Something Rotten In The State Of...Pittsburgh

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." - Marcellus from Hamlet, act I, scene IV

The reason Marcellus says "state of Denmark" rather than just Denmark is to indicate the fish is rotting from the head down - all is not well at the top of the hierarchical structure.  

We bring this up because there seems that there may be something amiss in the hierarchical structure of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Not that we're insinuating that someone's ghostly relative is influencing anything, but there does seem to be influence nonetheless. 

Maybe. But we've seen it before.

When Jonathan Dwyer was released in the final cutdown to get to the 53-player NFL allotment, there were many who were up in arms over it. My partner being among those who was particularly livid. Yet, despite social media networks being all a twitter (pun intended), the reason isn't really known.

One reason some have cited is that Dwyer fumbles too much. In reality, Isaac Redman has fumbled seven times in 273 carries. Felix Jones has fumbled 12 times in approximately 600-career carries. Dwyer? Twice in 181 carries. 

Another reason is supposed to be Dwyer's work ethic. No, he was never very consistent, being either hot or cold. Too often on the sidelines nursing an "injury." Something he probably could have come back from sooner. A reason Steelers beat writer Gerry Dulac recently tweeted from his Twitter (@GerryDulac) account as well.

“@gerrydulac: Steelers got tired of Dwyer's lack of dedication to his job; and they like Felix Jones.”

But was that behind him?

To be sure, for the zone-blocking system, yes, Felix Jones is better than Dwyer who is a more-limited runner. He can make poor decisions with the ball at times. Also, Jones is (much) faster, is a slightly better fit with how Haley uses backs and has the cutback ability needed for this run scheme. So, that I get. 

Is Dwyer better than Redman, though? Yes. When Dwyer is on his game, he is a better running back.

Maybe, though, they felt Redman reads the seams better in the zone scheme. Maybe the "Redzone" aspect of Redman's game plays into it. Or maybe...

@MarkKaboly_Trib: "One last thing on Dwyer ... it wasn't the coaching staff that wanted him gone."

"Ay, there's the rub."

It isn't as if we haven't seen Art Rooney II meddle in team affairs before. (How's that "retirement" going, Bruce Arians? Catch many fish?) Or it could be Kevin Colbert pulling the Salary Cap strings.

Regardless, this smacks at a front office decision. Dwyer was due $1.3 million in 2013 on a one-year restricted free agency tender. He led the Steelers in rushing last season, but they keep Redman instead. A player whose total and average numbers were lower than Dwyer's. 

No matter how you slice it, from an on-the-field standpoint, the move doesn't make sense. Redman was barely on the field in the preseason and saw his numbers drop last season, yet Dwyer was cut. 

"Here's to the pencil pushers: may they all get lead poisoning."

~

TIDBITS: The Steelers edified their special teams on Monday. 

Per the Steelers official Twitter (@Steelers) account: "We have signed veteran punter Zoltan Mesko (@ZoltanMesko) to our active roster today. To make room for Mesko we released second-year punter Drew Butler.”

Per Bob Labriola from his Twitter (@BobLabriola) account: "This is the key stat on Mesko: 101-of-175 punts could not be returned by the opposition." He was drafted by the Patriots in 5th round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

The Steelers also used a waiver claim on cornerback Antwon Blake after the Jacksonville Jaguars waived him. Isaiah Green was released to make room for him. He's a gunner and led Jacksonville in special teams tackles in 2012 with 12, a talent the Steelers squad desperately needs. Green, if he clears waivers, should circle back around to the practice squad. Devin Smith would probably be the one released at that point. 

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Steelers Labor Day Practice Report from Jim Wexell: http://t.co/yHhYibIl8o 

~

Rookie linebacker Jarvis Jones, who suffered a bruised sternum in the third preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, practice with the team again. Afterward, he talked to the media.

"I pretty much did everything today," said Jones. "Great feeling to get back out there and just practice with the guys and go through our routine and prepare for Sunday. Today was basically a day we go through a lot of the early calls against other teams. Get back into it, been a long weekend. So, for me, it was (about) going out there and getting back into the feel for it. I've been off a week and I'm just finding out where I'm at."

@MarkKaboly_Trib: 14 of #Steelers 53-man roster weren't drafted or orginally signed by team. 9 of those 14 came this year including 5 in past 3 weeks.

Steelers Secondary Is Of Primary Concern

Once again this NFL offseason, the focus for the Pittsburgh Steelers' top-ranked defense has been to generate more turnovers. And both defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau and defensive backs coach Carnell Lake have emphasized the need for them to do just that.

The paltry numbers they’ve generated the past two seasons have been embarrassingly low. Bottom-half-of-the-NFL low. The defense took the ball away 20 times, which was the eighth fewest in the NFL. In 2011, there were even worse with only 15 takeaways.

In 2012, the Steelers ranked 24th in the NFL in turnover differential at a -10, and 28th in TO differential in 2011 at a -13. Those defenses may have been No. 1, but the only numbers that truly mattered were 8-8.

This is trend that must desist if the team is serious about contending for the playoffs and the possibly Super Bowl again this season. Not that they can just flip a switch to make that happen, but Art Rooney II made a salient point in his State of the Steelers postseason interview back in January as to what a remedy may be.

"We need to get more pressure on the quarterback," Rooney II said, "because as everyone will tell you that creates turnovers."

He's correct. If It Ain't Steel covered that interview and quoted some telling statistics regarding the subject. In the 2008 Super Bowl season, the Steelers posted 51 sacks and 29 takeaways, and in the 2010 Super Bowl season, they had 48 sacks and 35 takeaways. Compare that to the previous 2011 and 2012 stats, and the turnover stats of the teams that made the playoffs, and the point is well-made. - http://tinyurl.com/lahlacl

The front seven side of those stats will be covered in an upcoming piece. As for the secondary itself, it allowed the fewest passing yards in the NFL for the second consecutive season. And as the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Mark Kaboly brought to light in a recent article, they also have something very important: experience.

"This will be the eighth consecutive season (Ike) Taylor, (Ryan) Clark and (Troy) Polamalu have played together — the most consecutive seasons of any trio in the league — and with the potential of Cortez Allen, the Steelers' defensive backfield could rival some of the best of the past decade." - http://tinyurl.com/kavmvcz

The experience advantage presented by the triumvirate Kaboly mentioned and the youth and "potential" of Cortez Allen brings to mind the knock against them made the NFL Network's version of Champ Kind, Warren Sapp.

Sapp once again called the Steelers "old and slow" and said that "three of the four secondary guys there are 32 years old or older." While that's true, what is being ignored is the youth being infused into the Steelers defense, including the secondary. Tez Allen is especially exciting because of the potential impact he could have. Tez went on a turnover surge at the end of last season, and the hope is that he can make 2013 his own.

"I'm not that type to make predictions or boast about myself....I just come to work every day and try to get better and better so I can help my team the best I can," said Tez. "I think I've shown an ability to make plays in the defensive system." - http://t.co/RX7JvMEw06

He isn't the only one who has a golden opportunity to shine for the Steelers. Nor is he the only one who actually does have speed. Contrary to the Sapp's comment, all three of the aforementioned triad have sub 4.5/40 speed (with Polamalu and Taylor still being 4.4 in the 40). Add to that some young blood that could make an impact this season.

Second-year man Robert Golden has potential at safety, so much potential that the Steelers forwent drafting a second one, but nonetheless had an inauspicious beginning last season.

“It was a surreal feeling,” Golden said of the Dallas Cowboys game where he was victimized. “Then we had a little blown coverage. We didn’t get the stretch call. They had two verticals up the seam and we were in a cover 3 and kind of back playing between both and couldn’t make that play.”

But the young safety has the requisite skills and speed to prove he isn't simple pyrite. The golden ticket is in his mentally picking up the defensive stratagems. (I've got lots of these for him.) Fellow safety Clark said as much about him.

"He’s a guy who jumps off the film talent-wise, speed-wise," said Clark. "What Rob has to do is show the jump as far as knowledge, dependability, durability. - http://t.co/6BzEtGnSY7

Curtis Brown, was picked ahead of Tez in the 2011, but has fallen behind him on the depth chart. Brown will not only have to beat out young teammates Isaiah Green, Josh Victorian and DeMarcus Van Dyke (all of whom are sub 4.45/40) for defensive snaps, but also veteran William Gay. Behind The Steel Curtain broke down what awaits the young cornerback who's heading into his third year. - http://tinyurl.com/bxdgymo

Terry Hawthorne was listed among Steel City Insider's 'Players to Watch' list written by Jim Wexell. Hawthorne is very fast, but very raw. Still, Carnell Lake really likes what sees.

"What I like about Terry is that he has a lot of upside potential that I see in him," Lake said. "He is big. He is fast. He doesn't mind tackling, and he can play press coverage well, kind of in the same way as an Ike Taylor."

At 6'0", 195 lbs., Hawthorne has starting potential, but his biggest impact this season will likely come on special teams. But Lake, who has former teammate and Steeler great Rod Woodson coaching with him via an internship throughout Camps, likes his 4.44/40 speed, his fluidity in the hips, his ability to hit and other tools to contribute down the line.

All-in-all, that "old and slow" Steelers defense finished atop the NFL defensive rankings. Then, just for good measure, they went out and became the top-rated unit again last season. Now they've added youth and speed to make sure to, not only lock down that No. 1 spot again, but to turnover their recent misfortunes and make it mean something in January.

House Of Lords or House Of Commons: The Current State of the Pittsburgh Steelers

by Jason and Jayden

In her essay "Child’s Play ...or is it?
Political meaning in 18th Century nursery rhymes (part one)," Lucinda Brant wrote that the (original) nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty wasn't about an egg (Lewis Carroll added that), not even about the Parliamentary cannon as is also commonly understood.

"The rhyme wasn’t published until 1810 in Gammar Gurton’s Garland, where there is no mention of the King’s men or his horses:

'Humpty Dumpty sate [sic] on a wall,
Humpti Dumpti [sic] had a great fall;
Threescore men and threescore more,
Cannot place Humpty dumpty as he was before.'"

This first published version leads to the "more obscure theory...that Humpty Dumpty is not a cannon at all but a specific person. I believe it refers to King George the Third and that the rhyme is about his mental illness."

Now, you're probably wondering what place this has in a sports blog (though, if you're a regular reader, you know that Shakespeare, the Bible, The Godfather and other pop culture references have been made several times). Well, as the title indicates, the Pittsburgh Steelers organization is going through a transition. A transition that some think may lead to a great fall.

From 1933 to 1971 (not counting the Steagles and the Card-Pitts years), the Steelers wallowed around in the virtual basement of the NFL, compiling a total of 168 wins. Then things changed.

The NFL Draft became the Steelers own personal orchard where it seemed that they didn't just pick from the bountiful selections, but that talent actually fell ripe from the branch. Suddenly, they were Humpty Dumpty sitting on a wall. And like King George III in our analogy, they were "higher than anyone else, alluding to [their] kingly status." In just over 17 seasons, the Steelers eclipsed the number of victories they had accumulated in the previous 37 - less than half the time.

"There was no one higher in England’s Georgian society than the King," and there was no one higher in the NFL than the Steelers. The records they have accrued are legion and too many to number here. In part, they have the most Super Bowl wins, most AFC Super Bowl representations, most Conference Championship games (15) played in [AFC or NFC]; most NFL Conference Championship games hosted (11); most Division Titles won by any AFC team in NFL history (20); most overall post-merger wins [regular season & playoffs] (416); most regular post-merger wins (384); most playoff games won by any NFL team (33); highest post-merger winning percentage [regular season & playoffs] (61.1%)...and the list goes on.

But this is no longer acceptable. After 14 appearances in the last 21 seasons (1992-2012), four more Super Bowls and two more Super Bowl wins, to a now-spoiled fan base, recent events have caused an uproar. King George, the regnal king who is our object comparison, had several bouts of mental illness. The current sentiment amongst many Steelers' fans is that the third in line for directing the Steelers organization himself has taken leave of his senses.

Art Rooney, The Chief, sired the team and the organization from day one back in 1933. Led them through the lean times and into the times of bounty. Always the head of the organization, always the father figure, always The Chief.

Dan Rooney continued in his father's footsteps and led the team through the resurgence, to more Super Bowls and gained the respect around the league that The Chief had. The apple didn't fall far from the tree and Uncle Dan was even given the honor of being the ambassador to Ireland by President Barack Obama.

Now Art Rooney II, more Gordon Gekko than than Jimmie Johnson, has Steeler nation comparing him to Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder because of his "interfering" with the team's affairs. The general sentiment is that he should "let the ones he pays to make decisions make the decisions on how the team is run." There is a sentiment that he likes the camera and microphone too much, and that he needs to stay in the front office and off of the field.

It is essentially true. Think back to the Super Bowl loss after the 2010 season to the Green Bay Packers: was there panic in the streets? Were people blatantly calling for heads? Not amongst civil, level-headed fans, no. It was six points that came down to one final drive. The culprits were viewed as being on the field, not on the sidelines or in the office.

Fast forward to 2011 and there were happy fans again because the team was winning again. Sure, certain things were less-than-perfect, but they were a veteran team that knew what was needed to win. If not for an inept play by safety Ryan Clark in the rematch against the hated Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers would've been division winners with a bye or a home game in the first round of the playoffs.

Then it began.

The Steelers lost in overtime in the wild-card round of the playoffs at the underdog Denver Broncos by allowing Tim Tebow of all quarterbacks to throw for 316 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 pass completions. That isn't even the bad part.

In his season-ending news conference, head coach Mike Tomlin tells the media that he expects his coaching staff to return for the 2012 season and, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac, tells offensive coordinator Bruce Arians more than once that he wants him back.

Then team president Art Rooney II tells the Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette that he thinks quarterback Ben Roethlisberger needs to "tweak" his game a bit in order to take fewer hits and sacks and, in effect, lengthen his career in Pittsburgh.

This is where we see the beginnings of "a great fall," because in a thinly veiled attempt at deception, the Steelers announce that Arians is retiring, citing health issues. He later said he was pushed out, obviously by Rooney against Tomlin's wishes. Later, Rooney came as close as he may ever about the situation with Steelers.com, saying it was "time for a change."

Arians? He made a miraculous recovery and was hired post-haste as the offensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts. Because of head coach Chuck Pagano missing the majority of the season due to cancer, Arians was named the NFL's 2012 Coach of the Year.

Though Big Ben has come out more than once and said that there is no friction between him and new offensive coordinator Todd Haley, that it was mainly media-driven, the reality is that things could've been done very differently. - http://tinyurl.com/a8b48lh

"Oh! What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive."

Though If It Ain't Steel wasn't exactly Bruce Arians' biggest fan, a piece was still written on how it was likely premature to have fired Arians. Not tooting our own horn, but...well, we don't have to, now do we?

As Ms. Brant states in her essay, "life will never be the same again, for King George or his subjects." Nor will they for the Steelers organization, specifically General Manager Kevin Colbert and Tomlin, if Rooney II continues his meddling. It affects the performance of the aforementioned Tomlin, making him look like a figure head rather than a head coach. Basically emasculating him.

When Tomlin first arrived, he had a no-nonsense approach to things. Training Camp was more like Boot Camp, and he was Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. Who could argue his approach? It led to a Super Bowl win in his second year after all. Though, at the behest of some of his veteran players, it was toned down some in the next couple of years, it didn't seem to have a major effect. They did reach the big game again two years later. But, then Rooney II spoke up.

Now Tomlin has come under fire as not having complete control of the team. It has been suggested, and said outright, that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has more control over the team than Tomlin.

As my partner-in-verse says "Omar" (i.e. Tomlin's look-a-like Omar Epps), needs to get back to the "buttkicking," he was doing when he first got here. He "needs to stop being their buddy and be their coach. When he first came here he said he didn't care who he made mad, he wasn't there to be their friends."

In other words, he needs to be H.N.I.C. Period. End of sentence.

Yes, Big Ben needs to be a team leader - a presence in the huddle, on the sidelines and in the locker room - but when Tomlin speaks the players need to know that it's time to shut up and listen. They need the fear of God put back into them. Rooney II's interference hinders that. The Chief never undermined Chuck Noll. Uncle Dan never undermined Bill Cowher.

Especially since Tomlin now is in what are essentially unfamiliar waters as he faces a level of adversity that truly tests the skills and character of any NFL head coach: he has never built, nor totally re-built a football team. He needs their support more than ever. Non-interference should be the Rooneys' prime directive.

Now, Steelers legend Mean Joe Greene, after 27 years of service with the organization, has retired citing an "attitude change" that hit the Steelers that he does not like.

“It’s an attitude change. In all my years of being with Pittsburgh, I never encountered a player taking a contract dispute into the season and letting that dispute affect the way he played. That’s a bad thing.” - http://t.co/Tz7xIWoBoe

Non-interference can be achieved, though, and thankfully the Rooneys are patient, as evidenced by sticking with Cowher after three straight losing seasons. But, make no mistake, the organization belongs to the Rooneys. The Steelers are at a crossroad and are in transition. The core of players Mike Tomlin inherited and coached to two Super Bowl appearances is being dismantled. Can he maintain? Cowher couldn't.

The point about Tomlin being too buddy-buddy is still valid, though, and does need to be rectified. I know the new CBA rules put certain restrictions on Camp (and all practices), but while Training Camp doesn't have to be the Junction Boys, it doesn't have to be Camp North Star, either.

The third in the triad of those responsible for the quality on the field is the one who is mainly in charge of drafting, he being Colbert. As has been well publicized, only 22 of the last 59 players he has drafted are still with the team, and none from the 2008 draft.

Is he slipping? Did he and Cowher have a symbiotic relationship that was mortally wounded when Cowher retired? Some of the draft woes do reach back to Cowher's era, but they did have greater overall success in those years. These are definitely things to consider, because the dearth of talent is obvious. And if it is all on Colbert, is he facing his Waterloo? - http://tinyurl.com/bh7eytc

"Threescore men and threescore more,
Cannot place Humpty dumpty as he was before."

As Brant again writes, "this line suggests that it made no difference to the King’s condition how many men were called to attend on him, they cannot place Humpty as he was before—the King’s mental illness cannot be cured and thus he can no longer rule as king."

To be certain, as a team and organization, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in need of a panacea. They aren't completely broken, but all the king's horses are on alert.

Colbert says, "I don't see any players we draft coming in and having an immediate impact." That means this draft, even the first pick, will produce more depth that starters in 2013. One draft class won't do it, but it starts there. The evaluation and development of young players players is paramount. The veterans also need to lead in word and in deed. Like linebacker Larry Foote said, they'd "better be pissed off" at their current state. - http://tinyurl.com/ab2qmbt

While the reputation of the Rooneys has few rivals, they don't get a free pass. There will no pom-pom waving from anyone here - the triad has work to do. Starting with Rooney II and his communication skills. He needs to do a better job communicating with Tomlin. The way Arians' departure was handled was an embarrassment. Nothing like that can happen again.

Tomlin himself needs to run practice and run the team as he knows he can do; Colbert needs to run the organization and the handle the bank account better than in recent years; and Rooney should remain approachable - like his father and grandfather before him, he should want to have a relationship with his players.

But each one should do so with the understanding that, as evidenced by our object lesson, "Humpty Dumpty," a House of Lords can become a House of Commons can become a house of cards all too quickly.

The 2012 Steelers - All The King's Horses..., pt. 3: Special Teams

by Jayden and Jason

They had a great fall...
It's fitting that this final piece covering the Pittsburgh Steelers 2012 season begins with an ending. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on Saturday that Amos Jones, the Steelers now-former special teams coach, accepted the same position with Pittsburgh West, formerly known as the Arizona Cardinals. - http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/steelers-assistant-coach-amos-jones-heads-to-cardinals-672084/

In part one of the All the King's Horses series, we addressed where quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, offensive coordinator Todd Haley and even team president Art Rooney II all had a hand in the demise of the offense. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-2012-steelers-all-kings-horses-pt-1.html

In part two we took on the defense and how numbers can be misleading. Yes, they were ranked No. 1, but there were key components missing that prevented the unit from being truly dominant. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-2012-steelers-all-kings-horses-pt-2.html

Now, the third installment covers the final field unit: special teams.

The lone bright spot for the special teams unit this season was the Wunderkind himself, Shaun "Sushi" Suisham. Sushi was 34-34 in extra points and 28-31 in field goals, with two of those missing kicks being from 53 and 54 yards, which was good for 90.3% and seventh in the league. That's basically where the good news ends.

Drew Butler, the son of former NFL kicker Kevin Butler, was an undrafted free agent rookie signed by the Steelers who beat out Jeremy Kapinos for the starting punter position. But he was inconsistent and ranked 18th overall among NFL punters, and his 43.8 yard average landed him all the way down at 26th among his brethren. While punt coverage, or lack thereof, can affect averages, it ultimately still falls on the punter.

Speaking of "coverage," it almost seems a bad word to use in this case considering that's something the Steelers' special teams did so little of this season. They were ranked 12th and 23rd in opponents kick and punt returns in 2012, allowing 24.0 and 10.2 yards respectively.

The punt unit also allowed a touchdown, which was the straw breaking the Steelers' back in the first Baltimore Ravens game, and committed costly penalties in several other games that altered field position as well as outcomes.

The Steelers ranked 12th and 23rd in returning kicks and punts also, averaging 25.3 and 7.3 yards in each category, with Antonio Brown averaging only 6.8 yards on 27 punt returns.

Days before the season, head coach Mike Tomlin fired then-special teams coordinator Al Everest and Jones was promoted to the head position. They were no better in 2011 under Everest.

The Steelers ranked 19th in the NFL in opponents' kick returns and 25th in punt returns. They ranked 25th and 14th in their own kick and punt returns.

It is unclear why Everest was ever let go in the first place, but 'philosophical differences' seemed to be the reasoning. One feather in Everest's cap was that there were no returns for touchdowns, something that had plagued the previous regime.

And now Jones is gone too. Who'll replace him? We don't know, but it couldn't be difficult to make a lateral shift. Based on his team's performance, Jones comes off as if he could go bobbing in a barrel of boobs and still come out sucking his thumb.

Since the Steelers organization hasn't said much of anything about it, we believe that he simply didn't have his contract renewed.

The Steelers special teams unit this season often seemed disjointed, out of position, overly aggressive and overly penalized at different times. Fumbles and missed tackles also plagued them. It's an ugly, ongoing trend that all the Rooney's horses and men must rectify in order to put this back together again.

UPDATE: After the posting of this blog, Ed Bouchette reported that the Steelers were granted permission to interview Washington Redskins special teams coach and Pittsburgh native Danny Smith. Rather than write another piece on this, we'll let Behind The Steel Curtain do the talking for us: http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2013/1/28/3925028/pittsburgh-steelers-special-teams-coach-coordinator-interview-danny-smith-washington-redskins

~

TIDBITS: Two-time Super Bowl champ "Big Play" Deshea Townsend will lead Mississippi State's cornerbacks. - http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/20567462/mississippi-st-hires-2-defensive-assistants

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Mike Tomlin has to replace more than one position coach, including the offensive line coach. Russ Grimm won't be on the short list. Per Ed Bouchette, Grimm thought he had the Steelers head coaching job when Bill Cowher quit. Instead, the Rooneys gave it to Tomlin, and Grimm bitterly left with Ken Whisenhunt to Arizona. To quote Bouchette, "there is no way he would come back for the same job as line coach."

Art Rooney II: The State Of The Steelers, pt. 3: Injuries

With all due respect to every sideshow, Atlantic City, and downtown Las Vegas "magician" ever, the real magic words still are "please" and "thank you."

Last Wednesday, when Pittsburgh Steelers team president Art Rooney II held his postseason 'State of the Steelers' address he pointed out several areas of contention that led to the team's failure in 2012. The last article surrounded the many turnovers - those on offense and the lack of those on defense. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2013/01/art-rooney-ii-state-of-steelers-pt-2.html

The final article deals with the part of the interview which arguably 'frustrates' and confounds the Steelers organization and its fans the most, that of its rash of injuries: "We have to look at everything we're doing," Rooney II said, "and we will look at everything we're doing, from the training and conditioning side of things, from a practice side of things and see if there are things we can do to get better." - http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Team-to-investigate-rash-of-injuries/7a52fef7-d231-4726-99f1-624c12207ae0

Please and thank you.

As Bob Labriola of Steelers Digest noted in the article on Steelers.com, the Steelers were a M.A.S.H. unit again this season: "Troy Polamalu missed nine games. Rashard Mendenhall missed seven. Marcus Gilbert missed 11. Mike Adams missed six. Ben Roethlisberger missed three, as did Antonio Brown. James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley were on the field together for only nine games."

"David Johnson," Labriola continued, "went on the injured reserve list before the start of the regular season, and No. 1 pick David DeCastro didn't come off that list until the regular season was 13 games old." As a matter of fact, Steelers players missed over 100 games due to injury, with 11 players ending the season on the Injured Reserve list.

The Steelers offensive line alone started seven different line combinations. They started nine different offensive line combinations in 2011. Now with guard Willie Colon hurt again and Ramon Foster, Doug Legursky and Max Starks all being unrestricted free agents, major questions once surround the depth of the OLine and how this will affect offseason moves. Even prompting some to say that it needs to happen sooner rather than later. - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1476681-pittsburgh-steelers-why-they-must-use-the-draft-to-fix-the-offensive-line

The player on the Oline that many are pointing at is Colon. Considering his injury history, it may just be time to cut ties and continue the Kelvin Beachum experiment. Cutting Colon outright will save $1.2 million and it is something the Steelers need to think about doing. If he had stayed healthy/healthier this season, he might have received the benefit of the doubt. Now there's just just plain doubt. - http://steelblitz.com/kelvin-beachum-could-be-steelers-left-guard-in-2013-and-beyond/2455/2013/01/14

According to team GM Kevin Colbert, the Steelers, per one study taken, had fewer injuries that some playoff teams had. "We were not the only team that had injuries. Teams that had more had better results." He said the amount of injuries "really wasn't unique to us."

That's the problem. Yes, injuries happen - they're an unavoidable part of the game - but it's the recent consistency of them and how the Steelers have reacted to them that is of concern. We've already touched on the fact that the OLine has been especially ravaged and what may be expected to happen, but there was more of what seemed to be a lack of mental toughness.

How often was the 'standard not the standard?' Wasn't the 'next man up' seemingly sometimes absent when roll was called? As was said, all teams face injuries. How they react, as individuals and as a team, speaks volumes. And, as much as Steelers fans may not like reading this, the team that tends to speak the loudest in this regard is the New England Patriots.

In a league where a team's hopes crash and burn because of one key injury, the Patriots' version of the "next man up" continues to produce winning results year after year. Patriots insider Tom E. Curran talks about that quality here: http://www.csnne.com/football-new-england-patriots/patriots-talk/Curran-on-Patriots-mental-toughness-defe?blockID=805607

There has to be a mental toughness to go far. It takes time to develop, but that's where the veterans who have been through the tough days help to pass it on to the younger players. It must become contagious, permeate the entirety of the team. It's something that was missing with the Steelers this season.

As former Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins defensive end Bruce Smith once said in an interview, there's a difference between playing "hurt" and playing "injured." Playing hurt is something players often do. Like he said, players can be dinged up in some fashion from week two on. Playing injured, however, in the most cases, is detrimental to the team and usually only serves to worsen the injury.

Winning is a mindset - 10% is physical and 90% is mental. Which also means knowing when your offseason regimen may not be working. Like as brought out in part two of this series, Woodley has been offered to work with Ike Taylor's trainer Tom Shaw since Woodley's offseason routine...aww, who are we kidding? What offseason routine?

Another who may consider adjusting his offseason regimen to aid in durability throughout the season is Polamalu. Especially because of his wonderful reckless abandon, he has seen fewer field time the last few seasons.

The website pittsburghjedi.com (Pitts Burgh-Jedi on Facebook and @Pittsburgh_Jedi on Twitter) offered up an assessment on Polamalu's offseason ritual.

"I think a lot of [Polamalu's] getting hurt is because he's not training using the same standards as everyone else," they surmised. "He does holistic-style training with no weights at all. As a younger, more resilient man, he could get by [with] doing that. At 30 years old, 10 years in the league, and 10 years full of big hits and collisions, it seems logical to say his sort of wear-and-tear calls for something additional. He's still huge, but with gravity-based training that depends on using your body-weight as resistance, it means there's a ceiling you can hit with your training."

People are training harder than him using weights and he's not holding up against their hits....maybe it's time to use some more health science and not so much of these alternative, natural methods," they continued. "A half-baked theory, but knowing the correlation of proper training and risk of injury, it holds some water, if not a lot of it."

It just might. But, whether because of training, conditioning, mental toughness, offseason regimens or even because of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement rules, there has to be a reason or conglomerate of reasons to why the Steelers have been snake bitten the last few seasons.

"I would like to see us have some of that [CBA] loosened up a little bit, but that's not something completely in our control," Rooney II pointed out.

Regardless, as he said, "people are always coming up with new ideas on how to train, and so we'll look at all of that."

Please and thank you.

Art Rooney II - The State Of The Steelers, pt. 2: "Turnovers"

"We need to get more pressure on the quarterback, because as everyone will tell you that creates turnovers." - Art Rooney II

Those words were quoted and briefly touched on in part one of this series, and he is correct. Those, among many other "blunders" committed by the Steelers this past season, were collectively responsible for the disappointing 8-8 campaign. - http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/ron-cook/ron-cook-blunders-added-up-to-highly-frustrating-8-8-season-668939/

But Rooney II emphasized two of the more important. Ergo, pressure on the quarterback and the totality of turnovers are appropriately a priority for 2013. - http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Rooney-Takeaways-tied-to-sacks/74d97f8f-bd11-4b3e-8d74-993a1b4cd637

"If you look at the playoffs, teams that are on the negative side of the turnover ratio are not in the playoffs. It's really as simple as that," said Rooney II. "That was an area on both sides of the football that we fell short of, and certainly something we can improve upon and something we need to improve upon."

There's no denying that. There was a direct correlation between the lack of pressure and the subsequent lack of turnovers, as Bob Labriola of Steelers Digest pointed out in the article posted to Steelers.com. In the 2008 Super Bowl season, "the Steelers posted 51 sacks and 29 takeaways," and in the 2010 Super Bowl season, "they had 48 sacks and 35 takeaways."

In comparison, "there were only 35 sacks and 15 takeaways in 2011, followed by 37 sacks and 20 takeaways this past season." Point taken.

If you need further numbers backing up this summation, consider that the teams with most takeaways this season were: Bears (44), Patriots (41), Giants (35), Cardinals (33), Redskins, Seahawks and Falcons (31), and the Bengals (30). Five of those eight teams made the playoffs, with one more only missing out (Bears) because of losing their quarterback for a period of time.

By contrast, the teams with the fewest takeaways were: Chiefs and Eagles (13), Colts (15), Dolphins and Cowboys (16), Lions (17), Raiders (19) and the Steelers (20). Only one of those teams made it to the postseason.

Principally mentioned by Rooney II as ones relied upon to provide those defensive splash plays were James Harrison, Lamarr Woodley and Troy Polamalu - all of whom were injured and/or ineffective much of it. According to Rooney II, those players needed to be "difference makers," but weren't.

Harrison, who was already having back problems, entered the season coming off of summer knee surgery and was hampered by those issues most of the year. He didn't really round into form until approximately the 15th week. That had a profound affect on the overall pass rush and low sack numbers.

As far as Woodley is concerned, though he has had groin and hamstring problems the last two years, he was hardly even effective when he was healthy. Mark Kaboly gives a bit of insight into how far his productivity dropped in 2012. - http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/3188450-74/woodley-game-roethlisberger?showmobile=false#axzz2I7jCYgR7

As his position coach Keith Butler said of him last offseason, “Wood has to decide if he wants to be a great player,” and not to "come to camp weighing 290 (pounds)." That excess weight would of course inhibit his ability to recover as quickly and/or completely as he could otherwise.

Point blank, if Woodley is to be a part of the Steelers long-term plans, he is going to have to rededicate himself this offseason to being the "bear" that Butler says he can be, and not the sloth he was this season when he had all of four sacks, rarely pressured the quarterback and was hardly a run stopper. Because, as SteelBlitz.com plainly expresses, his absenteeism was "alarming." - http://steelblitz.com/after-steelers-poor-2012-season-blame-pointed-at-one-player/2422/2013/01/09

Of course, to aid in those splash plays and to eventually push one of the two linebackers, another player must be drafted. A list of possibilities were discussed in a previous blog article. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2013/01/fixing-steelers-starts-with-drafting.html

The third player Rooney II mentioned, Polamalu, who was injured the majority of the season also. What he brings to the playing field when healthy was made evident in the final two games when he was back to wreaking havoc at the line of scrimmage and recording more Troy-like stats of 10 tackles, one sack and one interception.

At one point Rooney II said that the Steelers "would have been competitive" if they had made playoffs. Um...no. No, they wouldn't have.

The realization of that set in when having all three of those men on the field at the same time still resulted in a loss. At home. When they needed it. Realizations that they can't just flip a switch, as it were, or just walk out there and expect to win. Realizations that Polamalu hopes humbles them. - http://triblive.com/sports/-topstories/3188480-74/polamalu-steelers-bowl#axzz2GOLR2ff1

The point was further driven home when seeing the scores of the divisional weekend's games. The four games had an average score of 38.5 - 30.5, with the high being 45 points. When was the last time the Steelers scored 45 points? October 15, 2006, 45-7 over the Kansas City Chiefs.

That brings us to the offense, which was all too eager to give the ball to the other team this season. The Steelers turned the ball over 30 times this season. Five of the eight games lost this season were by three points and another by six points. Four of those game had a late turnover that led to the loss, and a fifth (Denver) that had a pick six to seal the victory.

Then consider that there were over 100 points scored directly off of turnovers. Now, let's assume that eliminating those blunders would have led to 100 more points for the Steelers instead. The Steelers scored 21 points per game this season, up from 20.3 PPG last season. Add those assumed 100 points and the average jumps to 27.25 PPG and five more games are won.

Granted, that is oversimplifying things, but the point is that turnovers take their toll. They are a like a pothole-filled road: some are bigger than others, but they all inhibit being able to have smooth, or efficient, ride, and ultimately cause underlying damage.

Case in point, the teams with the most turnovers in 2012 were Chiefs, Eagles and Jets (37), Bills and Cardinals (34), Lions (33), Steelers (30), Cowboys (29) and Titans (28).

Conversely, the teams with the fewest turnovers were the Redskins (14), Patriots, Ravens, Packers and 49ers (16), Texans (17), Falcons and Seahawks (18).

The teams with the best turnover differential in 2012 were the Patriots (+25), Bears (+20), Redskins (+17), Giants (+14), Falcons and Seahawks (+13), Texans (+12) and Ravens and 49ers (+9).

Worst 2012 turnover differentials belonged to the Chiefs and Eagles (-24), Lions (-16), Jets (-14), Bills and Cowboys (-13), Colts (-12) and Dolphins and Steelers (10).*

The teams with the fewest all made the playoffs. The teams with the most got lovely parting gifts. All but two of the teams with the greatest differential made the playoffs. All but one of the teams with the worst differential received extra vacation time.

Do you notice a pattern developing here? This isn't rocket science. Regular readers of this blog know that we preach execution and fundamentals. The lack of those key elements were rampant all season.

Some of that is on the coaches, yes, but the majority is on the players themselves. Because, as was expounded on before, not one coach fumbled, dropped a pass or threw an interception. As Rooney II said, "It's really as simple as that."

However, what isn't so simple is what each of the players highlighted in this article had in common: injuries. The three usually defensive stalwarts missed a total of 15 games due to injury.

How do they alleviate them? Is it pandemic? Is it cyclical? Are they snake bitten? These and other questions will be addressed in part three of this series examining Art Rooney II's interviews.


* Thanks to Russell S. Baxter of profootballguru.com who did the legwork on these turnover stats. You can also find him on Twitter at @BaxFootballGuru.