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.

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. 1

They had a great fall...
The 2012 Pittsburgh Steelers players have missed an approximate total of 110 games due to injury this season. While teams are expected to weather the injury storm front, these came in torrents.

The Steelers, in fact, had their injuries to come in groups of positions. Before the season even began, they were struck at linebacker and on the offensive line, then there were issues at running back, then (again) on the offensive line, then at wide receiver, then at quarterback, then at defensive back and then again (again) on the offensive line.

It was monsoon season in the Steel City that ended with eight players on Injured Reserve. Yet, despite all of the Ace bandages and surgical tape, this team did show flashes of elite ability on offense and had the number one ranked unit on defense.

To begin with the offense, it did actually work at times. Its failings were directly associated with the aforementioned injuries, especially on the offensive line, a limited running game, dropped passes, fumbles and interceptions and the stubborn refusal of one individual to adapt and change.

With two offseason issues staring the Steelers offense in the face - the holdout of the No. 1 wide receiver and the introduction of a new offensive coordinator - before Training Camp ever started, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger could have taken the bull by the horns and kept loose ends from unravelling.

A new offensive coordinator does not guarantee immediate success, especially when your speedy wide receiver isn't in Camp, but buying into it would at least help to more smoothly transition the offense into place. Big Ben is the leader of the offense and the players look to him as such.

Let's look at it this way and assume for a minute that half of Steeler Nation will get what they want and offensive coordinator Todd Haley is also allowed to "retire?" Think about it: What if Big Ben doesn't like the next new offense, either? Does he continue to whine and pout his way to another 8-8 season?

Big Ben is and always was the lynch pin. The success or failure of this offense begins and ends with him. He is the leader and could have provided the proverbial ounce of prevention. Instead, there are pounds of cure needed to remedy this situation, without new OC Haley once retaliating in kind to Big Ben's quips.

As even he himself admitted, Big Ben deserves the brunt of the blame for what transpired this season. He believes, though, that the offensive problems and the late-season collapse are not signs of things to come. - http://tinyurl.com/cy2u7ey

If It Ain't Steel has always defended Big Ben in the past, and, though we aren't going to castigate him now, we realize it is definitely time for him to truly mature and to accept the change in surroundings. Though he by no means shoulders all the blame, again, the Steelers success still begins and ends with him. - http://tinyurl.com/cmvj2qj

Now, we all know Big Ben isn't going anywhere, but (sorry to disappoint many of you) neither is Haley. To even suggest such a thing is incredibly premature and unwarranted. As we've written before, not one coach fumbled, dropped a pass or threw an interception. But that doesn't mean they escape with impunity.

The offense was at times brilliant and at time putrid. Unfortunately, sometimes in the same game. This is where the coaching staff receives a failing grade. What did Haley say last Thursday before the Cincinnati Bengals game regarding how their season is measured?

"What we are about is wins and losses," he said in Coordinator's Corner. "That is how you are measured. How many wins do you have? Are you in the playoffs? That's what we are shooting for, to play the game in New Orleans. That is our only goal."

If that is your only goal as a coaching staff, you failed. And even if turnovers were directly associated with the three-game losing streak, the coaching staff still shares the blame. Here's how.

Big Ben's propensity for success on third down prior to his injury and in recent years is well publicized, including right here in this blog. In his first eight and a half games this season, he had over a 66% completion rate on third downs, including seven touchdown passes and no interceptions.

In his three post-injury games, though, Big Ben has less than a 41% completion rate on third down and has thrown only one touchdown and has thrown one interception.

He spoke last week about feeling the offense needed to stretch the field more as defenses had adjusted to their short passing game and had been doing a better job at disguising pressure and coverages.

We preach that players must execute and that pinpoint execution trumps predictability every single time. The problem is that Haley never really adjusted the offense to offset what the defenses were doing and therefore put his offense in a position to execute cleanly.

Whether it's a spread look, zero formations, flood routes or slant routes to combat this and give the receivers space to gain separation, it wasn't done. Nor were the running backs used out of the backfield enough.

It affected the Steelers offensive line as well. In the three games since Big Ben has been back, he's suffered 10 sacks, and even more hits, for an average of over 3.3 per game. In the games prior, he was only sacked an average of 2.12 times per game.

Instead of orchestrated rhythm, there was cacophony.

Another issue is identity. Art Rooney II had said after the firing of former offensive coordinator Bruce Arians that he simply wanted to see things "tweaked" a little bit.

Well, (work with me here) why not simply "encourage" your existing OC to adjust his offense to include more fullback/H-back play, a more effective run game and more three and five-step drops? Especially since you claim you mainly want to extend the life of your franchise quarterback.

If It Ain't Steel suggested after the Arians firing that it might have been a premature move because of that still-maturing offense. With still very young wide receivers, a running back that wouldn't be starting the season healthy leaving two young runners to carry the rock and with potentially three new offensive linemen (one simply in a different position) in your lineup, that may not have been a time to rock the boat. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2012/01/retirement-of-bruce-arians-might-have_29.html

Rooney II had also wanted more effective running of the ball. Last year, the Steelers ran the ball 43% of the time. This year, roughly 41% of the time, the lowest percentage in many years.

Steelers have started seven different offensive line combinations this season, with one game to go. They started 10 different combinations last season. So, with neither a consistent nor effective run blocking line, or a steady running back, we're saddled with these results.

And now Willie Colon is hurt again. What will happen with him now? Free agents and salary cap issues will be discussed in future articles.

So much, however, went into the great fall of the Pittsburgh Steelers: Divo wide receivers, entitled quarterbacks and stubbornly rigid offensive coordinators. It will certainly take all of the king's horses to put this back together again.

...and somewhere Bruce Arians is smiling.

~

TIDBITS: Only once in Dick LeBeau's 11 years as Steelers defensive coordinator has the team ranked worse than 5th (9th) in total defense. Fives times in last nine years they've been number one. LeBeau said Thursday, "I love Pittsburgh," tells players he'll be back next season. Here's what LeBeau said about his return to the Steelers and some decisions Tomlin must make about his staff: http://sulia.com/channel/pittsburgh-steelers/f/e9ddfdb1-c828-4e09-85a3-dafa8ee648c5/?source=twitter

~

Casey Hampton won The Chief Award for cooperation with the media, Mike Adams was voted the teams Rookie of the Year and Heath Miller was voted the team MVP.

Steelers have two Pro Bowl players for 2012: C Maurkice Pouncey and TE Heath Miller. Pouncey is the first center ever to be selected to a Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons.

Steelers alternates: Roethlisberger, Clark, Suisham and Timmons.

~

STEELERS PRACTICE/INJURY Report - DeCastro (hamstring) full practice for Steelers; LB Marshall McFadden(abs) limited; Troy, Adams (ankle), C. Brown (ankle), K. Lewis (knee) and Wallace (hip) DNP

Browns Present "Great Challenge" For Steelers; Injuries & Predictions

"It starts with [Jabaal] Sheard....He is a high-motor guy [who] is relentless....They've got the rest of the front four, which is a quality front four." - Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley

The front four and player in question belong to this week's opponent and oldest AFC rival, the Cleveland Browns. Haley is giving due praise to a defensive unit that accounted for seven sacks last Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. The Browns may only be 2-8, but they're no lame duck. - http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2012/11/23/cleveland-browns-not-a-completely-lifeless-foe-for-steelers/

The Steelers know that their longtime foes will be ready for them. They've been competitive in every game this season and five of their losses have come by seven points or less. The offensive line, responsible for protecting veteran quarterback Charlie Batch, knows this.

Steelers left guard Willie Colon was quoted this week as saying, "We understand this is going to be a tough outfit. The Browns are kind of like [Kansas City] in that their record really doesn't...show where they're at as a defense. They're playing at a high level." - http://www.steelers.com/video-and-audio/videos/Willie-Colon---1123/52c7dce7-8f45-4860-be0c-186ceb24edd0

"Where they're at" is in the bottom half of the NFL on defense, but numbers can be deceiving.

Jabaal Shear, mentioned at the outset by Haley, is a 6'2" 255-pound 2nd-year defensive end who is a long and powerful bull rusher who has counter moves and can wreak havoc. He's recorded 32 tackles, three sacks this year and many pressures. He must be accounted for and there will probably be extra protection to his side.

As a team, the Browns have recorded 27 sacks, 61 passes defended and 10 interceptions - all more than the Steelers (18, 57 & 5). They also have 21 tackles for a loss. As Colon stated in the lockerroom interview, the Steelers must "control the line of scrimmage."

With a 38-year old quarterback under center Sunday, this is paramount. In a recent blog I pointed how good Ben Roethlisberger is when under pressure. Uncle Charlie, however, isn't Big Ben and needs better protection than Byron Leftwich received last week against the Ravens.

In the 13-10 loss last Sunday, Leftwich was under duress, hit or sacked on 14 of 43 dropbacks, 32.6% or once every three dropbacks, and averaged less than two yards per attempt per attempt. The offensive line simply has to do better.

One way to keep Uncle Charlie upright is to run the ball effectively. Jonathan Dwyer should be the main man this week. Period. The "hot hand" mentality needs to end, especially considering Dwyer consistently shows he's the one who has it anyway. Running the ball as much if not more than passing it and controlling the line of scrimmage are absolutely necessary. - http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8659960&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

The short passing game is going to be essential as well. Uncle Charlie is suited for that and has a "new old toy" to help in that category, and might have another one return.

Antonio Brown made good strides this week and had a good practice Friday. Regarding playing Sunday, he said, "If coach Tomlin let's me. It's his decision."

AB might have to campaign hard to Tomlin in order to play on Sunday. Coach is being rightly cautious with his best wide receiver.

His wide receiver teammates voiced their feelings and thoughts on the aforementioned short passing game. Emmanuel Sanders, for one, talked about his confidence in Uncle Charlie and the quarterback's approach to this week.

“He’s very smart; he takes pride in the details,” said Sanders. “He’s done it in previous seasons, and I expect him to do it this week also.” - http://tinyurl.com/cwotfnm

Mike Wallace chimed in on Plaxico Burress and whether or not that toy would really be used a lot: "Definitely. We want to see what our new toy looks like. Our new old toy."

There is one place where that toy can step right in and help, despite cornerback Joe Haden playing or not. - http://tinyurl.com/9wkevmt

Last season with the New York Jets, Burress caught 10 red zone passes and seven were for touchdowns. So he can be a benefit in that aspect at least because of his hands and height.

By contrast, Steelers tight end Heath Miller is leading the team in red zone touchdown receptions this season with six, and Mike Wallace is second on the team with two red zone touchdowns.

No other Steelers player even has more than two red zone receptions this season. So, this is one area where Plax can help right away. - http://blog.steelers.com/2012/11/23/coordinators-corner-haley-lebeau-3/

The defense also knows all-to-well that the Browns record isn't a true reflection of their capability.

"Ever since I have been here, every time we go there it's been a fourth quarter game," said Steelers linebacker Larry Foote. "Their record at this point doesn't mean anything to us. We have to get a win and we know it's going to be a battle. We are going to get their best shot."

He wasn't the only player who knows to expect a battle.

This is a division game," safety Ryan Mundy said. "The last five games they have been in every game, very competitive in each game. They are a play here and a play there away from winning those games. This game will be no different. We expect a great challenge from them. They have a lot of young talent and they are coming together. Their record doesn't indicate how good they are."

Being that the Steelers' offense will certainly run into some problems without Big Ben, the NFL's top-rated defense (yielding only 259.1 yards per game) must continue to play at a high level. - http://tinyurl.com/bue8hcy

With James Harrison not being what he was, expect Browns left tackle Joe Thomas to be able to keep him in check. Despite his less-than-dominant play, Harrison insists he isn't frustrated.

"It's not frustrating," Harrison said. "I know what I'm capable of doing. I'm going to run hard and hit hard. But I know how my body is going to react. I'm going to give it my all, but I'm limited by what my body lets me do."

That leaves the other side of the line to be watched closely with LaMarr Woodley going against exceptional rookie Mitchell Schwartz. We could see more of Cam Heyward on the left side as well.

The pass rush needs to be better, yes, but the secondary simply needs to maintain. Ike Taylor and Keenan Lewis comprise a very good defensive backfield. Here is a brilliant breakdown of their play by ProFootballFocus.com: https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/11/21/analysis-notebook-week-11-2/

The safeties are solid as well. Ryan Clark is having another Pro Bowl season, and there was a Troy Polamalu sighting at practice Friday. Will Allen, who has played surprisingly well in his four games, wasn't exactly reticent on his feelings regarding having Troy back on the practice field: "It was a Thanksgiving Christmas gift. It was great to see him out there."

Troy practiced Friday and wasn't listed on the final practice report as "out" for first time since October 5th. He was listed "doubtful" after being limited in practice on Friday.

With rookie Brandon Weeden at quarterback, the Steelers will try to apply as much pressure as possible. Josh Gordon and Greg Little are definite weapons for the first-year quarterback. It is here that the Steelers need to lock down on the Browns and be as opportunistic as possible, as Weeden's number aren't exactly All-Pro caliber.

The Steelers have, as mentioned earlier, very few turnovers and sacks, splash plays, this season. Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau knows they need more, they just need to keep at it.

"We like to take it away, we're just not getting enough of them," LeBeau said before the Chiefs game. "We need to do better there. We have gotten a couple turnovers the last couple games. We need to do more, that's for sure." So far, not so good. The defense needs to take advantage of the rookie Sunday.

Another rookie and the fourth pick in April's NFL Draft is Trent Richardson. He is a highly productive running back who has rushed 180 times for 670 yards and has another 289 yards from receptions this season. Containing him is important, to say the least.

But the key to not being dead indians again in this cowboy movie is Joshua Cribbs.

“Josh Cribbs has made a living hurting people,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said of the Browns’ return man. "Obviously, it’s going to be an element of preparation for us.”

The Steelers can't afford another special teams night like they had against the Ravens. Jacoby Jones' touchdown return was a backbreaker last Sunday night and can't be repeated.

The Ravens double-covered the gunners, Curtis Brown and Cortez Allen, on that return, and there was a seal block on Ryan Mundy, and Jones then outran the rest of the Steelers special teams unit. A repeat performance of such inept play could mean no playoffs for the Steelers.

Cribbs is one of the best returners in the NFL with 852 kick return yards and another 330 punt return yards. He is specifically responsible for the Browns being 9th in the NFL in kick returns and 3rd in punt returns. - http://tinyurl.com/bu7cfvj

If he isn't contained, it will be a long afternoon for the Steelers. If he is, the Steelers should be able put together a win that is somewhere in the 20-16 range.

~

TIDBITS: Steelers injury/practice report: M. Gilbert, J. Cotchery, Big Ben, B. Leftwich, out; Troy, doubtful. A. Brown, questionable; W. Allen, W. Colon, Z. Hood, I. Redman, S. Sylvester, probable.

Browns injury/practice report: Dimitri Patterson (ankle) and Raymond Ventrone (calf), out; Jordan Cameron (groin), Josh Cooper (knee), Joshua Cribbs (back), Joe Haden (oblique), Juqua Parker (tibia), Trent Richardson (chest/ribs), Ahtyba Rubin (calf, back), Frostee Rucker (shoulder), Jarrod Shaw (illness), Buster Skrine (head), and T.J. Ward (knee, ankle), all probable.

~

Ben Roethlisberger is expected to return to action in Week 13, according to CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora. We'll see...

~

Indianapolis Colts interim head coach Bruce Arians was open this week about what he feels his blessings are. For what was he thankful? "I'm thankful for the Pittsburgh Steelers letting me go to be here."

As Steelers beat writer Ed Bouchette wrote recently, Hines Ward had some good insight into why Art Rooney wanted Bruce Arians out as Steelers offensive coordinator: http://tinyurl.com/c979xbd

~

The Steelers will re-sod Heinz Field following Saturday's Pitt/Rutgers game.

Is It Time To Draft Ben Roethlisberger's Replacement?

"Sure, absolutely we would [draft a quarterback]. We aren't going to take a quarterback in the first round, but beyond that I would never close the door."

Those words were spoken by Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert at the NFL Annual Meetings back on March 26, 2012 regarding whether or not it's time to look at drafting a viable backup. That may now be in the process of being answered.

On Tuesday, April 3rd, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that new Colts and former Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians wants the team to sign unrestricted free agent Byron Leftwich as a backup quarterback. Obviously the thought being that he knows Arians offense and could also tutor Andrew Luck.

Leftwich, an unrestricted free agent, spent three years together with Arians as player and assistant coach. He has yet to be offered a contract by the Steelers, though they have expressed interest in keeping him around as Ben Roethlisberger’s backup. ~ http://t.co/QJHWfplp

  
If the Colts were to be able to entice Leftwich away, that would create a major gap at quarterback behind Big Ben. Then those words spoken by Colbert that opened this article would carry even more weight.

Just as weighty and interesting would be the words spoken by Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Asked about whether drafting a quarterback this year would be too soon or not, Tomlin said: "We're interested in acquiring a young quarterback in some form or fashion. I think that's why we signed the guys we're working with in the offseason coming up here in a few weeks in  Jerrod Johnson and Troy Smith. But we could add to that via the draft or free agency."

Tomlin continued, "We're going through that right now from a preparation standpoint. And that's something that we look to do, in terms of globally or long-term."

In other words, organizationally the Steelers realize that they need to be prepared. I'm not a doomsayer, just considering possibilities. Because, simply put, no one can predict the future. So, just in case Roethlisberger goes down and isn't able to be John Wayne, but instead is a "dead Indian in [a] cowboy movie", the Steelers need to be prepared.

As part of that preparation, Tomlin spoke of two players signed to Futures contracts: Jerrod Johnson, signed 1/13/2012, and Troy Smith, signed 1/20/2012.

Neither is exactly going to make people clamor for being put in a game. Usually the most popular player on the team is the backup quarterback. Not in this case.

Johnson, a former Texas A&M Aggie, will be nothing more than a Training Camp body and Troy Smith...well, he had a good career at Ohio St. At 6'0" 218 lbs., he's not built for the NFL at quarterback. While there are NFL quarterbacks who are his approximate weight, he's too short to play behind offensive linemen who are all taller than he is. He was the pride of UFL's Omaha Nighthawks last year for a reason.

The other quarterback we currently know about is beloved veteran, and AARP card holder, Charlie Batch. Batch's particulars don't need to be rehashed anymore. We know what he brings to the table. What he's done when filling in for Big Ben the last two years says enough. He's a coach in the locker room, on the sidelines and, when he does get into games, on the field. But he can't be expected to come in and take the reins long-term if Big Ben were to be gone for an extended portion of the season. (For more on Batch, go to the blog post, "Charlie: The Best Of The Batch")

So, that means that looking for that viable backup, unless I'm forgetting a feasible free agent QB, might just mean looking to the draft.

One name I've heard suggested is University of Houston product Case Keenum.

Case Keenum is by definition a system quarterback. He's undersized, lacks an NFL-size arm and plays mainly out of the shotgun. Yet, he is accurate and does have instincts enough to keep his eyes downfield while under duress. In fact, Keenum is actually very poised in the pocket. He has the feet to buy time and puts a nice touch on his throws when he’s off balance.

It's feast or famine with Keenum: what allows him to make big plays can also lead him to make remarkably dumb decisions. Sound familiar?

Keenum may have the skill set, but just doesn’t have the size to handle the poundings he'd take in NFL, and especially the AFC North.

Another possible draft consideration might just be someone suggested by Vincenzo Landino of www.MySteelerNation.com - Brandon Weeden.

I disregarded the notion at first, but relented as I gave it more thought. Weeden is NFL-sized, has a big arm and is tough. He would work well in the short-term as well as the long-term should something go awry.

Weeden positively sticks throws into tight windows, throws to the spot instead of the receiver on slants and shows necessary touch on fade routes. He's a tough player too: he played most of the 2010 season with a ruptured tendon in the thumb on his throwing hand. Described as a leader on the field and in the locker room as well.

Naturally, there are negatives too. Weeden is already 28 years old, can have a problem with recognizing the blitz, has the tendency to force throws and has a history of injuries. For a certainty this will be noted by scouts. He certainly has the arm strength, size and requisite intangibles teams look for, but I wouldn't be surprised if he dropped to the bottom half of the draft because of those aforementioned negatives.

If he does, might the Steelers take a chance on him? Kevin Colbert has already answered that question: "If that happens at any position you have to be prepared to deal with it."

So, maybe Vincenzo Landino was on to something. He did make a good point when he said: "You can't say never. We do need a solid backup, though, so that we don't have to change the whole offense if Ben gets hurt.”

Whether he "tweaks" his game to a significant degree or not, Ben could of course fall victim to injury. So, it's a good thing Colbert isn't closing that door, we may need it open as early as this April 28th.

~

For more of Vincenzo's ideas, articles and great research, follow his Steelers website, www.mysteelernation.com, or follow him on his Twitter account, @vincenzolandino.

The "Retirement" of Bruce Arians Might Have Been Ill-Timed

As everyone knows by now, Bruce Arians has "retired" from football. Well, at least football played professionally in Western Pennsylvania, that is.

Look, let's just get this out of the way right off the bat: I'm no fan of Bruce Arians. I've been down on him as offensive coordinator since the infamous naked draw on third and six in the January 5th, 2008 Jaguars playoff game. The seed was planted at that point and kept growing with plenty of limbs and flourishes.

Arians' predictability and inconsistency at times were mind-boggling. It was almost as if he sometimes was thinking, "I'll run THIS play. I know it'll work because I just ran it the same way and it didn't work then, so I know they won't be expecting it again so soon. I'm so smart. I deserve a chocolate milk for that. *chocolate milk, chocolate milk, I love chocolate milk...*"

Ok, let me stop...I made him sound like he rode the short bus to school, and that isn't the purpose here. I'm simply writing this in an attempt to temper the actually undeserved and unnecessary Bruce Arians hatred.

While I have no problem overall with the departure of Arians, I just don't have nearly the same urge to run around like the Queen of Hearts either, saying, "Off with his head!" as others do. My biggest issue with this was just the timing. That's what bothers me. Arians' inefficiencies have been evident for a couple of years now. So, if he'd been gone two years ago, I'd have been carpooling with the rest of you to the South Side to help Arians pack. ("Ok, Bruce, what do you need? Just "need", not want. C'mon, move it! Let's get these boxes filled! Move it, move it! Your ride is waiting outside! He's got the engine runnin! Go, go, go! This is the last chopper outta Vietnam!!!")

Now, though, with these young wide receivers, a new, young tight end just starting to blossom and mature, and with your quarterback in his prime, the last thing you want is for that growth to be stunted by a completely new play book with new terminology, hand signals, etc... Thus, the so-called "power play" by the aforementioned QB to promote Randy Fichtner to be the new offensive coordinator.

Without getting too deeply into it, Fichtner has a good track record. He spent time at Memphis from 1990-1993, and then Fichtner returned to Memphis in 2001 to serve as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, instituting a new and effective spread offense that set school records for total offense. His new system allowed the teams to amass prolific offensive statistics, totalling over 5,000 yards in both 2003 and 2004 to rank in the top 10 for both yardage and scoring. A spread offense, by the way which ran the ball over 50% of the time as well.

Tomlin and Fichtner also have a history dating back to 1998 when working at Arkansas St. together. As soon as Tomlin became the Steelers head coach, Fichtner was one of Tomlin's first hires. So, considering he's already the quarterbacks coach, he'd make sense as being the next OC since he would take into consideration what plays the quarterback would want.

Getting back to the main subject, Arians has often been accused of questionable play calling, and of being predictable and/or inconsistent. Ok. Yeah, I'll give you those. Like I said, I've had my problems with him for a while. So, I know all too well about those imperfections. But, with all of that being said, I could still make, and often have made, the argument that there were just as many execution errors that led to the various offensive problems the Steelers had this year as inept play-calling problems caused by Arians.

There are several examples to choose from with regard to the aforementioned issues, both from the OC/play calling and from the execution standpoint. I've already mentioned the 3rd and six play against Jacksonville as one example, so we know Arians can be inept and leave you scratching your head. But there were also good plays that plain and simple were executed poorly. There were numerous missed hot reads, there were dropped passes, over and under thrown passes, missed blocks and missed assignments that were seen all year. All of that plays heavily into the 3rd down and red zone issues as well.

A good example of this involves Hines Ward. This year, Ward became the eighth wide receiver in NFL history to record 1,000 catches. He accomplished it on a shuffle pass in the week 17 game against the Cleveland Browns. Many have expressed dislike for the bubble screen and the shuffle pass both, except when they work of course (and by the way, the numbers show that they work the majority of the time), and this was an occasion when it didn't work.

Why, though, didn't it work? Was it poorly disguised? Poorly timed? No, it was poorly executed. It was a play that would have produced positive yardage had Mike Wallace or, I believe, Jerricho Cotchery, even thought about blocking D'Qwell Jackson. Instead, Jackson comes in untouched to register it as a completed pass for -3 yards. Poor execution of a potentially good play.

There are plenty of other examples to choose from, as well. Plus, remember that we are dealing with a pass-happy QB here who has the right to call audibles and change plays as he sees fit.

There are those times when we don't know the exact play called, but the results were obviously still basically player error. A good example would be from the 49ers game this past season.

In that game, Ben had a great opportunity to check down to his running back, but instead decided to force the ball into double coverage. Mendenhall was just standing there waiting. He even waived his arm(s) at one point. Ben just said, "Nope, I'm Ben Roethlisberger. I can do this." Mendenhall just stared, jumped, and shouted to get his attention. "Nope, I'm Ben Roethlisberger. I can do this." Mendenhall called Ben's name with a bullhorn and shot a starters pistol. "Nope, I'm Ben Roethlisberger. I can do this." Mendenhall brought the marching band onto the field and had them play a Steelers polka. "Nope, I'm Ben Roethlisberger. I can do this." What happened? Ben ignored the check down and threw an interception. Just try and blame that on the OC. Please, I beg you to try and do it.

You're saying to yourself, "Ok, Jason, l'll give you that. The team had their issues with regard to execution. But Arians was just too predictable." My response to that would be that I agree, but even if your offense is "predictable", even if a defense does know what's coming, they still have to be able to stop you.

We all remember the vintage Vince Lombardi film clip of him preparing his team. It was the classic, "We want to create a seal here and a seal here, then we'll run it right up the alley." The Packers did just that. Often. With precision. Despite the fact that teams knew it was coming. So, yes, you can be "predictable" if you've executed your end of things like you should. That aspect of it ultimately falls to the players. Ultimately, players have to make plays.

For those who didn't like Arians because of the presumed lack of running the ball and/or lack of a true fullback, I'd like to remind them to turn the page on their calendars...then to throw it away because it expired in 1992. The rules changes have made the NFL a very different game. Steelers fans thinking you can win Super Bowls pounding the football for 3 yards at a time between the tackles are not living in the real world. This game simply benefits the passing teams now.

Besides, the Steelers did run the ball. They ran it more than may be realized and more than other playoff teams did, especially on first down. The Steelers ran 55% on 1st down last year for a 4.6 yards per carry average. By way of comparison, the Packers and Patriots ran 45% on 1st down, and the Saints and Giants ran 43% on 1st down. Notice that it's the Super Bowl teams that ran it the least on first down.

So, the problem, organizationally, was that it was not run enough overall. That's where Art Rooney II stepped in.

We know that Rooney II wants to see more running and that this played into not extending another contract to Arians, but does that mean he wants to return to three yards and cloud of dust? Umm...no. While I do believe he wants more running, I don't think he means substantially more. I think they want quality and effectiveness. i.e. running 25 times to attain 125 yards as opposed to running 35 times for the same number of yards. Accomplishing this will still allow the play-action open up, Ben will take fewer hits, the whole offense will get better and the defense conversely will be able to rest more as well.

All of this having been said, at some point you do still reach a critical mass with the other inconsistencies and all that we tend to see. The bottom line is that Arians wasn't nearly as bad as people made him out to be. Was he great? No. Was he the football version of the anti-Christ? No! Only next season, though, will be able to tell us whether or not this was ill-timed.

This one thing is true, people in the NFL who actually know football were knocking on Arians' door as soon as he was let go. He's already the OC for the Indianapolis Colts. So, all the haters who forget that you need to breathe through your nose and not your mouth are either patting themselves on the back or ready to slit their wrists. It'll be interesting to see how much of which unfolds first.