Mike Munchak - Steelers' Best Offseason Addition to Offensive Line

Forrest Gregg, Norm Van Brocklin, Jack Del Rio... Not all great NFL players turn out to become great NFL coaches. The Pittsburgh Steelers, however, seem to have a knack for finding the ones that do. 

New offensive line coach Mike Munchak played 12 years in the NFL, was a 10-time All Pro and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001. Credentials laudable enough to create for him a "very high" degree of deference.

“He understands each player is different. He understands how to cater to everyone,” Ramon Foster said of Munchak. “The respect factor is very high. … It's a joy right now to be taking advice and coaching from him.” -  http://tinyurl.com/qyu2mq7

As the Tribune-Review's Alan Robinson points out further in his article, his 'understanding that each player is different' is because he "adjusts to them rather than being one who insists the linemen adjust to him," especially because he is still learning about his group. 

Munchak believes that "starters Beachum, Ramon Foster, Pouncey, DeCastro and Marcus Gilbert and backups Mike Adams, Cody Wallace, Guy Whimper, Wesley Johnson and others" have the chance to be a special group. 

Munchak does, after all, have two first rounders and two second rounders amongst those starters. He not only has Pouncey, one-time First-team All Pro, coming back from ACL surgery, but also guard David DeCastro, whom he should be able to take to the next level. DDC started road-grading his opponents in the second half of last season, and has the chance to become one of the best guards in the NFL via Munchak’s tutelage. 

Left tackle protection picked up appreciably in the second half of the season, also, when Kelvin Beachum was installed, but Mike Adams and Marcus Gilbert are of greater interest. 

The Steelers invested high draft picks in both of them and neither has been great, although Gilbert has been serviceable. They will be Munchak's biggest challenge in helping this group to pick up where they left off in 2013.

Wallace, Whimper and this year's fifth-round draft pick Wesley Johnson rate high on the list of those who'll be the most likely backups. 

In reverse order, the fifth-round draft pick out of Vanderbilt, Johnson, has nice height (6'5"), but he's not even three bills (297 LBs), which indicates he'll need to get bigger and stronger to survive in the NFL. Being that he played all positions on a zone-blocking offensive line in college, Johnson will likely be moved into the role of swing lineman that was held by Beachum before he was inserted at left tackle. 

Whimper was signed back in March to a one-year veteran minimum of $920,000 ($635K against the Salary Cap), of which only $65,000 is guaranteed. Which means he'd only be a $65K dead money hit if released. 

The possibility of that happening increases if Fernando Velasco's achilles injury heals to the point where's ready to go by Training Camp. He had said he'd be back for OTAs, but achilles injuries take longer than that. Time will tell, therefore, on Velasco who brilliantly took Pouncey's place at center when he went down.  

It was then that the 2008 fourth-round draft pick, Wallace, took Velasco's place at center upon his injury against the Baltimore Ravens. Both men can play center or guard. Wallace, also, though has a nasty streak and physicality about him that showed when he responded by proving himself emphatically over the final month of the season.

The Steelers signed Wallace to a three-year deal back on March 12th.

These men are the core of an offensive line that allowed just seven sacks over the final seven games and helped boost the running game to more than a 100 yard per game average and to 4.0 yards per carry. 

Munchak has said that he isn't changing much terminology from when Bicknell, jr. was the OLine coach, and believes they can be molded into a "special" unit that may still be a zone-blocking one. -  http://tinyurl.com/n2x4rga

Though sparingly used last season, such a system is well suited for running back Le'Veon Bell and can help the run game get going even more so. 

In the interview linked above, Munchak said about the scheme that "it stretches the defense. They’re not sure exactly where he’s going to cut. Watching [Bell] run the inside zone and some of the runs they’ve run, I can [see] he has very good vision, he has a good feel for the game, and it’s just a matter of him getting more reps at it." (Brackets ours)

Then throw in LaGarrette Blount taking part of the load and you have the makings of a powerful ground game. And sharing the load to make for a more lethal corps is something Bell is "definitely" on board with.

“I’m definitely looking forward to it,” Bell said. “We’re going to give defenses different looks, a change of pace. [Blount will] bring that power to the game and bring a lot more tough yardage. I won’t have to get all that tough yardage runs. I’m definitely looking forward to it. I’m excited about it.”

And Steeler Nation should be excited that Mike Munchak is making it all possible. 

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TIDBITS: Flashback on FA additions this offseason:

Mike Mitchell, S, March 11th
Greg Warren*, LS, March 12th
Cody Wallace*, C/G, March 12th,
Cam Thomas, DE/NT, March 14th,
Guy Whimper*, G/T, March 17th,
Michael Palmer*, TE, March 21st
Lance Moore, WR, March 21st,
Arthur Moats, LB, March 24th,
LaGarrette Blount, RB, March 28th,
Brice McCain, CB, April 1st,
Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, April 2nd,
Eric Olsen, C, April 3rd,
Adam Podleah, P , April 15th

* indicates own free agent signed

After Firing Bicknell, Steelers Already Have New OLine Coach In Mind

In Biblical times, two male goats were obtained from the assembled sons of Israel by the high priest for use on the annual Day of Atonement (now called Yom Kippur). One goat was designated for sacrifice as a sin offering, while the high priest symbolically laid the sins of the people on the other and it was led away to escape "into the wilderness.” - Leviticus 16:8,10,26.

On Friday, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced the firing of offensive line coach Jack Bicknell, jr., essentially making him this year's scapegoat. Bicknell came aboard last year after Sean Kugler left to become the head coach at his alma mater UTEP.

We say scapegoat because of the good job he'd done and that 'somebody had to be blamed for the Steelers 8-8 season' mentality among much of the Steelers fan base.

The Steelers lost starting center Maurkice Pouncey and backup Fernando Velasco to season-ending injuries, and because of injury or inept play they had at least six different starting units and between 12-16 different combinations.

Despite those mole hills, they allowed just seven sacks in the final seven weeks. They also ran for 461 yards and a yards-per-carry average of over four (4.01) in the last four games of the season. Within that, featured running back Le'Veon Bell also broke the Steelers 22-game drought of 100-yard rushers, including running for 214 yards in the final two games with a 4.65 YPC average.

So, it's no wonder that players like tackles Marcus Gilbert and Kelvin Beachum said they felt they had grown and improved as a unit. - http://tinyurl.com/ksjm8tm

Nonetheless...

“I have decided to go in a different direction with respect to the coaching of our offensive line,” coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement on Steelers.com. “I want to thank Jack for his contributions during the 2013 season, and I wish him well in the future.”

With no clue or sense of rhyme or reason as to why this would happen, If It Ain't Steel capitulated to a superior intellect and insight in the form of Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Trib Total Media.

"Where Bicknell struggled, I’m...told, is in the area of individual instruction. ... And while Bicknell was loved by the players as a person, there’s also a sense I get that he might have lost them as a coach - fair or not - when times were toughest." - http://tinyurl.com/msh75do

That being the case, the Steelers are now looking for their third OLine coach in as many years. They already seemed to have set their sights one as well.

Jason Cole of the National Football Post has reported that the "Steelers have expressed interest in Carolina assistant offensive line coach Ray Brown to fill the vacancy created after the team fired offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. on Friday. For the time being, the Panthers have declined to let Brown interview, but are expected to let him talk to the Steelers about the job after the playoffs have concluded."

Brown spent 20 years in the NFL as a player for the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals, Washington Redskins, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions. He was a part of the Redskins' 1991 Super Bowl winning team, and his best season was 2001 when he went to the Pro Bowl and was named to that year's All-Pro 2nd Team.

He has spent the last seven years working his way up through the coaching ranks. Notably, he was an assistant offensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills starting in 2008, was hired as offensive line coach for the San Francisco 49ers for the 2010 season, and then was hired as the assistant line coach for the Carolina Panthers in January of 2011.

Considering what Kovacevic wrote and the aforementioned road grading the OLine was finally doing in the final quarter of the season, maybe Tomlin felt that they could be the mauling blockers that Steelers teams in the past had. Possibly he then realized that they didn't need to switch to a zone blocking scheme after all, thus making Bicknell expendable.

Regardless, in a few weeks we'll all see if Brown is the next foreman of this group of hard hat-wearing road pavers.

Steelers Get Purple Hearts As They Notch 2nd Straight Win

courtesy of Billy Hartford

"What I'm most proud of is it was a team win. All three phases did something to contribute positively today. How it has to be." - Brett Keisel

The veteran defensive end was correct as the Pittsburgh Steelers had their first complete game of the season en route to a 19-16 over the hated Baltimore Ravens.

Le'Veon Bell, Lawrence Timmons and finally Shaun Suisham ran, tackled and kicked the Steelers to something Steelers' fans haven't seen yet this season - a winning streak.

Break up the Steelers!

They're actually looking now like the team we expected from the beginning of the season. The running game is finally looking like something worthy of the team that leads the entire NFL since the 1970 merger. The Steelers ran for 141 yards, which was the first time they went over 100 yards as a team since November 18, 2012 - against the Ravens.

Bell himself shown great patience and vision in running for 93 yards on just 19 carries, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. With doing so against the seventh-ranked run defense going into the game, Bell was assuredly pleased with his performance. Right?

"I'll go to a C-," Bell said laughingly, referencing the "D" he gave himself last week. - http://tinyurl.com/kv6xwte

The humble young running back received slightly higher praise from his teammates and coach.

"He did a great job! You know, he was patient when he needed to be, physical when he needed to be. He used his speed...I thought that he did a great job today," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "He's got that patience, he's a good runner and he knows his surroundings.” - http://tinyurl.com/kns6p9l

Head coach Mike Tomlin looked a bit miffed that neither of the first two questions at his post-game press conference were about his running back.

"Any questions about Le'Veon Bell today? No?" Tomlin quipped. - http://tinyurl.com/lwxpxvn

Bell was who Tomlin wanted out of college and was practically glowing when talking about him back in April. Tomlin even went to Bell's defense during his weekly press conference last week after the running back came under criticism. Bell has finally now shown what Tomlin, and those few of us who had knowledge of him in college, knew he could do.

In averaging 4.9 YPC, 12 of Bell's 19 carries today went for four yards or more. Only two carries went for zero yards or less. Also, 62 of Bell's 93 yards came on first down.

The Steelers much-maligned offensive line opened holes and got push for the Steelers and Bell, but also in protecting Big Ben who played a turnover-free game and directed the game-winning drive. Point blank, the Steelers were simply the more physical team Sunday. Both on offense and defense.

The blitzes, the multiple looks, the push from the interior of the defensive line, Troy Polamalu lining up everywhere, LaMarr Woodley, who recorded another sack, and Jason Worilds bringing pressure on Joe Flacco and stuffing running backs, Cortez Allen being brought off of the slot on a run blitz throughout the game, William Gay providing good coverage...this was swarming Steelers defense.

But the one who should receive the most praise was inside  linebacker Lawrence Timmons who had a career-high tying 17 tackles. Not bringing any undue attention to himself, he summed up the overall performance succinctly, ultimately giving credit to the coaches.

"It's the Baltimore Ravens," he said. It's a defensive player's type of game....They're passing more because Flacco throws a great deep ball. The run-and-gun coaches prepped us well."

But, even with all provided by the aforementioned players, it came down to kicker Shaun Suisham.

Big Ben marched the Steelers downfield, after Emmanuel Sanders was one heel away from taking a kickoff all the way, to get into Sushi's range. As always, Sushi was as cool as a Canadian autumn as split the uprights for the last-second win.

Are the Steelers enjoying this? Are they exhaling?

"{No.} We're still a 2-4 football team," Sanders said, "{but} we're pointed in right direction."


Several quotes from Ken Laird of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

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TIDBITS: The only significant injury was Marcus Gilbert's deep quadriceps bruise. Brett Keisel's ribs were of the "minor bumps and bruises" category. 

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Ben Roethlisberger is 10-4 in his career vs. the Ravens (including playoffs), and ties Peyton Manning for most wins vs Ravens by starting quarterback.

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John Harbaugh on the onside kick: "We were struggling to get possessions and get our offense on the field. We needed a TD either way to tie or win."

"A guy offsides when we do a surprise onside kick...that's the part that ticks me off more than anything"

Harbaugh on Dumervil's face-mask of Big Ben: "You can't grab it but Ben ducks all the time. Biggest, strongest QB in the NFL. Have to wrap strong."

Harbaugh on the Steelers run offense: "Credit to them. Good job of scheming. The wildcat...extra OLinemen...give them credit."

~

"@MarkKaboly_Trib: David DeCastro is quickly turning into one of the best guards in the AFC."

~

Sunday was the fourth consecutive Steelers-Ravens game that was decided by three points.

The Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

                        by Jayden Matthews (@JadyGirl7)

Wow! It amazes me that some people still have the audacity to blame Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley after what happened Sunday night in their 40-23 loss.

Just to clarify: HALEY IS NOT THE QUARTERBACK WHO COMMITTED FOUR TURNOVERS ALL BY HIMSELF. Nor is he the running back that coughed the ball up early in the second half. 

But, before I go any further, I want something clearly understood: anyone that follows If It Ain't Steel and reads us regularly knows that we love Ben Roethlisberger and have defended him a lot. But the big guy is making that hard right now with how he has been playing of late. 

Instead of looking like the elite quarterback we know him to be, Sunday night Big Ben was a turnover machine boarding on Jamarcus Russell status. Is it the offensive lines fault? Somewhat, but not completely.  

So, for Big Ben as well as the rest of the Steelers "performance" Sunday night, here is what we are going to call the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

The Good:

Big Ben threw for 406 yards and two touchdowns and was mainly responsible for the Steelers having a total of 11 splash/explosive plays (20 yards or more) Sunday night. They accounted for 271 of Big Ben's total passing yards.  

Jonathan Dwyer and Felix Jones brought some life back to the running game. The sad thing is that we have seen so little of it that when Jones broke for a 10-yard gain for a first down, the cheer from the crowd was so loud you would have thought they scored a touchdown. 

The player of the game was wide receiver Antonio Brown. He showed Sunday night that he may just be a No. 1 receiver after all. He showed he can come up in the clutch by making a leaping catch in double coverage in the back of the end zone, and then a one-handed grab which was his second touchdown of the night. AB had Steelers fans dancing with him as he showed that the Steelers do have a deep threat. 

Though, fans are still saying the team still needs erstwhile receiver Mike Wallace. Really? We maintain, as we always have, that they don’t and that the touchdowns will come for AB, and they sure did Sunday night. He finished the night with 9 catches for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns. AB leads the AFC in receiving yards (324), leads AFC receivers with 16 receptions for first downs and is the fourth leading receiver in entire NFL. 

Jerricho Cotchrey had a good game as well, bouncing back from last week. His main highlight being his fight for a first down.  

Heath Miller, Big Ben's safety valve and last season' steam MVP, made Ben and the other tight ends look better. Heath also got the loudest ovation of the night when his name was announced at the start of the game. 

The offensive line, or as I call them, "The Boobs", did have their moments. Right tackle Marcus Gilbert  did not play as badly as it first seemed, it's hard to believe that Fernando Velasco was on the scrap heap just three weeks ago and Kelvin Beachum continued his valuable play.

The defense played solidly overall. After the 55-yard run by Matt Forte early in the game, the defense held him 32 yards the rest of the game. The defensive line played very well yet again, including getting a sack from Brett Keisel. LaMarr Woodley also got a sack (2/54) putting him ahead of Greg Lloyd (53.5) for seventh all-time on the Steelers sack list. 

The Bad and The Ugly:

Big Ben had four turnovers as was said earlier. They weren't pretty, either. Listen, I know Big Ben hasn’t had the best protection, but he needs to realize that sometimes it is better to take the sack then to turn the ball over when in scoring position. He simply needs to protect the ball better. It could even be said that Ben hasn't been the same since his return from his injury last season. 

For instance, the interception last year at Dallas that put the Cowboys in scoring position, leading to their win. The pick six against the Cincinnati Bengals that cost them a trip to the playoffs. He had one against the Browns as well, though that one ended up not mattering. In total, he alone has committed more than 10 turnovers in his last seven games, including eight interceptions.

The sloppy play has spilled over into this season. Big Ben has had at least one INT in every game they have played so far, all of which changed the momentum of the game. Clean that up and they very well could be at 3-0 vs. 0-3. 

I know I'm not the only one who realizes this. But, hey, let’s ignore the facts and just blame Haley. 

The running backs couldn’t help with blocks and Jones coughed the ball up. They need to protect the ball better, and, along with that, help protect Big Ben by picking up the blitzes. 

Emmanuel Sanders has missed some key catches, though he has been overthrown also. The Ben-to-Manny deep-pass project needs to be shelved for right now. They have yet to connect as, again, Ben has often overthrown him. But even if Ben had hit him, Manny can’t seem to get separation. 

Keep in mind also that if Manny catches that first long pass against the Titans, the injury to Maurkice Pouncey may have been averted, because the chain of events that followed it would've changed.  

Uglier still, Markus Wheaton saw approximately 10 snaps the entire game. 

Heath Miller clearly isn't 100% yet.

The Boobs weren't very perky overall. There were lineup changes and on-the-fly experiments that didn't settle matters. They just looked bad as an entire unit at times, as well as individually. Only the Cleveland Browns (11-44) have a worse third-down conversion rate than the Steelers (10-36).  

Mike Adams in particular was bad, really bad. Overpowered at times, clueless at others. So clueless that if he went bobbin' in a barrel of boobs, he'd still come out suckin' his thumb.

The defense can't tackle well right now. That's basic fundamentals and can be rectified. But Ryan Clark isn't playing like a team captain and Jarvis Jones can't seem to get to the quarterback. 

But, I'm sure that's Haley's fault too. 

The ugliest, though, was Isaac Redman. He missed key blocks Sunday night, one of which caused a turnover. 

Redman needs to go. His time is up in the Steel City. Dwyer proved that they cut the wrong guy in the first place. He is a waste of roster space and, with the return of second-round draft pick Le'Veon Bell set for the trip to London, Redman is expendable. 

But, all this having been considered, determining what's wrong with Big Ben and eliminating the turnovers is paramount. So much hinges on his ability to weather the storm in front of him. But, his and the team's turnovers simply must stop.  

Not one of which, by the way, being committed by Haley. 

Steelers Training Camp: 10 Days, 10 Takeaways (Offense)

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has never shied away from the fact that he loves Training Camp set the tone with his favorite drill—backs on backers—in addition to the offensive linemen battling the defensive linemen in one-on-one drills.

Despite being "football in shorts", the Steelers made a positive first impression as they came out a focused, but relaxed, team that is poised to bounce back from a disappointing 8-8 record last season.

They then got into pads and the cracks could be heard all the way in Allentown. Tomlin has actually been praised for the physicality of his 2013 Training Camp. Why has it been so physical?

"It’s just appropriate in today’s NFL. We have off days. We only get a chance to practice once a day," Tomlin declared. "There are fewer and fewer opportunities to sort themselves out. We’ve got some young guys. We’ve got to sort through a lot of young guys and we’ve got to take advantage of opportunities to show improvement. That is what it is about."

Add practices running nearly two-and-a-half hours to live contact drills and you have the tone set for a physical season. What else are we seeing as tones being set? And what players play important roles? Part one focused on the defense, and here we'll discuss the offense.

Ben Roethlisberger: Big Ben has been taking on much more of a leadership role this offseason and Training Camp. He's had great practices, aside from a couple of interceptions, last Thursday through Monday. He seems so much more serious with teammates and their roles, their routes, their blocks, etc... Basically, he sees his window and doesn't want it to close. If It Ain't Steel is glad to see Big Ben is stepping up as a true leader.

In doing so he is being rewarded with a couple of things that he has been wanting in the form of more deep routes. After some tinkering to the offense, Big Ben is much happier as he is able to air the ball out often. Both Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders have been getting plenty of looks and the passes have been very successful so far. As has someone else.

Markus Wheaton: Wheaton missed OTAs because of NCAA graduation rules, so he came into Training Camp already behind. He has quickly caught up and moved up the depth chart, though, and got time as the slot receiver during the first week of camp.

A terrific route-runner, Wheaton has the speed and quickness to get deep to make the big play, and he has shown it by being very dangerous all over the field.

As long as his development continues, it won’t be very long until Wheaton is a regular on offense.

Le’Veon Bell: Bell has had a terrific Camp so far, and it should not be very long before he is a major part of the offense. He has been the star of the backfield so far, and is making a real push for the starting job.

He also has exceptional hands and has been one of the focal points of the passing game. He continually makes plays in the open field.

His bread and butter will be carrying the rock. And though he doesn't possess world-class speed, he has been running with speed and authority and has been the best back during team drills. He has even been receiving time with the first team offense. Bell is light on his feet and is able to get to the outside and cut back also.

Speaking of getting outside and cutting back, the outside zone-blocking scheme has been a focus under new offensive line coach Jack Bicknell, jr. They've run it all Camp in some form and the players are adjusting well to it. Plus, athletic offensive linemen like Ramon Foster, David DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey, make it more viable scheme.

The other starting OLinemen, Marcus Gilbert and Mike Adams, also have a bit of a competition going on. According to WDVE’s Mike Prisuta, Adams lined up at left tackle for three days straight. But, since the Steelers run to the right more often than any other direction, they'll most likely move Adams back to that side knowing that he is the better run blocker.

That does bring us nicely to the next point into the light also, that being the lack of depth. Kelvin Beachum may play three positions Saturday night against the New York Giants, and guard Justin Cheadle figures to get time against the Giants also. That's pretty much it. The injuries have brought that to light better than anything.

While there haven't been any significant injuries to star players, there have been several dinged up.

The most significant injury was to Cortez Allen who had minor knee surgery last week. Another semi-major injury occured when Nik Embernate went down with a torn ACL and MCL.

Then you have DeMarcus Van Dyke and Terry Hawthorne have both missed time, and Curtis Brown is on crutches, making for a very thin secondary.

Embernate reminds us how fragile the front line is. Who'll back up Gilbert? What happens if Beachum goes down? D'Anthony Batiste nor Guy Whimper will remind anyone of Jonathan Ogden or even Jonathan Scott. It is, therefore, an issue that needs to be resolved.

Soon.

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TIDBITS: Matt Spaeth, who came back to the Steelers from the Chicago Bears this last offseason, was hurt in Wednesday’s practice in Latrobe. He was seen later with ice taped to his foot.

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Via Steelers Digest's Bob Labriola, @BobLabriola on Twitter, "2 roster moves. ‪#‎Steelers‬ signed RB Alvester Alexander & CB Devin Smith; waived RB Curtis McNeal & DE Cordian Hagans."

A Season Of Change: Five Key Players For A Successful Steelers Offense

by Jason and Jayden

Want to know a secret? NFL offenses are surprisingly milk-and-water and bland. It's true. Approximately 75% of what NFL teams do on offense is very straightforward. Virtually every team runs the same things every week. In fact, there isn't even that long of a list.

Just look at games around the league - almost the entirety of the NFL's run game amounts to about five plays. Plays that haven't changed much in 40 years: running between the tackles, running the outside zone (or the "stretch zone"), power play, a counter, and/or a pull or lead draw play. To some degree it's like a red-light district: no matter how much or how different the makeup used, it's still the same trick.

Now turn your attention to just one NFL team - the Pittsburgh Steelers. After failing to make the playoffs after last season, changes to the Steelers roster were needed and inevitable. General manager Kevin Colbert said as much last January.

"If we don't change 8-8, if we don't change the roster that produced 8-8, we'd be silly to expect a better result if we've got the same group of guys," Colbert said. "We can't box ourselves in and limit what we potentially could do."

Change they did, as at least eight players, four on offense, are gone from last season's roster. Now, be it touchdowns, explosive plays or red zone production, the Steelers face the daunting task of replacing their production. How will they do so? By changing a lot, yet not much at all. Within that, though, three things in the former category are paramount: execute, execute, execute. Execution, especially for the offense, is sacrosanct. For example, 110 points were scored off of Steelers turnovers in the 2012 season. Such careless and inept play much desist, it must change. But the controlling of the clock and controlling the tempo of the game, which they often did in their wins, conversely must continue.

Married to those points are the players who themselves must bear the load of the needed change. Aside from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger being the undisputed leader and resident John Wayne of the team, there is a mix of veteran leadership and wide-eyed youth to look to as the offensive keys to unlock the door to the playoffs. Big Ben has publicly said recently that he wants more Super Bowl rings than Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw. Well, since "the best defense is a good offense," the Steelers need to continue some of the things they were doing on offense last season and edify other things in order to keep their defense and the opposing offense off of the field. If they do so, then another of those rings may find its way to Big Ben's finger sooner than later. To that end...

EMMANUEL SANDERS - "They're expecting 70 catches and 1,000 yards, and that's the same thing that I expect for myself," Emmanuel Sanders said in June.

A lofty goal considering the Steelers' leading receiver last season had 64 receptions for 836 yards and Manny himself had a career-high 44 receptions and 626 yards. Not only that, but Manny is the second receiver behind Antonio Brown, who'll receive the majority of the targets. The goal may be possible, but it isn't probable because of the fact that Brown will also already have an increased role himself.

Manny's speed, quickness and diverse route-running fits right in with offensive coordinator Todd Haley's offense. Therefore, there should be more red zone targets for Manny, who had a career-high 762 snaps on offense, but only five targets inside the 20-yard line. He received 14 targets over his first two seasons, catching nine of them for a total of 65 yards and three touchdowns. Though that is just one shy of Miller’s total during that time, those numbers are skewed considering that Miller's red zone targets and catches increased under Haley.

Still, we can see that there will be room for Manny to receive more red zone targets with the departure of various players. Manny has great hands, as was shown by over 70% of his receptions going for first downs - the Steelers leader in that category. His prowess and potential have him poised for a breakout year.

WILL JOHNSON - The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review posted an article last Sunday that highlighted the shortage of tight ends heading into Training Camp this coming Friday. It pointed out that "no one within the organization knows when Heath Miller will be prepared to play this season." If It Ain't Steel also stated back in March that the Steelers would miss Miller, who'll likely be PUP listed to start the season, more than many may think. - http://tinyurl.com/n7j3yyq

Add to that the knee injury that David Johnson suffered and Matt Spaeth and one can expect either David Paulson or Will Johnson will fill in until Miller recovers.

As we wrote a couple of weeks ago, Johnson was noted in OTAs and mandatory minicamp as showing maturation, increased ability to sustain his blocks and leadership. Johnson also was in the pass pattern 134 times last season and caught 15 balls for 137 yards in 22 targets. This would then support another Trib article that suggested Johnson's likelihood of being in pass patters more often next season. So, while listed as fullback, expect more overall H-Back duties.

Johnson was an important player to the Steelers as fullback and lead blocker, with his catching more passes being part and parcel to an increased importance this season, especially early on in the season. A fact that suits him just fine.

“I will do whatever I can do to make myself more valuable to the team," said Johnson, "and if that means catching passes, then I am fine with that."

LE'VEON BELL - "I think he's going to be exceptional," said Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey on Sirius XM Radio in May about Le'Veon Bell. "He came in, he was 250 (pounds) in college, he came into rookie minicamp at 234 and they say with him running around the edge being an outside zone player that he can be with the power that he brings, I think its really going to help us out."

The job isn't exactly his yet, but the Steelers' brass have to hoping Bell comes in and rips the job away from new teammates Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman. They want him to literally take it and run with it, something no one could do last season.

Being an approximate 235-pound back, running that "outside zone" would suit Bell just fine as he is can pop it outside as easily as he can pound it inside. He's not a power back, though, but one who can read and react. That, then, would fit in just perfectly with the Steelers running more of a zone-blocking offensive line scheme next season. Which leads us to our next key player.

OFFENSIVE LINE - We could easily have focused on one of the individual positions or players on the offensive line, but we realized that this year as much as any in recent memory requires them to act as one. To be one.

The Steelers spent the past several drafts investing heavily in the OLine. Since 2010, they've spent two first-round and two second-round selections on offensive linemen, and now they must come together as a unit under new coach Jack Bicknell, jr.

They are led by top 10 NFL center, Maurkice Pouncey who can pull like few centers in the league. He is great at getting to the second level and never takes a play off. But he does have an injury history and can be handled by bigger nose tackles. He is surrounded by guards Ramon Foster (left) and David DeCastro (right). Both are very good at run blocking and pulling, though are somewhat less proficient at pass blocking. That trio is then book-ended by tackles Marcus Gilbert (projected left) and Mike Adams (projected right). Both are athletic and quick-footed and can grind in the run game. But the key for both of them, principally Gilbert, is pass blocking, which can't be stressed enough. Keep Big Ben upright and the Steelers win.

The depth, if it can be called that, behind them manifests itself in the forms of Kelvin Beachum and Guy Whimper, and undrafted players Mike Golic, jr., Joe Long, Mike Farrell, John Malecki and possible Training Camp darkhorse Justin Cheadle.

The most important aspect of their collective job is unity. Being on the same page as much as humanly possible is essential and, according to Pouncey again, they are already buying in to the new system in order to do just that.

"With us this year trying to go to the outside zone scheme...I think we got the offensive line to do it this year," Pouncey said, "and we really plan on attacking it at these OTAs."

JERRICHO COTCHERY - We spoke earlier of the opportunities that Manny will have to take a big step forward this season. He isn't the only one, though. Jerricho Cotchery will not only be the No. 3 or No. 4 wide receiver, but he can also be very useful in the red zone, a role in which he already excels.

In the nine years that Cotch has played in the NFL, he has reached pay dirt (via TD reception) 20 times. Of that number, 11 have come inside the red zone. So, like Manny, it's important that Cotch stays on the field next season as both have missed time due to injuries. He knows how to use his body to shield the defender from the ball and get the needed yardage for TDs or first downs.

It is those qualities that will be vital to a Steelers offense that still presently has more questions than answers. If the Steelers are to answer them in time for the playoffs, those five elements must come together.

~

TIDBITS: This isn't a Steelers story, but we had to touch on it. A University of Florida Gators sophomore linebacker by the name of Antonio Morrison was arrested Sunday morning for the second time in just over a month. Bad enough, yes. Get this, though. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Morrison “was charged with interfering with police by harassing a police animal.”

"Harassing?" Ok, that sounds weird enough, but get this. According to The Gainesville Sun:

"On the same day the Alachua County Sheriff's Office released the dashboard camera video of the Sunday morning of arrest of University of Florida linebacker Antonio Morrison, Sheriff Sadie Darnell said the arresting deputy should have given the 19-year-old a warning for BARKING AT A POLICE DOG instead of placing him under arrest."

Yes, friends, he was actually barking at a dog. Barking. At a dog. A police dog. Barking.

Had the officer and the dog been playing "good cop, bad dog?"
Was Morrison trying to gain the police dog's trust by speaking its own language?
Is Morrison a relative of Michael Vick?
Was Morrison affected by the dog days of summer, or by a substance that could be partly cured by the hair of the dog?
Was Morrison acting out because he'd recently learned that he was going to be PUP listed to start the Football season?
Or did the Florida Gator simply mistakenly think the dog was from Georgia?

Several Things To Take From 2nd Steelers OTA Session

Aside from the emergence of Roethlisberger-Haley 2013, what else did the second set of OTAs bring to light? Let's go over a few story lines that caught the attention of If It Ain't Steel.

Third-year man Marcus Gilbert seems to be penciled in as the left tackle and second-year man Mike Adams as the right tackle. Big Ben is going to face constant pressure from the edge because teams will be testing those young tackles. And he knows this.

Regarding the topic, he said of Gilbert playing left tackle: "I told him, 'I'm going to stay on you and I'm gonna push you, because I know what you're capable of.'"

Head coach Mike Tomlin has said that "both of those young men are capable of playing both spots," so expect Adams at some point to get snaps on the left side. Though, it should be remembered that he seemed better on the right once he settled down and got comfortable overall.

The Steelers absolutely will be switching to the zone-blocking scheme in 2013 with new offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. The linemen seem to be falling right in line with it also.

“We did it at Stanford, and we were a big gap team like the Steelers are,” right guard David DeCastro said. “We’ve got the guys to do it. It just takes practice like anything else. We’ll be good.”

"Especially with us this year trying to go to the outside zone scheme with the Pittsburgh Steelers. I think we got the offensive line to do it this year and we really plan on attacking it at these OTAs," said Pouncey. "I think it’s easy for me and especially the older guys we got,” Pouncey said. “We all are trying to win out here and going 8-8 last year sticks on us really, really hard. I think it brings a lot of good things to the offensive line and I think we need it.”

While Ramon Foster isn’t a Pro Bowl run blocker, he still is very solid and has very good and clean technique. Foster controls his man, turns him and generally creates holes for the running back. Ramon Foster is a big, strong and only wants to get better so as to adapt to the zone-blocking scheme.

"I am really fit, I changed a lot of stuff around. My body fat is a whole lot better. I’m running better. I’ve been stressing to become more athletic. I don’t want to be a weak link of any type on this offensive line."

As an addendum, rookie running back Le’Veon Bell's college team, Michigan State, ran the ZBS in college. Bell rushed for 33 touchdowns in 40 career games and averaged 4.7 yards per carry in 2012. Bicknell comes from a Kansas City Chiefs team that averaged 4.8 yards a carry in 2012.

Robert Golden is stepping in at safety and is showing himself to being accepting of the position. Something his teammates have recognized.

"He’s a guy who jumps off the film talent-wise, speed-wise," fellow safety Ryan Clark said. "What Rob has to do is show the jump as far as knowledge, dependability, durability. That’s how the game works. When you draft a guy, you want to see him play, so Rob has to show them that he belongs out there.”

Golden's play in OTAs is reflecting that acclimation, though he rightly remains cautious in his assessment of his abilities.

“I felt as a rookie that I played very well," Golden stated. We ran a lot of similar things at Arizona, just different terminology, so I was able to pick up the playbook very well. Now it’s just a matter of going out there and executing the plays and knowing what to do and be able to make plays.” - http://pit.scout.com/2/1295452.html

The real question is whether or not Robert is The Golden Child or merely pyrite. (I'll have many more of these throughout the year.)

Though the oldest starter on the defensive line, defensive end Brett Keisel was also the best. But with third-year DE Cameron Heyward chomping at the bit, his playing time might drop off, but his leadership ability won't.

Then there is the emergence of DE Al Woods whom the team gave him second-team reps at nose tackle. If this surprises you because you expected Hebron Fangupo or Alameda Ta'amu to be the backup to NT Steve McLendon. This leaves Fangupo and Ta'amu battling each other for the backup NT position, but also battling Woods.

As for Ziggy Hood, the Steelers are working with him on his technique. We wrote last offseason about Hood's inadequacies (http://tinyurl.com/mgbx2cy), now the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Mark Kaboly concedes that there are still times "when Hood resembles a rookie still trying to grasp the basics of transitioning to a 3-4 defensive end in the NFL." - http://tinyurl.com/kvu9mrl

There are definitely other plots and subplots that could be found around minicamp, such as Jarvis Jones' taking some first team snaps, Cortez Allen's transition to starter, William Gay getting snaps at safety (no surprise), LaRod Stephens-Howling bringing a change-up to the Steelers backfield and fullback Will Johnson making strides to to expand his worth.

But the main things to be taken from round two are the emphasis on competition, on not forgetting the sting of an 8-8 season and on coming together as a solid unit.

"Athletic" Offensive Line 'United' To Run Ball And Protect Ben Roethlisberger

by Jayden and Jason

"...Ben Roethlisberger...has only played 16 games one time in his entire nine year career. He's missed eight games in the last three years. It's hard to win without your franchise quarterback..." - ESPN's Teddy Bruschi

What Bruschi said in response to Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark's comments regarding his former quarterback is just what the coaches are thinking as well. This offseason, new offensive line coach Jack Bicknell, jr. said that the "foundation" of a successful team and season definitely begins with the offensive line, and, more pointedly, players "athletic enough and be able to move."

Those athletic players have two basic jobs: run the ball and, as Bruschi said, "protect the franchise." More on the latter in a moment.

Anymore, teams are getting away from the feature running back and moving more towards two and three-headed monsters who provide a certain level of output at the position. Having Jerome Bettis for almost a decade is great if you can get it, but even The Bus had an effective-if-not-powerful offensive line. And to get back to a powerful running game requires an "athletic" group with "unity" and an edge to their practices starting now.

"For sure,'' current left tackle Marcus Gilbert said. "I think that's what the coaches envision us having -- a highly drafted, athletic group of guys. I think the guys we have now, we're working toward good unity and everything will sort out itself."

Gilbert looks at present to be the man who will be the one to protect Big Ben's blind side. But as head coach Mike Tomlin points out, that isn't set in stone yet.

"One of the things that we learned through the trials of the 2012 season is that both of those young men are capable of playing both spots," [Mike] Tomlin said last month. "We will use the spring and the summer to sort out where we play those two at." - http://tinyurl.com/orc7scz

But what may ultimately be even more important is the quarterback and the protecting of the left side, which Gilbert said "is more important, the quarterback has to have trust in you."

It is a sentiment that Bruschi echoed when, continuing from earlier, he said that quarterbacks are "of the utmost importance and they need to stay alive, and stay healthy, and be there through the entire regular season, and the entire postseason."

Staying healthy throughout it all, though, starts with a healthy offensive line. A point which left guard Ramon Foster understands all too well.

“Just pray that everybody stays healthy,” he said, before adding: “We’ve got guys in our clip right now. Kelvin Beachum is ready. John Malecki played in games last year. Guy Whimper has played on a Super Bowl team. We’ve got some guys. We’ve got some guys who’ve got to mature really fast. If worse comes to worse, I believe guys will be ready.” - http://pit.scout.com/2/1293498.html

He does admit, however, that, considering that those five men need to be as close knit as possible, they are striving for that much-needed "chemistry."

“We’ve been tight this whole off-season. We’ve been here the entire time. I think our chemistry is there. It’s just about putting it on the field.”

There's no way to tell as of yet whether those words from the different linemen will translate onto the field, but this young and athletic group looks to be on its way to bringing back a forward-moving running back and an upright quarterback to the Steel City.

~

TIDBITS: Per Jim Wexell's Twitter (@jimwexell) account: "[Kelvin] Beachum working at Center and [Al] Woods working at NT (for 2nd year) only serves to expand versatility, not a slight of [John] Malecki and/or [Alameda] Ta'amu."

"More interesting is amount of practice time seen by undrafted rookie DE Brian Arnfelt." (Northwestern)

"@jimwexell: Cap expert @IanWhetstone says loss of [Max] Starks should equal 5th-round compensation. [Mike] Wallace whole 'nother deal."
(Brackets ours)

~

Steelers have best punter of last decade, Brian Moorman, on their roster and did not even have to use a 4th-round pick for him: http://t.co/I39X6pbB6t

Youth, Versatility Define Kelvin Beachum And Steelers Offensive Line

When Jack Bicknell, jr. was introduced as the Pittsburgh Steelers new offensive line coach back on January 29, 2013, one of the things all the pseudo-intellectual writers said was that the team was going to switch to a zone-blocking scheme. Well, two things about that: the Steelers have already been running behind some zone blocking the last few years, and they'd have to have the right personnel already in place to make a wholesale change.

Like Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin brought out regarding the subject when addressing members of the media at the NFL owner's meetings in mid March, the team will not commit itself to a philosophy it does not have the means to implement. He did point out, however, that the team will be looking into it throughout Training Camp and will look to use elements of it in their 2013 game plans.

That's to be expected since, top to bottom, the Steelers have very athletic offensive linemen, ones who have the ability to run this kind of scheme, despite not necessarily looking to run one scheme completely.

Once you get past potentially the youngest NFL starting five of Marcus Gilbert (as that seems to be the way the Steelers lean at left tackle), Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro and Mike Adams, your backups are Kelvin Beachum, John Malecki and new signee Guy Whimper. - http://www.steelers.com/team/depth-chart.html

Beachum should see most of his snaps on the right side at guard and tackle, which we'll explore deeper presently.

Malecki can play guard as well as center and would be third in line behind Pouncey and Doug Legursky if he were to come back.

The newly acquired revolving door known as Whimper, 30 years old in the 2013 season, provides depth behind Adams and Gilbert at tackle and, should he make the Steelers’ roster, could be the first lineman off of the bench. Whimper, however, is ideally a right tackle and would only likely get a look on the left side in a desperate situation.

He was signed instead of Max Starks, who remains unsigned. The reason Starks wasn't initially brought back last offseason was that he didn't want to be a backup, only to start. The same most likely occurred this offseason. The Steelers could conceivably bring him back, though, if injuries were to strike and he remains unsigned. - http://t.co/fuijAYpoWj

With respect to Dick Van Patten, eight is not enough, so behind them are a few players who have an outside shot at a roster spot, but more likely a practice squad designation. They will be listed in the TIDBITS section following the main body of the article.

However, the focus for the remainder of this will be on Beachum. There's a lot to like about Beachum. He's very smart and versatile enough to backup five spots. At 6'3", he's going to have to end up being above 300 lbs.(muscle weight), though, in order to do so on a regular basis.

But the coaches (should) know their personnel and will not ask them to stray too far from their own strengths, so don't expect Beachum to play the left side. He showed real promise last season on the right and they will be eager to see his progression.

Beachum is currently listed as the backup at two positions on the Steelers depth chart, he had experience in college at long snapper and believes he can backup the center position as well. But as was said earlier, he shows most promise on the right side as was evidenced last season against the Baltimore Ravens.

Beachum is decidedly better against the pass, but showed the ability to block the run also. He only gave up one sack against the Ravens, and that was in the fourth quarter. It was also one of the few instances when he showed his inexperience as he simply looked unaware of his protection assignment.

Otherwise, he more than held his own against Ravens linebackers Terrell Suggs and Paul Kruger in the Steelers 23-20 win. He played every offensive snap, only giving up the one sack. Not too shabby.



As an example, in the fourth quarter, he took on Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, allowing lead blocker Will Johnson to create a hole for running back Isaac Redman that resulted in a 24-yard gain.



At one point, Beachum turns Ngata just enough to allow space for Redman. He then forces Ngata backwards, and Redman is gone. (Photos courtesy of Andrea Hangst of Pro Football Focus)

If this truly is a sign of things to come, then Beachum could be a real integral part of the Steelers offensive line and team, and the offensive line itself could once again be a team strength.

(Addendum: Steelers depth chart has since changed and Bell nor, for some reason, Gilbert are any longer mentioned.)
~

TIDBITS: The men who have a chance to stick with the team:

Joe Madsen - Center, 6'4" 310 lbs. -
In four years at West Virginia, Madsen started 38 straight games, except for two bowl games for which he was academically ineligible. Three-year starter. Only 25 reps of the 225-pound bench press at the NFL Combine, so he needs to improve his strength, but he does have quick lateral movement. - http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1707200/joe-madsen

Mike Golic, jr. - G/C, 6'4", 300 lbs. -
Listed among the best undrafted players, National Football Post says of him, "he may be a long shot, but his competiveness and toughness will serve him well in camp." At the Steelers minicamp last week, Golic played right tackle.

The Notre Dame product has pedigree on his side as both his father, most recently of ESPN's Mike & Mike fame, and his uncle, Bob Golic, played in the NFL. Therefore, he knows first hand that there will be competition.

"Anywhere you go, there’s going to be competition," said Golic. - http://tinyurl.com/cygken9

Nik Embernate - Guard, 6'4" 300 lbs.
Embernate, as If It Ain't Steel informed its readers, payed a pre-draft visit to the Steelers. He was so impressed with the South Side that he is quoted as saying, "I love this place." He now wants to be the one to make an impression. - http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/3964040-74/embernate-steelers-diego#axzz2SmZMTABQ

There was another quote from him, though, that caught our attention. No manufactured ado needed, just read what he said about playing football.

“If I hear a quarterback call [a run] play in the huddle,” Embernate said, “I've already got in my mind that I'm going to take that dude and slam him into the dirt, and as he's trying to get up, just not let him get up. Try to inflict a lot of pain on him.

“That's what this game is all about — not to the aspect where you want to hurt somebody, but you're going to try to knock somebody out. You've got to play physical.”

I'm sold.

With Sanders In Place, There Are 7 Musts For Steelers In 2013

The Pittsburgh Steelers have retained the services of Emmanuel Sanders for at least one more season after matching the offer sheet he signed with the New England Patriots less than a week ago. The team will now have to make a move of some sort, a restructure or a release/re-sign as they are at approximately $740,000 under the Salary Cap now with Rule of 51 compliance.

As Manny said in the above tweet, that's the business side of it. Not all of it, though. As Sports Illustrated's Peter King said, "Steelers tried to steal him at low tender. When it failed, they still got a bargain--a starting deep threat for one year for 2.5m."

Really? The Steelers may have gotten "a bargain" to spend needed Salary Cap money to keep Manny, but a second-round tender would've paid him $2.02 million. So, it ends up costing a little less than a half-million more to secure their investment. Plus, while matching the tender does buy them some time, Manny could still leave after this season.

Manny's agent, Jordan Woy, told Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the Steelers are going to have to make Sanders a very lucrative offer if they’re going to lock him up for the long term before the start of the 2013 season.

“We are also open to him playing the year out. It would have to be a very good deal for us to sign a multi-year agreement,” Woy said. - http://tinyurl.com/csevgll

So, there are pros and cons to this: Manny has good upside, he's a very good route runner and blocker (this blog has referred to him in the past as "the future Hines Ward") and does have 4.4/40 (4.41 to be exact) speed. But if he leaves next offseason as an unrestricted free agent, the Steelers will have been left no compensation, and they could put the extra draft pick and Cap money to good use. So, to quote Glengarry Glen Ross, getting him to "sign on the line that is dotted" is paramount.

Now it's back to the gridiron itself and what the team must do to have some modicum of success in 2013. And while the latest version of the NFL Draft fast approaches, there are players already in place on the team that must take the next step forward in their maturation processes to help the Steelers return to respectability.

ANTONIO BROWN -
With wide receiver Antonio Brown and Sanders in place, they are both directly under the spotlight and the microscope. The remnants of Young Money is considered spare change by a few too many in Steeler Nation. The belief is that erstwhile Steelers wideout Mike Wallace was Daddy Warbucks and the other two are just Annie and Sandy.

Well, AB has been very vocal this offseason, speaking on how he wants to be a Steeler for life and that he feels he needs to step up and be a leader. Not all of what he's said has been well received, but all of it points to his meaning what he says. That being the case, it's time for him to put his money where his mouth is.

If It Ain't Steel is on record as saying that we believe the greater overall upside belongs to Brown, and that he has the better hands and is the better route runner. People like to point to Wallace's touchdowns as a reason for him being better. However, that is somewhat of an erroneous argument considering that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger often chose Wallace over AB despite him being open.

Columnist and Pro Football Focus contributor Andrea Hangst brilliantly made this clear in an article she wrote not long ago. In it she makes many of the same points that we did, but also provides examples along with photographic evidence. - http://tinyurl.com/c7bawqd

While both AB and Manny will have to step up, AB has been the vocal leader and must become the vocational leader also. In other words, time to talk and walk. As for Manny, and if he stays, he mainly just needs to live up to his jersey number.

CORTEZ ALLEN -
Though we thought it was a mistake not offering cornerback Keenan Lewis a contract, the Steelers brass obviously liked enough if what they saw in third-year man out of The Citadel, Cortez Allen.

What did they see? As a rookie, on October 30, 2011, he was responsible for shadowing New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. In doing so he limited Gronk to just seven ineffective receptions and no touchdowns in the Steelers 25-17 victory. In 15 games of an expanded role in 2012, Tez had 55 tackles, 10 passes defended and six forced turnovers.

But it was his three starts at the end of the season that raised the most eyebrows when all of those six forced turnover occurred. He himself had two interceptions and three forced fumbles, but he also tipped another pass that allowed fellow cornerback Josh Victorian to pick it off. For a team thirsting for turnovers, Tez was like a tall glass of sweet tea on a sweltering Mississippi summer day. Now the question is, can he do it for an entire season?

JONATHAN DWYER/ISAAC REDMAN/AHMAD BRADSHAW/? -
Fullback Will Johnson proved he could be a good pass receiver with the physicality to bull over would-be tacklers and the toughness to bully opposing defenders and rushers as a blocker. Baron Batch has untapped talent that manifests itself especially when catching passes out of the backfield.

Honestly, though, it comes down to who wants to step up and be the man and tote the rock 320 times a year. Roethlisberger is 40-12 when the Steelers rush for 4.5 or more yards per rush in a game. So the return to a healthy running game is importunate.

Dwyer has shown pop, power, ability and promise, but he also has been oft injured.

Redman has been "Redzone" and his power is unmistakeable (just ask the New York Giants), but he has also fumbled seven times in his last three seasons (three times against the Cleveland Browns).

Bradshaw, if that ends up being an option, has a laudable career 4.6 yard per carry average, but he also had multiple foot/ankle problems and is still healing from his most recent surgery.

And then there is that ultimate crowd favorite, Draft Pick, who could be college football's version of Rashaan Salaam or the NFL's version of Rashaan Salaam.

A three-headed monster can work, just ask the Giants and the Carolina Panthers, but not the way the Steelers did it last season and not without one head taking the lead.

JASON WORILDS -
We thought of saying LaMarr Woodley here, but being a has-been is better than a never-was. Worilds had 27 tackles and five sacks despite starting just three times. Yes, he saw action all season, but his snaps were still fewer than Woodley's...he just did more with them. The questions, though, are can he do it over 16 games and can he do it on the right side? Early outside linebacker draft pick or not, it starts with Worilds.

DAVID PAULSON -
With Heath Miller to be PUP listed while he recovers from his knee injury, the Steelers will need to replace his production.

Paulson is the best candidate to win that job. Matt Spaeth is a very good blocker and is good in the red zone, and David Johnson plays the hybrid H-Back role, but Paulson is the one who is more of a Heath clone and can make a real difference.

MARCUS GILBERT & MIKE ADAMS -
I don't care if you hold, trip, fishhook, bite, whatever...just keep my quarterback upright! ... I'm sorry, I had a flashback to actually watching a game.

Truth be told, the interior of the offensive line is set and is strong, it's the edge that is in a bit of flux and unproven. I'm of the mind that Adams should be on the left because he's played there for so long already - it's more natural for him.

Gilbert, though, has been lobbying for the blindside position. He has less experience at the position, but more experience in the league. However, both will be new to the zone-blocking system Jack Bicknell, jr. will be instituting, though the system isn't completely new to the Steelers on the whole.

Which will be better at the right or left? Nice Pick, Cowher does a surprisingly good job of breaking down the subject. - http://tinyurl.com/cbnrqeu

CAMERON HEYWARD -
Lastly, the 2011 first-round draft pick will see a lot more playing time in 2013 and could overtake Brett Keisel as the starter by as early as training camp or at least by some point during the season. Considering the Steelers Cap issues, a release and resign of Keisel, owed $2,825,000 while carrying a $4,500,000 Cap hit, to a veteran minimum so as to facilitate and promote the Heyward move may not be out of the question.

If those seven things come to fruition, the Steelers actually have a chance to land on their feet in 2013.

Big Questions Lie Ahead For Steelers Offense

There is a lot that could be and that has been written about what might be expected from the 2013 version of the Pittsburgh Steelers. From a few believing that the team will be galvanized into bouncing back, to some who expect a repeat of 2012's record, to those few believe (or who want to believe) this is the beginning of the end of an era. And there are reasons that could seemingly support all of these hypotheses.

As If It Ain't Steel discussed in a previous blog post (http://tinyurl.com/cmoxcls), today's NFL greatly favors the offense. And without a doubt, there are questions about the key areas of the Steelers offense. Remember, despite there being problems early in the season with the defense, the team still has a 6-3 winning record. It was when injuries to franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and other key offensive players were sustained that the season was effectively brought to an end.

Now, with the NFL Draft rapidly approaching, questions rise as to what the Steelers will do to fill the holes left by departed and released players. There are also questions surrounding existing players as well as coaches and the front office. Normally, an 8-8 record wouldn't cause such uncertainty, division and consternation, but the Steelers are a proud organization that is used to winning.

What, then, are the main issues facing the Steelers offense?

WILL BEN BE BIG AGAIN?
Contrary to the selective memories of most fans, offensive coordinator Todd Haley’s west coast-style offense not only kept Big Ben upright (he was only sacked 17 times through the first nine games) but also had people, including If It Ain't Steel, talking about him as a possible MVP candidate. Then he got injured, and the sacks and interceptions started to accumulate and the talk became whispers and then complete silence.

Can the man who went from Big Ben to Gentle Ben to college graduate to Ben, Sr., return to the Big Ben we all knew and gave both too much and not enough credit?

Make no mistake, Big Ben is the lynchpin and the offense revolves around his performance. And if there's any question as to whether that's so, we simply refer you to the Steelers' aforementioned post-injury slide. He simply IS the franchise right now and all involved need to remember that. - http://tinyurl.com/cnycn66

At the same time, though, like Velma in Chicago, he can't do it alone.

CAN AB BE THE NO. 1 GUY?
Two of the more talked aspects of the offense for the upcoming season are how Antonio Brown will perform without Mike Wallace, and how to replace Wallace's 64 receptions and eight touchdowns.

First off, there should be little concern from Big Ben that Brown will be able to handle the increased attention. In fact, Brown had 123 total targets in 2011, more than the 119 targets Wallace in 2012. Brown also caught a higher percentage of those targets (69 for 56.1%) than Wallace (64 for 53.8%).

Steelers former wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery even said of Brown, in a one-on-one interview with Bob Labriola back in June of 2012, that Brown's biggest flaw was just slowing down.

"For one, 84, or Antonio, as most people would know him as, sometimes you just have to work on him backing off a little bit," Montgomery said, "because he is a guy that wakes up at 6 am and starts working out, and doesn't stop working out until about 10 p.m."

Montgomery veritably gushed over the receiver in that interview and said something that most already suspected about the Central Michigan product.

"I don't doubt any day when Antonio Brown wakes up that he's not trying to be the best in the world," Montgomery also said. "When he wakes up, he is trying to be the number one player in the world...So what he needs to understand, is from a professional standpoint, professional development sometimes happens through rest."

Keep in mind also that Brown isn't afraid of the spotlight, the workload or the responsibility. This is the same man who set a Steelers record with 2,048 all-purpose yards in 2011, has been the Steelers MVP and has been more vocal recently about taking a bigger role as a leader on the team.

The speedy wideout, almost as fast as Wallace and definitely quicker, could still benefit from a next-level speedster on the other side of him. While If It Ain't Steel has highlighted several who could fill that role, the bigger issue to Brown's game being hindered is the absence of tight end Heath Miller.

Miller is that salve that provides a panacea to any breakdown or double coverage that ails the wide receivers. During the time that he'll be away and on the mend is when the effects will actually be seen.

Yet another way of looking at it, though, is that Brown could step into Wallace's shoes as the one drawing the double coverages.

If Emmanuel Sanders does stay (the New England Patriots have until April 19th to formally make an offer to him), the Steelers are better off. Sanders is a very good blocking wide receiver who runs very precise routes. He's mainly a slot man, but is even actually a hair faster than Brown. His emergence would be a serious boon to the offense and it could benefit players like Plaxico Burress and/or Jerricho Cotchery.

Then there is the probability of adding a rookie wideout to that mix to spread secondaries thinner still. Even with Wallace gone, however, Brown, Sanders and Miller provide Big Ben with his share of big-play options. The running game, however, needs to improve. So...



CAN AB BE THE NO. 1 GUY?
No, that's neither a typo nor déjà vu. This "AB" is Ahmad Bradshaw. There's no question that the Steelers running game needs a leader, a true No. 1 back, and Bradshaw could be that back. - http://tinyurl.com/bv65mjp

Bradshaw is a good cutback and backside runner, is a good receiver out of the backfield, is a good blocker and runs with a full head of steam that has earned him a career 4.6 yards per carry. He was also listed as the top free agent running back this offseason by Pro Football Focus. - http://tinyurl.com/cthx8mv

Bradshaw met with the Steelers Thursday, but left without a contract offer. Not because the Steelers aren’t interested, but because Bradshaw’s foot is still recovering from surgery (with the walking boot clearly seen in the photo above). Even the PFF link pointed out that anyone wanting to sign him would have to consider his feet issues and "weigh that against the probability that he might miss an extended period of time with his recurring issues."

The question here, then, is whether or not the Steelers feel there is someone in the draft worth taking instead. Also, are they weighing "proven vs. unproven" and are willing to wait to work him out in a few weeks? Their Salary Cap numbers aren't exactly friendly at present, but will open up more as of June 1st - approximately $2.5 million now and just under $8 million in two months.

Also, the Steelers still have Sanders, Isaac Redman and nose tackle Steve McLendon to sign. We'll keep an eye on this, therefore, because the Steelers could bring Bradshaw back closer to Training Camp, once he is able to work out.

Will This Be A Less Offensive Line?
The Steelers' offensive line has two first and second-round picks each in its lineup: Marcus Gilbert, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro and Mike Adams. Can Gilbert protect Big Ben's blind side, or will he stay at right tackle and allow Adams to take the left tackle position? We're on record as saying that Gilbert and new left guard Ramon Foster work well together, especially in the run game. So, the probability exists that Gilbert, who has clamored for the opportunity to man the left side, could be moved.

With the move to more of a zone-blocking scheme involving everyone, including wide receivers, runners and even your quarterback on occasion, the need for these men to be nimble is essential. Thus their allowing Max Starks to walk. That means this very young unit has to gel and mature quickly. An OLine doesn't necessarily require all-stars across the line, just a cohesive unit working in unison. Considering this unit is potentially the youngest in the NFL next season, they have time to grow together.

Let's just hope Big Ben has as much time.

Those are the main questions currently needing to be answered. They're the basis of what to look forward to at the end of April and into next season. Their receiving a response in the affirmative, or any answer in a couple of cases, means there could be fewer unanswered questions this time next year.

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TIDBITS: The dates of the Steelers’ OTAs are: May 21-23, May 28-30, June 3-6. The Steelers will hold their minicamp on June 11-13. Complete offseason schedule is here: http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Offseason-Program-sked-announced/8d651060-6974-41eb-959d-48a53a285f6e

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Troy Polamalu believes the players should have a say in rules changes: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/29/polamalu-says-players-should-have-a-vote-in-rule-changes/

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On Sirius XM, Will Allen threw the Steelers offense under the bus after he left for the Dallas Cowboys, saying that the unit was unsure and looking toward free agency. He alluded to the possibility of it aiding in the Steelers offense sputtering late in the season.