Steelers Look To Discover First Victory In London

1968.

That was the last time the Pittsburgh Steelers started a season 0-4. The coach at the time was Bill Austin, and their final record that year (2-11-1) was Austin's final record as he is a historical footnote as being the last head coach fired by the Rooneys. He paved the way for a certain Hall of Fame head coach you may remember.

The 2013 version of the Steelers looks to avoid any such record starting Sunday in London as Big Ben look to meet Big Ben. As they do so, they will do something different this week as they prepare for the game - the cable television network The Discovery Channel will follow them around and film them this week.

Appropriate considering their looking to discover their first victory.

The franchise that hasn’t had a player to run for more than 56 yards in the last nine games hopes that new surroundings will help get them untracked. 

“Maybe it’s just the change we need,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said on 93.7 The Fan. “There are genuine football and Steelers fans over there. To me, it was a great experience to go over there and bring that back to the guys and say, ‘It’s more than just a money thing for the NFL. We actually have a lot of fans over there.’ Which is crazy. It is neat that we’re going to go over there and show these fans what Steeler football is all about.”

Let's hope he is right and that the team can build on what the offense accomplished against the Bears. While still not rushing for 100 yards, Felix Jones found several holes early en route to a 4.9 yards per carry average. Then Jonathan Dwyer incurred the wrath of PETA when he finished of a 25-yard run by bulldozing one of the Bears.

More impressive was the play of wide receiver Antonio Brown who had career highs of nine receptions (tie) and 196 yards with two touchdowns. His one-hand catch-and-score topped ESPN's Top Ten plays for week three. 

AB has really taken the leader's role among the wide receivers. He is the unquestioned No. 1 guy in the Steel City and says he is ready to handle the extra attention from opposing defenses.

He's walking the talk: 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. The kind of production even his current rivals expected.

In the offseason, Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh told CBS that the Ravens "thought the world" of Brown in the 2010 NFL Draft and were "going through the process of getting to know him."

While AB is a legitimate threat, he needs help to bring the offense up. Not just from Emmanuel Sanders and the rest of the receiving corps, but from Heath Miller and the running game as well. 

Per ESPN Stats and Information, no player had more targets (14) and touchdowns (7) inside the 10-yard line in 2012 than Heath Miller. To say that Miller's presence has been missed is an understatement. 

But just as important may be the running game and the debut of Le'Veon Bell. 

“I won’t dress him to stand on the sideline next to me,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said during his weekly appearance on Sirius/XM.

The question, though, concerns how effective Bell will be. If It Ain't Steel has said from jump that he wouldn't be ready until after the bye, now ESPN's Merril Hoge has eschewed the notion that Bell will be overly effective right away. 

“It’s very tough to do that,” Hoge said. “I’ve seen very few players who can come in and not miss too much after being out a long time....That’s very hard for a lot of athletes. In training camp, you get into a groove and a certain role and certain rhythm, it’s very difficult to quit all that and then try to play (later) at the same speed everyone else is playing." 

Considering the running game and the success of the offense in general requires a working offensive line, Tomlin stated in his weekly press conference that he will continue to look at the three-man combination at offensive tackle. More importantly, he met with guard Ramon Foster about leading the OLine. - http://tinyurl.com/k2xuy9q

Tomlin said that there was "confusion" from an assignment standpoint against Chicago. There was also a confusion from tackling, or lack thereof, standpoint. That can't happen against the Vikings considering they will bring a similar team to London. 

But, there is one thing in particular that can alleviate confusion.

"Frustration doesn't solve the issues, work does....We're going to roll our sleeves up and keep our mouths shut."

Good. Because no one wants history to repeat itself.

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TIDBITS: The Steelers requested waivers on guard Justin Cheadle from the Reserve/Injured list. Cheadle was waived injured in August.

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 NFL fines Steelers' Brown after Bears game - http://t.co/q2MxM8Qy88 

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DNP: Keisel (hamstring)
FULL: Allen (ankle), Bell (foot) and McLendon (hamstring)

Steelers Sign Center, Bring Back Dwyer - Is It Enough?

The news came through early Monday morning from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette. His simple tweet read, "#Steelers will re-sign RB Jonathan Dwyer." A move expected by many. A move that was to be followed by two more later on in the day. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers also brought in veteran kicker Shayne Graham to kick in place of Shaun Suisham who suffered a hamstring injury before the game and possibly hurt his toe with a misstep (resultant of the hamstring?) on the opening kickoff Sunday. Sushi is out 2-3 weeks. 

The move, though, that is of greatest interest deal with their offensive line. Veteran center/guard Fernando Velasco was signed to replace center Maurkice Pouncey who was placed on IR along with linebacker Larry Foote and running back LaRod Stephens-Howling. 

Velasco agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Steelers. He started 16 games last season for the Tennessee Titans, and graded out as the 11th ranked center last year by Pro Football Focus. A solid player who is likely going to step right in and be the Steelers starting center if he can make the calls. Definitely a solid move for the Steelers. 

Steel City Insider's Jim Wexell tweeted that he "watched new Steelers OL Fernando Velasco this preseason and (was) surprised he was available. Strong, some mobility. Quality pick-up."

Good. Because this team needs help on the offensive line, especially in pass blocking. The prime years of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger could be wasted if matters aren't rectified quickly. The signing of Velasco aids that.

As for the OLine woes in general, this is a problem that has been going in for years now. Yes, this is a young line that is still gelling as a unit, but their learning curve must be shortened greatly if the season, and Big Ben's career, can be salvaged. 

Big Ben actually looked good at timed, despite five sacks. Like Bouchette said in a column on Monday, though, it isn't a trend the team needs to see develop.

"That absolutely cannot continue. If they have to chuck the whole zone blocking scheme and re-sign Max Starks, something’s got to be done before this thing really goes into the dumpster." - http://tinyurl.com/no24t9t

The Steelers offensive line woes in the last few years have become almost as legendary as the offensive line dominance that the team had since Ray Mansfield anchored the "big uglies." 

For decades the Steelers OLine punished defensive lines opening holes for the likes of Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier, Barry Foster and Jerome Bettis. Even during the years of lesser known running backs like Ernest Jackson, Walter Abercrombie, Frank Pollard, Merril Hoge and something called a Rich Erenberg, there was room to run. And run they did- the Steelers still lead the NFL in rushing yards gained since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger.

Those Steelers lines also provided time for the quarterbacks to throw the ball. They threw it proficiently, even dynamically. Simply put, the Steelers OLine was stout for the better part of 35 years.

Lately, though, the line is less Achilles and more achilles heel. Yes, the Steelers did go to three Super Bowls in six years, winning two of them. But it could be argued that the OLines that went to and won those Super Bowls were the worst to ever do so. It seems they have done just enough, along with having a tough-as-nails quarterback to absorb some of the blows, to consistently win.

To repeat Bouchette, "that absolutely cannot continue."

The only lanes the running backs see opened up to them on a regular basis are those they see when the team plane touches down in opposing team's cities. For Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall to be 1,000-yard rushers behind those OLines was nothing short of amazing.

The Steelers mentality under GM Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin has seemingly been to simply develop lower-round offensive linemen, yet not to go after bigger names in the NFL Draft. Granted, that changed recently with the drafting of four OLinemen in the first or second rounds in the last three NFL Drafts. But, is it too little, too late for Big Ben? If so, might that signify being the same for those in charge of the draft also?

At a post-draft press conference in 2008, a question was posed to Colbert and Tomlin regarding the Steelers issues on the offensive line. Tomlin provided a seemingly acceptable answer by saying that 'one way to aid the passing game and the getting of the ball out of the quarterback's hand quicker is to provide him multiple targets', or words to that effect. 

Ok, that seemed fair enough at the time - a team does need to be versatile and even explosive. But, what have those weapons reaped recently? 

As Terry Silver told Danny LaRusso in The Karate Kid III, "A man can't stand, he can't fight." Well, if Ben can't stay upright, he can't fight to get his receivers the ball. It isn't just Big Ben, either. 

There are few holes through which the running backs can even run. And when there are no holes, when the pocket breaks down before it even forms, when there is immediate penetration from the defense, the weapons simply don't matter. 

The aforementioned Steelers running back and current ESPN analyst Merril Hoge, when speaking of the 2011 Steelers-Colts Sunday Night Football game, said, "Penetration is the number-one killer of a running game: it neutralizes the point of attack, it deters your instincts as a runner, it dictates where you're going to go and it destroys you as a runner." 

Few running backs can thrive in that environment. It has also affected Big Ben. Look at Tom Brady Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. He had clean pockets all day. They scored 24 points. Aaron Rodgers? Under some duress, but it was manageable. They lost, but scored 28 points. Peyton Manning? Yeah... 

At the risk of going to the well once too often, "that absolutely cannot continue."

Will Le'Veon Be The Bell Cow For Steelers?

With the 48th pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select...well, let's allow Merril Hoge to announce it: http://tinyurl.com/ctjnvja

Le'Veon Bell, the 6'1", 230-pound running back, is likely to be the bell cow for the Steelers to start the 2013 season (and f he isn't, it'll be another wasted second-round draft pick). As Mike Griffith of the Lansing State Journal wrote, at 6'1" and 230 lbs., Bell isn't actually a 'power back,' but "has great vision [and] lateral cutting ability." A style that works well with a zone-blocking system.

That vision and cutting ability were points, as seen and heard in the video link posted above, that were addressed by Mike Mayock as the pick was made.

"My concern with him was I thought he ran more east and west than a 244-pound back should,'' NFL.com analyst Mike Mayock said referring to Bell's being heavier in college, but losing weight by his Pro Day to be faster. "However, that's easily correctable. He's got really good feet for a big back, and he fits exactly what the Pittsburgh Steelers are. So, once he gets those shoulders turned and comes downhill, he's a bear, and it's a great fit."

According to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers agree.

"Le'Veon is a guy for all situations,'' said Tomlin. "He ran for 1,700 yards, but he has really soft hands and the way they utilized him in the passing game was really impressive. He's got both youth and experience, but he's still only 21-years old....We're really excited about acquiring Le'Veon."

Offensive coordinator Todd Haley said some telling things about why Bell was chosen over Eddie Lacy, the running back most expected to come off of the board first. Aside from pointing out that they think Bell is "a big back, number one, a three-down back - which is a big thing for us," Haley also talked about his pass-catching ability and maturity. - http://tinyurl.com/cqzufhp

Haley said that 'he's a young kid who doesn't have a lot of tread on his tires'. Not true. With the fact being that he had 749 touches, 671 rushes, in three years at Michigan State, the opposite is true. But, as Tomlin stated, he had over 1,700 rushing yards (1,793 to be exact) and averaged 4.7 yards per carry, including 5.0 YPC for his career.

He's simply a football player. A physical, yet elusive presence who should fit in well with the Steelers. Not that Lacy isn't a baller, but he ran behind an offensive line that was essentially NFL-lite, routinely opening gaping holes for him. Bell? Well, let's just say that Michigan State's OLine was more akin to the Steelers' of late.

One reason the Steelers passed on Eddie Lacy, per Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette, is a toe injury. He said that "one team source said the Steelers would not touch Lacy because his big toe had been fused." But, as Bouchette further said, there was another reason for the Steelers, as well as other 30 other teams, to bypass him.

"There has been concern about injuries to Lacy’s hamstring and what has been reported as turf toe, but nothing’s been reported about a fusion. Either way, teams did stay away from Lacy – considered by many the best talent at halfback in the draft -- until Green Bay made him the fourth back drafted with the 29th pick in the second round."

Speaking of the OLine also, however, according to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in an interview he did on 93.7 The Fan the week before the NFL Draft, the Big Uglies should be a prettier sight next season.

After calling them "young, athletic and talented," Big Ben offered that "if they stay healthy, they could be, you know, something that could really carry us through the season."

A 21-year old running back and an OLine that could be the youngest in the NFL getting endorsement from your star quarterback? To paraphrase Bogie, it sounds like the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

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TIDBITS: According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, former Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Winston Justice met with the Steelers Tuesday. Justice is a good player who is entering his eighth year in the league, and the Steelers could use additional offensive line depth there.

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The Steelers tried to trade running back Jonathan Dwyer over the draft weekend after signing former Arizona Cardinals halfback LaRod Stephens-Howling. LSH (as we will be referring to him) was signed to a one-year qualifying contract for $715,000, with a $65,000 signing bonus.

Per the NFL's new CBA, a "qualifying contract," is one in which a player is paid in cash at the minimum level but their Salary Cap charge is only that of a player with two years of experience (thus LSH's Cap charge only being approximately $625,000). The contract must be "no longer than one season, contain the minimum salary, a guarantee not to exceed the minimum salary of a player with 2 years experience, and additional bonus money not to exceed $65,000, a number that rises by $15,000 every three years with the next raise coming in 2015," in order to qualify.

The Steelers Running Back Situation: An Unknown Commodity

Before the 1987-1988 college basketball season of the now defunct PCAA conference, the various teams' coaches all met for their annual preseason meeting. Each coach spoke of his team's needs and flaws, Jerry Tarkanian, legendary coach of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels, inclusive.

Tark, as he was affectionately known, matter-of-factly said of his team that he didn't know what he was going to do because he had too many players. There were light chuckles and an audible, "I'd love to have that problem" that could be heard around the room. That's because the other coaches heard, "embarrassment of riches", but what Tark meant was "unknown commodities."

The Pittsburgh Steelers could possibly go into the 2012 Training Camp with as many as eight running backs: Rashard Mendenhall (though he certainly will start Camp on the Active physically unable to perform, or PUP, list and presumably the season on the Reserve PUP list), Isaac Redman, Jonathan Dwyer, John Clay, Baron Batch and maybe unrestricted free agent Mewelde Moore, end-of-the-season 53-man roster addition Chad Spann and end-of-the-season practice squad addition Albert Young.

Embarrassment of riches or unknown commodities?

The question is valid and worth exploring because of Mendenhall's injury that occurred in the final game and landed him on injured reserve. How the Steelers choose to handle the injury will be interesting to follow, as will be the affect of his loss to the Steelers' immediate future.

Let's look at what will greet Mendenhall when he arrives in Latrobe in July. As I stated earlier, Mendenhall will begin camp, providing he's sufficiently healed, on the Active PUP list. As he runs his laps and such he'll presumably not be ready at the start of the season and would, therefore, be put on the Reserve PUP list.

The Steelers would then have to shelve Mendenhall for the first six weeks of the season, meaning he wouldn't be available for any form of organized team practice until week seven. At that point the Steelers would have three weeks to decide what they need to do with him: to add him to the active roster, IR him again or cut him if healthy. Then, if he's deemed ready and is to be added to the roster, they'd have three more weeks to figure out his roster situation and who'll be released to make room for him. That's a possible 13 weeks where we wouldn't see Mendenhall on the football field. Who, then, will we see on the football field?

Conventional wisdom is that Isaac "Redzone" Redman, No. 33 in your program, is the new starter. Redman is Mendenhall's backup and did get the start in the playoff game against the Denver Broncos. He ran well and ran hard, matriculating his way to 121 yards on 17 carries.

There you have it. Article finished. Redzone Redman is the man. Goodnight, Steeler Nation.

Oh, wait...there are still the questions of whether Redman is a full-time starting NFL running back, how would the Mendenhall situation be resolved, what we do and do not know about the backups and whether the Steelers will draft, or look to free agency for, a running back for depth. *sigh* Ok, let's go over all of this. (Who am I kidding? I love this stuff!)

Mendenhall receives a lot of criticism for not hitting holes hard enough or quickly enough at times. Ok, fair criticism. He has often looked as if he was auditioning for "So You Think You Can Dance." It is understandable, though. He's been running behind an offensive line which simply didn't open many holes at all. He repeatedly had to deal with penetration into the backfield that stuffed the play before it could begin.

Regarding this, Merril Hoge once called Mendenhall "extremely powerful and gifted", and said of him and the Steelers offensive line (as was first reported in an earlier blog post http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2011/09/offensive-line-may-be-fault-of-tomlin.html  ), "Penetration is the number one killer of a running game: it neutralizes the point of attack, it deters your instincts as a runner, it dictates where you're going to go and it destroys you as a runner."

Your typical fan can't understand this, though. Seemingly, when the quarterback gets hit or sacked, it's the Line's fault, but when the running back isn't running well, it's the running back's fault. Never mind that he ran for over 3,300 yards in 43 starts between 2009-2011, averaging a hair under 4.2 yards per carry and scoring 29 touchdowns. Despite this, the calls for Isaac Redman to become the team's starter could be heard long before Mendenhall's career threatening injury in Cleveland last year.

While Mendenhall is expected to return, his game could be changed to the point where he wouldn't be as dynamic a runner anymore. Mendenhall is powerful, fast (4.45 speed), fairly durable, stop-on-a-dime quick, and, again, dynamic. He's the type of runner who will assuredly be affected by this injury.

Redman may be able to provide tough yards running through the middle and breaking tackles, but he lacks the explosion Mendy has. Neither does he have the change of direction Mendy has that allows him to turn nothing into something, nor does he break outside as well.

That would then affect the effectiveness of passes out of the backfield on a designed play or when the quarterback checks down. That might be where other running backs possibly secure a roster spot.

Being able to be versatile, or, as head coach Mike Tomlin puts it, "position flexible" comes into play here as well. It's more than just running the ball. Backs need to be able to catch the ball, pick up blitzes and block (Jonathan Dwyer, I'm looking at you).

Mewelde Moore, who is an unrestricted free agent, is just such a back, a very competent back. Numbers don't tell the story - in his eight NFL seasons he's never had more than 662 yards, no more than 588 with the Steelers. Moore's value has always been as a third down back who was a reliable receiver out of the backfield running back. Though his intangibles may outweigh his tangibles at this point in his career, they just may be needed for one more year.

If all of what has been written here is accurate, instituting a running back-by-committee system might be considered as a viable option. The different backs bring different things to the table. It is that, though, which may cause the pendulum to swing back toward the "unknown commodity" side.

What do we really know about Baron Batch? Is John Clay the bruising, short-yardage back we need? Could Chad Spann become our version of Warrick Dunn or Darren Sproles? Will Jonathan Dwyer finally put down the Krispy Kremes and take his conditioning seriously? Do the Steelers look to the draft to aid this and select a running back (named Isaiah Pead)? Do they trade for Ben Tate as Blech Report, oops...sorry, Bleacher Report (whose motto is, "We occasionally post articles in English") suggested? These are all questions that, if receiving a negative answer, could take a potential embarrassment of riches to a simple embarrassment.

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Here are some scouting reports of running backs who have been and who may again be on the Steelers sideline next season:

BARON BATCH:
Quick, elusive ball carrier who projects as a third-down back in the NFL. Runs low to the ground, gets lost behind blockers, and will pick and choose his spots on the inside. Squeezes through small openings of the defense, shows a burst, and has the ability to quickly cut back against the grain. Makes defenders miss and creates yardage. Terrific receiver out of the backfield who nicely adjusts to the errant throw and extends to make catches away from his frame. --http://www.draftinsider.net/

JONATHAN DWYER:
Dwyer...is a big, bruising back who's far more agile than his size would indicate. He can get small when he needs to so he can get through a crease, and, because of the offense he works in, he does an excellent job at being patient and setting up his blocks.  He runs with a nice forward lean and has a good burst. Now on the downside,...he's good at working through arm tackles but doesn't battle like you'd think a player his size would. He also hasn't been featured as a wide out, and doesn't do a lot of juking and jiving in the open field.... Being successful out of a traditional offense is well within his skill set....His weight could be an issue. Dwyer has a ton of upside, and he's one of those guys that slips a little in the draft, gets on a team that knows how to use him, and has a long productive career. He gets chunks of yards, scores a lot of touchdowns, and...does everything you want out of a running back and does it well. -- Curt Popejoy of Draft Board Insider - http://draftboardinsider.com/cgi-bin/prospect.cgi?id=517

JOHN CLAY:
The University of Wisconsin's John Clay is a strong, powerful runner who can either run guys over or make a quick cutback to run downfield. When Clay has the ball, everybody knows it. He looks like a linebacker who just got hold of an interception when he runs....Clay doesn't have a lot of film catching the ball out of the backfield or doing much pass protection. He is sometimes not even on the field on third-down or in other obvious passing situations. These sorts of things can be coached to him of course, but no team would ever consider using a running back as an every-down player if he didn't have these skills. This limits his immediate impact greatly.

Clay will likely need to lose some weight and try to improve his speed at the next level. He's a tough runner at 248, he can be a tough runner at 232. He lacks a second gear and rarely initiates contact to fight for extra yards. -- Matt De Lima - http://www.fftoolbox.com/nfl_draft/profile_display.cfm?prospect_id=2814


CHAD SPANN:
Spann could be described best as a rolling ball of dynamite in a small package. However, don't be fooled by his height, because the Northern Illinois running back packs a powerful lower body to run through contact. -- http://www.draftnasty.com/football/scouting-reports/mac/chad-spann/

Chad Spann was originally signed to the Steelers practice squad on the 12th of December after he spent time with the Colts and the Buccaneers. He was undrafted in 2011. He's 5'8", 201 lbs and played four seasons at Northern Illinois University where he amassed 2,916 rushing yards on 536 carries with 48 touchdowns.

ALBERT YOUNG:
Young was a three-year letterman at Iowa. He finished his career with 3,173 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns, only the third player in school history with 3,000-plus yards on the ground. Career rushing totals include 660 attempts for 3,173 yards and 23 touchdowns . . . ranks third in career rushing yards and is just third Iowa player to surpass 3,000 yards . . . collected 79 career pass receptions for 705 yards and two touchdowns. -- http://www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/young_albert00.html

Running back Albert Young is from last season's practice squad. Young spent one season with the Jacksonville Jaguars and three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings after signing as a rookie free agent in 2008. He has played in 10 career games, gaining 82 yards on 25 carries. He suffered a season-ending knee injury after playing in three games in 2010.

The Offensive Line Woes May be the Fault of Colbert and Tomlin

The setting was a post-draft press conference in 2008, similar to the one shown in the picture above. The question that was posed to Colbert and Tomlin was regarding the Steelers issues on the offensive line. Tomlin provided a seemingly acceptable answer by saying that 'one way to aid the passing game and the getting of the ball out of the quarterback's hand quicker is to provide him multiple targets', or words to that effect. Ok, fair enough. A team does need to be versatile and even explosive. But is that all he and Colbert are looking to do? To their credit, they did draft Pouncey in the first round last year, but this was the exception rather than the rule.

The Steelers offensive line woes in the last few years have become almost as legendary as the offensive line dominance that the team had for...well, a little bit longer. For decades the Steelers OLine punished defensive lines opening holes for the likes of Franco Harris, Rocky Bleier, Barry Foster and Jerome Bettis. Even during the years of lesser known running backs like Ernest Jackson, Walter Abercrombie, Frank Pollard, Rich Erenberg and Merril Hoge, there was room to run and the Steelers were generally among the tops in the NFL in rushing.

Those Steelers lines also provided time for the quarterbacks to throw the ball. They threw it proficiently, even dynamically. Everyone knows about the most popular name in this group of quarterbacks, 4-time Super Bowl winner Terry Bradshaw, but even those who succeeded him rarely had to run for their lives. Simply put, the Steelers OLine was stout for the better part of 35 years.

Lately, though, the line is less Achilles and more achilles heel. Yes, the Steelers have been to three Super Bowls in six years and have won two of them. But it could be argued that the OLines that went to and won those Super Bowls were the worst to ever do so. It seems they have done just enough, along with having a tough-as-nails quarterback to absorb some of the blows, to consistently win.

The running backs during this most recent era have been nothing short of spectacular considering that the only lanes they have seen opened up to them on a regular basis have been those they see when the team plane touches down in opposing team's cities. To be able to do what Willie Parker, aka Fast Willie Parker, and Rashard Mendenhall respectively were able to do behind the OLines that the Steelers have had since approximately 2006 is nothing short of amazing. Willie Parker was an injury in the 2007 week 16 Rams game away from a potential rushing title. He had nearly 1,500 yards the year before. Rashard Mendenhall had over 1,100 yards in only 12 starts in 2009, and almost 1,275 yards and 13 touchdowns last year.

The Steelers mentality under Tomlin and Colbert has seemingly been to simply develop the offensive linemen and not to go after bigger names in the NFL Draft. Granted, being that the Steelers have been as successful as they have been, they have been at or near the bottom of the draft rounds, so they would have to trade up to get a high end lineman such as a tackle. And while they have traded up in the recent past, they've only done it for specialty/position players.

This year it seems the lack of quality players on the OLine, and the injuries accompanying them, is beginning to truly manifest itself. There are few holes through which Mendenhall can even run. The aforementioned Merril Hoge, now an ESPN analyst, when speaking of the Steelers-Colts Sunday Night Football game, said, "Penetration is the number one killer of a running game: it neutralizes the point of attack, it deters your instincts as a runner, it dictates where you're going to go and it destroys you as a runner." He also called Mendenhall "extremely powerful and gifted." But the OLine was simply overmatched. Too often that is the case. It has affected Roethlisberger too as he is very obviously playing timid. The Steelers are bottom dwellers in rushing in the NFL and are turning the ball over at an alarming rate. This could easily lead to another post-Super Bowl malaise. Or, worse yet considering the hits Roethlisberger has already taken, the loss of our quarterback for the season.

True to his word, Tomlin, along with Colbert, has gone out and gotten playmakers for his franchise quarterback. But, since that same quarterback often has very little time to let a play develop, the advantages provided by those playmakers are being negated. A problem that could have been affected for the positive over the years by paying more attention in the draft. But they seem to be content to with developing B-list linemen to fit their needs and schemes. In a similar vein, Cowher didn't believe in drafting a franchise quarterback for years but to rather develop QBs and build the defense and run game instead. It worked for him too...until the most important games, that is, when a franchise QB might have been the difference. Could the Steelers be looking at a similar situation here? I, for one, hope not. Let's hope Tomlin and Colbert see the trend and look to change it this next offseason, whether or not they're picking in the middle of the first round or at at the end of it.