Steeler Problems Go Above the Field

For years, Pittsburgh was considered top 10 among the "drunkest" cities in America. In the 2013 list, the Steel City doesn't even make an appearance in the top 25.

No worries. If the Pittsburgh Steelers keep up their current level of play, Pittsburghers will have their city pushing back to the top. In fact, considering the scattering of the Steeler fan base, a few other cities might make a push as well.

Everyone wants to know, "What's wrong with Pittsburgh?" The short answer is:  A lot.

Make no mistake that the Steelers are spiraling towards the Teddy Bridgewater/Jadeveon Clowney Sweepstakes. Why has this franchise, a portrait of stability and excellence for the majority of the time since 1972, suddenly looking like more like the '76 Buccaneers? (Minus the pumpkin jerseys of course).

Of all the reasons for this unprecedented turn of events, there are a lot of "not onlys" to be identified:  Todd Haley, Big Ben, injuries, running backs (i.e. lack thereof), and no James Harrison, to name a few.

A lot of these "not onlys" lead back to a source well above the football field:  The Pittsburgh Steelers' front office. The lack of direction, mismanagement of free agency, and less-than-mediocre drafts are at the heart of the Steeler decline, and that's a management problem.

Perhaps President Art Rooney II and GM Kevin Colbert have a plan. It sure would be nice if they would explain that plan to the rest of us.

The Steelers replaced Ben Roethlisberger's "BFF", Bruce Arians, with Todd Haley as offensive coordinator. Other than riding the Kurt Warner/Larry Fitzgerald wave into Super Bowl XVIII, Haley has done nothing to earn that position in a storied franchise. Head Coach Mike Tomlin didn't want him, Ben Roethlisberger didn't want him, and they apparently were not asked.

The Chicago Bears, on the other hand, brought Jay Cutler in to interview head coaches to replace Lovie Smith. One would think that a franchise QB who is much more decorated than Cutler might deserve to be a part of the conversation on who his coordinator will be.

Then there is Kevin Colbert and the draft. He has hit a lot of home runs, but his strikeouts are starting to mount.

There is no point in discussing free agency because the Steelers are non-existent in the market. They are constantly up against the salary cap because they tend to reward as many players as possible with long-term deals. That kind of loyalty to veterans means that they have to strike gold in the draft, and they're not even close.

Take a look at five years ago. NONE of the seven draft picks from 2008 are still on the team; and only Rashard Mendenhall truly earned a job as a starter.

Of the Steelers' last 51 draft picks, only 21 remain on the roster in any capacity. It could be argued that only five of those players have contributed significantly, and those would be the only players that might be coveted by any other NFL teams. The rest of the league is more than happy to let the Steelers keep the scraps.

I have no idea how those numbers compare to other teams, but that doesn't really matter. The Steelers inactivity in free agency means that they have to succeed in the draft, and they just are not making impact picks to replace the players that they have lost due to age and/or salary.

Take the curious case of James Harrison, who looks completely lost as the newest member of the Cincinnati Bengals' 4-3 defense. He refused to take a pay cut and allegedly took less money to go to a division rival. As usual, Colbert had the "answer" in the form of two OLBs and two defensive ends that would help pressure the quarterback.

Instead of Harrison's 64 career sacks, the Steelers now have Jason Worilds, Jarvis Jones, Cameron Heyward, and Ziggy Hood to press the pocket. All are 1st or 2nd round picks. They have a collective career sack total of 10.5.

And in 2013, without Harrison? They have combined for exactly zero sacks. As in none, never, not at all. (Okay, Jones is a rookie, but still...)

Then there is the fact that Colbert let CB Keenan Lewis sign with New Orleans for a Happy Meal and a bus pass. Take this with the fact that the he has not drafted a defensive back higher than round 3 since 2005 and you have a drastic lack of turnovers from the secondary.

He also drafted two offensive tackles in the second round that look incapable of even managing the job, much less thriving in it. Haley's bland style of offense requires tackles that can handle a defender 1-on-1, and neither Mike Adams nor Marcus Gilbert have offered much hope that they can do that.

And that's the other problem with Colbert's strategy. There is no depth on the roster anywhere and no one to push the mediocre starters that he has acquired.

The Steelers can hire or fire or blame any number of people for their 2013 demise, and there is plenty of blame to go around. The organization seems to endure a crisis every few years until they create some cap room and make some bold draft moves. But there are a lot of questions right now about the ability of Colbert and the front office to get this done.

If they hope to rebuild, the Steelers might have to get rid of the guys in suits instead of the guys on the sidelines.

Steelers' Organization Has Some Growing Up to Do

It’s hard to say that a team with the pedigree of the Pittsburgh Steelers needs to become more “mature” in its approach.  They are inarguably the most successful NFL franchise since the NFL merger.

Their history prior to 1970 is not good; but it is, nonetheless, history.  The Rooney family is legendary.  You have to dress up to go to church in Pittsburgh—unless, of course, it’s a playoff Sunday.  Even the preacher can wear a jersey on those days, as long as it’s not a Ben Roethlisberger.

The are two statues that greet you when you get off the plane at the Pittsburgh airport.  One is of George Washington; and the other is Franco Harris making the Immaculate Reception.  And there is little debate about which statue Pittsburgh natives consider most important.

How can this organization possibly need to grow up?

The answer is fairly basic and obvious.  The Steelers have a great reputation for patience and loyalty, for generosity and thrift, for wisdom and winning.  Those values will be put to the test with some players, coaches, and organizational approaches.

Here are a few of the “grown up” decisions that the Steelers need to make:

1.  To keep or cut?
Hines Ward and James Farrior have the Steelers in a tough situation,  but there are some tough decisions to make across the board.  Will the front office make the smart business move, as they did in 2000 with Levon Kirkland and Dermontti Dawson?  Players may take the Jerome Bettis route and accept a pay cut in order to stay (my personal preference).  Farrior and Ward would probably consider that option.

2.  Will the coaching staff remain stagnant?
It’s hard to imagine a more polarizing figure than offensive coordinator Bruce Arians.  During the wild card game in Denver, Phil Simms asked why Arians is never considered for any head coaching jobs.  Perhaps Mike Tomlin and the front office should think long and hard about that question.

For those who want Dick LeBeau to be fired:  Stop it.  The Steeler staff may have 99 problems, but LeBeau ain’t one.  It’s the other side of the ball that presents a problem.

Forget the fancy passing stats.  The running game has declined.  Red-zone offense is maddeningly inconsistent.  Play-calling and schemes are predictable.  Weapons such as Heath Miller, along with newcomers Weslye Saunders and Isaac Redman, are under-utilized.  Ben Roethlisberger still holds the ball too long and takes a UFC-esque beating every play.

If Mike Tomlin wants any of this to change, he better change the person running the offense.  Roethlisberger may like Arians, but it may also be time for Big Ben to listen to a different point of view.

3.  Speaking of Roethlisberger…
I love Big Ben.  If I had to choose a quarterback to win one game or take a team on one drive, it would be THE #7.  But Big Ben needs to make changes as well.  It remains to be seen if Big Ben will take the next step in his development as a quarterback.  That step will tell whether or not he can be good as an old quarterback.

It’s well-known that Roethlisberger is a diva who loves to pull a “Willis Reed” and come hobbling onto the field to lead his team to victory.    Realistically, he’s been sacked more than any quarterback in the NFL since 2004, and his 30-year old body is being held together by duct tape.  Diva or not, he is tough as nails.  But he needs to think more with his head than with other parts of the male anatomy.

Part of the problem is scheme (see item #2).  But the other problem is his refusal to take the check-down to his very capable 3/4/5 options (again, Miller/Saunders/Redman).  Roethlisberger must learn to do that, or he must be made to do that whether he likes it or not.

That leads us straight to the head coach.

4.  Like Mike…if I Could Be Like Mike…
That’s not a reference to Jordan.  It’s a reference to Tomlin.

I will shamefully admit my “man crush” on Mike Tomlin.  Any coach who quotes Robert Frost on the way to the Super Bowl is great with me.  But Tomlin is young, both in age and coaching experience, and he still has a lot of room to grow into his position.

The things that make me love Tomlin are also the things that drive me insane.  He is confident and unwavering in the decisions that he makes.  However, that sometimes looks stubborn and unwilling to change.  If he keeps the status quo this off-season, my fear is that he will repeat this year’s ending, losing games with a team that resembles a MASH unit.

And finally…

5.  The Colbert Report
Will Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert work together to address personnel changes on the field and in the draft?

A lot of Steeler fans will accuse me of dismissing the work of Rashard Mendenhall.  It’s not that Mendenhall is bad, but Isaac “Red Zone” Redman has earned the right to try his hand as the starter in Pittsburgh.

I like the Steelers offensive line a lot more than I have in the last three seasons.  But they are built for the run more than the pass.  They have a chance to be a solid running team behind this group, if Tomlin and Colbert will allow an unknown free agent to take the place of a first-round pick.  Redman has all the tools to be the starter, and Mendenhall will soon be too expensive to keep.

Speaking of the line, it’s time for Colbert to find a way to improve the fronts on both sides.  Good lines can make up for ills in a lot of other areas, and it’s time to make that a priority.  If they cannot get draft picks to fill the need, then the wallet needs to open up to bring in some free agents that are more than some other team’s leftovers.

Judging from the teams that remain in the playoffs, tight end could use a boost.  I believe that Weslye Saunders is a “sleeping giant” at the position; and, along with Heath Miller, the Steelers have a serious dual threat.  If they organization does not see that, they need to seek help elsewhere at tight end.
The priority for the off-season should be protecting Big Ben.  That means Tomlin is going to have to make some changes on his coaching staff and his offense.  Kevin Colbert has to let go of some top draft picks and start finding ways to build up his front line guys.  Whether or not the Steelers are willing to make those changes will dictate their ability to challenge for title #7.

They need to grow up fast, before their history becomes a distant image in the rearview mirror.