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| CB Ike Taylor tries in vain to make a game-saving tackle in OT. |
I can sit here and discuss the Wild Card loss all night, but at this point it is in the past. The concern for Steelers fans should now be focused squarely on 2012 and beyond.
The 2011 Steelers will be remembered (or maybe forgotten) for the maddening inconsistency they displayed all season, starting with the debacle in Baltimore on opening day. For a team that has always prided themselves on playing "60 minute football", the Steelers did not play a solid 60 during any game this season. Games against Indianapolis, Kansas City, Jacksonville, Cleveland twice - none were determined until very late in the 4th quarter. That isn't exactly a "Murderers Row" of opponents there, but every one played the Steelers tough to the end. Even the shutouts the Steelers pitched at home (24-0 over Seattle in Week 2, 27-0 over St. Louis in Week 16) were not typical Steelers "shutdown" games. The Steelers best overall performance came all the way back in Week 5, when they buried the surprising Tennessee Titans 38-17 at Heinz Field. Even in a blowout victory, the Steelers only forced 1 turnover, and left multiple scoring chances out on the field.
The Steelers never had that run that we all have gotten used to. They never learned to close out teams, to put the game out of reach. Why? Well, let's start with the defense. Yes, the defense was once again #1 in the league vs. the pass and the run defense- while taking a slight step backwards - was still a top 5 unit. Yardage-wise, the Steelers were able to stop teams. The main issue was a lack of turnovers that never turned around, causing the team to end the regular season with a fewest takeaways of any Steelers team in 20 years. The Steelers biggest weakness in 2011 was their inability to get off the field on 3rd downs, allowing teams to convert far too many 3rd and 8's and 3rd and 10s. Championship teams are able to get turnovers and stop teams on 3rd down. Those are things that the 2008 Steelers did very well, and were the keys to the Super Bowl XLIII victory that year.
In Denver, the Steelers fell right into the Broncos plan. The Steelers stuffed the line to stop the NFL's #1 run offense. John Fox, a veteran head coach who knows how to use a teams own strengths against them, devised a masterpiece game plan that caught the Steelers off guard. Without the ability to force turnovers, the lack of a pass rush on Tim Tebow, and playing with basically their 2nd string defense, the Steelers were easy pickings for Denver. The 14-point comeback was a testament to the experience and fortitude of a team that had been in the same situation before in years past, and believed they could do it again. For one night, it just wasn't in the cards, and now the Steelers need to start the process of determining what the 2012 team will look like.
We can start with the coaching staff. Mike Tomlin - despite criticism he has received all week - is a great NFL coach. This is his team, and like Chuck Noll and William Laird Cowher before him, he is untouchable. Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians will likely be back, a fact that is not well received by Steeler Nation. The facts are this: under Arians the Steelers offense produced two 1,000+ yard WR, what would have been a 1,000+ yard RB, and a 4,000 yard passer. Offensively, the Steelers are in good shape. The Offensive line is a different story, and we'll come back to that.
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| Raheem Morris could be a replacement for Dick LeBeau in 2012 |
Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau is an institution in Pittsburgh, and has earned the right to punch his own ticket when the time comes. In past years, the speculation of his retirement has lasted until he confirmed he would return. This time, however, he would be returning with quite a few of "his" players gone. Does LeBeau have another 3-4 year run in him to rebuild this defense? The "X Factor" is the availability of Tomlin prodigy and defensive guru Raheem Morris. Morris was let go after three seasons in Tampa Bay, and if LeBeau were to step down, speculation is that he would be the next in line.
Regardless if both Arians and LeBeau return, the roster they coach is in store for a serious makeover - the type which Steelers fans haven't seen in some time. The franchise will enter the offseason a solid $22m over the salary cap, and sacrifices will have to be made. Furthermore, the injury situation that developed throughout the season is an indication that it may be time for the Steelers to begin injecting youth into the defense. The injuries sustained by NT Casey Hampton and DE Brett Kiesel in the playoff game are both going to require surgery. There is a good chance that DE Aaron Smith will retire and not attempt another comeback at age 35. ILB James Farrior had a decent season, and may have more left in the tank than other players his age, but with the salary cap issues he could become a casualty of that war.
What about WR Hines Ward? Ward was a non-factor in 2011, besides getting his 1,000th catch late in the season. He is due to make over $4m in 2012, and with WR Mike Wallace and WR Antonio Brown looking for new contracts, it may leave Ward the odd man out. Hines deserves to be able to go out on his terms, so hopefully the team works with him on a way to make that happen. If not, we may have seen the last of #86 in a Steelers uniform. That, in itself, is a tough pill to swallow.
The Steelers have numerous role players that are unrestricted free agents including all three back-up QBs, WR Jerricho Cotchery, CB William Gay, and both P Daniel Sepulveda and P Jeremy Kapinos. The team also has to be careful with restricted free agents such as WR Mike Wallace, who could entertain offers from other teams. There is a good chance that a team would massively overpay for Wallace, and the Steelers might not be in a position to match the offer - freeing him up to walk. The same situation awaits the team on G Doug Legursky, G Ramon Foster, CB Keenan Lewis, and TE David Johnson - all players that had major roles in 2011.
The offensive line has very few "sure thing" players for 2012. T Willie Colon will be back from injury, as will Pro Bowl C Pouncey. Other than that, there is a possibility that Max Starks, Trai Essex, Legursky, and Foster could all be elsewhere by OTA's. The Steelers need to think very hard about drafting a starting G or T in the 1st round of the April draft. The long-term health of QB Ben Roethlisberger is the issue at hand, and with each sack and injury he sustains, the shorter his career could become.
Regardless of the moves that are made, the 2012 team will be favored again to be a factor in the AFC. "The standard is the standard" as Coach Tomlin likes to say. It will be interesting to see how all of this pans out over the next few months, and of course we will have up-to the minute Steelers offseason news on Steel World Order.
Get ready Steeler Nation, it's going to be bumpy ride this offseason.
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