2014 Season In Review

[ATL96Steeler]

Well...Steeler Nation...our boys went down in flames last night...imo to a better DEF football team, but that was only one of 17 games they played.

The 2014 season sparked a lot of spirited and sometimes even heated debate on the coaching staff, the GM...in the end I saw the season as such.

Tomlin & Staff...the Tomlin detractors that said the team was undisciplined and not worthy of playoff consideration were correct...the team that played the 1st 5 or 6 games would not have won 11 games and made it to the playoffs...I think Tomlin deserves some credit for turning that phase of the ship around...the team still seems to have lapses vs teams with bad records, but overall I think Tomlin did a good job this year...winning the DIV while continuing to turnover an aging roster.

Haley...he made me curse the TV many times and question his play calls, but the OFC turned the corner at some point this season and became the catalyst for the success they accomplished. Bryant got his 1st taste of big boy football and I think Ben finally has that big target outside that he's coveted for several years.

Lebeau...he's clingy to veteran players...I think we all get that by now. That said, Brett Keisel and Harrison were major contributors to this team...I don't think they get to the playoffs without those guys. Given what he was working with @ CB and imo a SS whose best years are behind him...the DEF did a better than expected job while giving Tuitt, and Shazier, even McCullers some meaningful snaps. Clearly they have to get better talent in the back 4, and improve the front 7 play, both pass rushing and run stopping...maybe they can salvage Cortez Allen, but still need another CB and a S.

I hated to see them go down like they did last night...without a consistent pass rush, I thought they would've struggled against DEN anyway but would've like to at least seen them give it a try. Overall, I think they are on the right path to another Lombardi, but they must improve the DEF and continue the growth of the OFC to take this up another level.

What say you Steeler Nation?

 

[Muddler]

Ultimately I would say that the 2014 Steelers were a team that over-achieved. Their season long wildly inconsistent play finally caught up with them in last nights thrashing by the hatedratbirds.

It was a year that saw the emergence of a number of bona fide stars on the offensive side of the ball in AB, Bell and Bryant. These young and talented players (plus Wheaton and Ben) provide a very solid core that should produce plenty of offensive fireworks in the near future.

Not sure what to think of the oline. They may have been the most inconsistent unit on the team. When they gave him adequate protection BB would light it up but as in last nights loss, when they played poorly, the team had little chance to win. Ratbirds ran a number of overload blitzes and the Steelers could not adjust for them. Coaching? Talent? Both? I don't know but we're not likely to find a better oline coach than Munchak and I feel like we still need an upgrade at OT. Unfortunately, drafting late we are not likely to get it. Last night proved that we certainly need a backup RB who can pass block and catch outlet passes as insurance against another Bell injury.

On defense we are still hurting with too many holes to fill for a short term turnaround. Although we could argue we need a more stout NT, I am pretty happy with our dline starters. Heyward emerged as a star and Tuitt shows promise. No depth behind them however with the Diesel likely done. If they don't cut Cam Thomas I'll be pissed.

Quite a solid mix of ILBs with many varied skills. After flashing in the Preseason, Shazier didn't get to show his stuff much due to nagging injuries. Hopefully that is not a trend. Williams is a solid runstuffer in the Larry Foote mold. Spence played well and Timmons made the Pro Bowl. Four guys that could start and only two positions - an embarrassment of riches at this one position group.

OLB is obviously another story. We need to once again hit this position early in the draft (as in round one). Worilds is a 4mill/year player and will want more so should not be signed. Harrison played incredibly well for a 36 year old war horse but is likely done. Jarvis Jones has done nothing to indicate to me that he is worthy of his first round draft status at this key position. Even if he does "Man Up", we are still light here. That leaves Moats and maybe Zumwalt. The outlook IMO is not encouraging.

Our situation at safety may be even more depressing. I really thought that with the drafting of Sharknado and the Mitchell FA signing we had addressed our glaring needs here but I don't have that sort of faith anymore. Thomas has only seen the field on STs and Mitchell has been horrible. Last night he may have been the worst player on the field for either team. Back to the drawing board there?

We all know about CBs so I'm not going to address it much other than to say that we need more talent here and we'd better hope like hell that C. Allen regains his confidence. Gay played really well most of the year and is now our #1 CB. McCain and #41 (brain fart - forget his name) filled in well and saved our bacon but I would still like to a talent upgrade.

OVerall, Division champs and making the playoffs was more than I expected after consecutive 8-8 seasons. Much tougher schedule next year with the NFC West and as well as playing the other div champs.

 

[Muddler]

My bad - didn't realize you might be doing this in segments. Here are my comments on the Coaches:

Tomlin - I've been up and down on him. Don't like his detachment and lack of involvement on the sidelines - what I would call his "Managerial Approach" to being a HC. I prefer guys like Bellicheck, Payton, Kelly etc who are actively engaged with players and other coaches during the games. However, he does hold players accountable and he did hold the team together during tough times. Stability counts for a lot as we have seen with other franchises. While I wouldn't put him in the top 5 HCs, certainly he belongs in the top 10. Not certain at this point who we could get that would be better and as I said, stability at HC is important. Although he needs to stop the undisciplined play and stupid penalties, I figure he's good enough as a HC.

Haley - has certainly improved over last year. He wasn't the problem this year as the offense put up big numbers. IF he and BB had any problems in the past they seem to have resolved them. WHile I still have issues with some playcalls, I do appreciate the fact that since he only calls WR screens once or twice a game they seem to work a LOT better than when he was calling them once or twice a series... However, if he was the one responsible for drafting PEE WEE DRI in the 3rd round, he should get a pay cut just for that.

DLB - LeBeau must go. Time for him to retire. It's not working anymore. We need a fresh outlook on defense. Good Young players need to play right away not wait for years to see the field. Other teams have figured out his blitzes. We don't get much pressure on the QB and the lack of attention to drafting quality CBs has caught up with us. He had a great run but IMO it should be over.

STs - Stay the course. Not many big plays on our part but coverage generally seems to have improved. ST coaches seem like a shot in the dark to me anyway.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Muddler...on your summary of over achieving...I agree 100%, definitely not the most talented roster in the DIV.

OL...I thought they made great strides from last year, especially A gap protection...blitzes up the A gap killed them LY...last night BAL had maybe 2 or 3 clean shots on Ben...some of the others Ben was on his 3rd read it seems and could've gotten rid of it...for instance...the Ngata sack, he pump faked, brought it down, took a step then went down...but to your point on the OTs...I agree, but we're not going to find a stud in 20s most likely.

OLB...I don't see too many teams willing to over pay Worilds...5/20 mil to maybe 23 mil is where I see him landing and PIT will likely offer that much. I seriously would take the money I'm spending on Worilds and Troy and go after Justin Houston.

Maybe b/c I'm a GA guy idk...I want JJ to make it and I thought he was on a good track, but the injury really set him back...overall...what I expect is a QB pressure by committee type DEF next year...4 or 5 guys in the 6 to 7 sack range.

S...10:17 mark 4Q...3rd and 13 for BAL...Lebeau keeps both S back and they still they complete a pass to a TE for the 1st down...now they went on to fumble after that, but that play was very telling...our S play needs a huge upgrade and imo Troy should not be a part of it.

ILB...set there.

I'll be starting an offseason thread here in the next day or so...hopefully you will chime in as my exposure to CFB players is limited to the SEC and even that is limited.

 

[Muddler]

Good Job on leading many of the discussions in the Forum ATL96!

OLB...I don't see too many teams willing to over pay Worilds...5/20 mil to maybe 23 mil is where I see him landing and PIT will likely offer that much. I seriously would take the money I'm spending on Worilds and Troy and go after Justin Houston.

Maybe b/c I'm a GA guy idk...I want JJ to make it and I thought he was on a good track, but the injury really set him back...overall...what I expect is a QB pressure by committee type DEF next year...4 or 5 guys in the 6 to 7 sack range.



S...10:17 mark 4Q...3rd and 13 for BAL...Lebeau keeps both S back and they still they complete a pass to a TE for the 1st down...now they went on to fumble after that, but that play was very telling...our S play needs a huge upgrade and imo Troy should not be a part of it.



I'll be starting an offseason thread here in the next day or so...hopefully you will chime in as my exposure to CFB players is limited to the SEC and even that is limited.

Worilds might come cheaper than last year as he definitley did not set the league on fire stat wise. Still there is usually a team willing to overpay. Just hope its not us. I definitely want JJ to succeed as well simply because you can't afford to whiff on a first rounder at a critical position. Not seeing it though. Just not seeing it. When Silverback is out there you notice him almost every play. With JJ the only time I see him is when the camera pans past him after a play. I hope for improvement next year but I am not encouraged at this point

I see that Mitchell has had a torn groin all year. Maybe that has contributed to his poor play but why does Tomlin/DLB have him out there if he can't cover due to injury, and still all the stupid personal fouls are inexcusable.

I don't follow college players much - except for select PAC12 teams but I'll chime in when I have something to say.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Good Job on leading many of the discussions in the Forum ATL96!


Worilds might come cheaper than last year as he definitley did not set the league on fire stat wise. Still there is usually a team willing to overpay. Just hope its not us. I definitely want JJ to succeed as well simply because you can't afford to whiff on a first rounder at a critical position. Not seeing it though. Just not seeing it. When Silverback is out there you notice him almost every play. With JJ the only time I see him is when the camera pans past him after a play. I hope for improvement next year but I am not encouraged at this point

I see that Mitchell has had a torn groin all year. Maybe that has contributed to his poor play but why does Tomlin/DLB have him out there if he can't cover due to injury, and still all the stupid personal fouls are inexcusable.

I don't follow college players much - except for select PAC12 teams but I'll chime in when I have something to say.

Worilds...yeah, 7.5 sacks will get him some offers with so many 3-4 teams out there, but his body of work is still relatively small...if a GM offers him a $35+mil contract I'll be surprised.

On your points about the coaches.

Tomlin...kind of a unique position in that he's a DEF coach, but they are not running the DEF he cut his teeth on (4-3 Tampa2)...so I can see why he's he doesn't appear to be as engaged as other HCs, but he seems to be very engaged with the players. I'm not thinking top 5 either, but he's up there in the top 8 to 10 somewhere.

Lebeau...my biggest gripe about Lebeau has nothing to do with his ability to coach...he knows football after being around the game as long as he has...for a DEF w/o many legit pro bowl caliber players...he did a good job imo...the problem is he's grounded into a scheme that is dated, and he doesn't have the players to run it effectively. Really ironic the DB situation (from a draft standpoint) is as bad as it is...Lebeau was a CB, and Carnell Lake is regarded as one best position coaches on the staff.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Grading the coaching staff:

Tomlin... He deserves a lot of credit for steering this team in the right direction after a few mishaps early on this season. Many have stated his success is only based on having "Cowher's players", but that's nonsense. All coaches inherit a former coaches' players & assistants, it's what they do with them that's telling. Some coaches new to a team can lose the players early on, but good coaches stay the course. It's the owners & GM's that do the majority of teams bidding. So if anything, its Colbert & the Rooneys that deserve all of the credit. But only 7 of the players drafted during Bill's tenure remain. 2 are 1st ballot HOFers which weren't going anywhere regardless of coaching changes. One thing people forget is that even Cowher had stints of mediocrity. But Tomlin has over time weeded out the coaching staff (when they didn't perform to standard) and inserting his particular brand of football. One thing that is most telling about Tomlin is that he has never lost his locker room. No matter how bad things got, and for how long they were bad, the team never turned its back on him. Rant over... Back to 2014 lol... HIS team is back on the map. A plethora of new players & coaches... And I think we can forever close the book on the "Cowher's Players" argument. But one thing that will continue to dog him, is that he continuously loses to sub-.500 teams. That might be the only monkey on his back for now. So for that I dock him to a B+

Haley... Hard to argue with the man directing an offense that finished 7th in scoring, 2nd in yards per game (only 0.3 yards avg. behind New Orleans), 2nd in yards per play average, 2nd in 1st downs per game, and having the lead leaders in yards passing (Ben, T-1st) and receiving yards (AB)... Not to mention a RB that finished 2nd in the league in both all-purpose yards & rushing yards... That is a recipe for one hell of a potent offense. I think all along the missing piece was Le'Veon Bell. His presence opened up a whole new world. Only thing that I didn't like about him was his ineptitude for gameplanning. The team caught fire and there wasn't many defenses out there that could stymie them. That made his job easy. But when the team was faced with adversity, his RZ & 3rd-down efficiency plummeted. He was only 1-4 in the RZ vs the damn Jags for god-sake. I still question his abilities, but since the offense was pretty damn unstoppable, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. For that I'll give him a solid A

Lebeau... I'll have to side with James Harrison and say that the system still works, but it's the players that need to step it up. It's not Lebeau, it's youth... That's the main culprit! We knew going into the season that this group was young and needed time to mesh. Secondary...We have known for years that his system devalues CB's, so to say they were average is nothing new. But this year they leaned more on the bad-side. The unit was still vulnerable to the big play. A lot of fingers can be pointed in different directions though, so its hard to come up with the answer. One thing that needs to be considered is the overhaul that has been underway. Losing the likes of Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, James Farrior were hard to replace. And the players they brought in are still growing. It may still take a year to fully weed out the seasoned vets (Poly, Keisel, Taylor, Harrison), but the replacements are already rostered (Thomas, Tuitt, stable of mediocre CBs, JJ) . We shall see how it plays out. The 2014 unit was coming together towards the end of the season. Hard to judge but I'll stick with a B


Overall... At the beginning of the season I said this team will be around 11-12 wins and make the playoffs. I’m very proud, but I’m not exactly happy (that sour taste of losing to the Ravens in the playoffs will stick around for a while). They have the talent to go much farther next year. They raised the bar of my expectations. I think this team has definitely taken a step in the right direction. We are starting to see the fruits of the teams' offseason labors. There is absolutely no reason to abandon ship because they didn't meet expectations. I had patience when so many people on here said the season was over when we lost to the Buccaneers, and again when we lost to the Jets. Then wouldn't you know it, they won the Division. There is a plan in place for this team and it is starting to come together. "Superbowl teams are not built overnight..."

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Jesus... didn't realize how long that was until I just pressed post... Sorry everyone!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

O... Anyone claiming that Bell's absence was the reason they lost is very uninformed or flat out didn't watch the game. Sure it would have helped if he was there, but this team lost as a whole. Haley's gameplan faltered when the offensive line couldn't get the job done. The run game couldn't get going, and there was too much pressure on Ben on passing downs. Hate to say it, but Pouncey ultimately lost the battle against Ngata. And there was consistent pressure off the edges meaning both Beachum & Gilbert struggled.

D... I'm excited to see how this group grows from their late season success. I think another offseason will do wonders for JJ. The young group of talent is going to mesh well together IMO. They started to build around their key players in LT & Heyward with the younger guys Shazier & Tuitt. They have great pieces, but they need to start growing. I love what McCullers brings to the table, and yea he definitely isn't your prototypical 3-4 NT, but the kid has shown he can dominate the point of attack. I'd like to see them finally get their heads out of their asses and use Shamarko. I think within the next few weeks we are going to see Polamalu &/or Keisel retire. Hats off to those guys for giving everything they had left this season. Steelers legends in my book.

Offseason... I'd like to see them add a studly OLB to bolster competition & ignite a pass rush, regardless of what happens with Worilds. I will always believe that drafting a CB in the 1st round is risky business. Just plainly due to the fact that 1st Rd CBs don't have a high success rate. The secondary will probably be the focus of the draft, regardless of when/where they take players. They may wait until the 2nd/3rd before firing off a few picks. A safety in the draft will be considered... Poly probably retires & both Will Allen & Golden are FA's. Mitchell didn't do enough to warrant confidence, but from what I remember about the transition from Hope to Clark back '06 (i think it was ), that wasn't a smooth transition either. Clark struggled to find his niche in the defense, but he did bring the hard nosed hitting that Hope once brought. We've already seen that in Mitchell, so maybe another year of growth within the system will do him wonders. I'd like to see them also look seriously at O-lineman. With Foster on his last year of his contract I would draft a stud OT and move Beachum inside to fill Foster's spot. Or simply take a stud OG if he's there... Obviously will have to go BPA when they feel confident.

Lookin forward to offseason discussions already!

Probably should have just posted all that in here... Seems more fitting

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

It's been finalized... Steelers will get the 22nd pick

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Grading the coaching staff:

Tomlin... "Cowher's players"But one thing that will continue to dog him, is that he continuously loses to sub-.500 teams. That might be the only monkey on his back for now. So for that I dock him to a B+

Haley... Hard to argue with the man directing an offense that finished 7th in scoring, 2nd in yards per game (only 0.3 yards avg. behind New Orleans), Only thing that I didn't like about him was his ineptitude for gameplanning. The team caught fire and there wasn't many defenses out there that could stymie them. That made his job easy. But when the team was faced with adversity, his RZ & 3rd-down efficiency plummeted. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. For that I'll give him a solid A

Lebeau... I'll have to side with James Harrison and say that the system still works, but it's the players that need to step it up. It's not Lebeau, it's youth... That's the main culprit! We knew going into the season that this group was young and needed time to mesh. Secondary...We have known for years that his system devalues CB's, so to say they were average is nothing new. But this year they leaned more on the bad-side. The unit was still vulnerable to the big play. A lot of fingers can be pointed in different directions though, so its hard to come up with the answer. One thing that needs to be considered is the overhaul that has been underway. Losing the likes of Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, James Farrior were hard to replace. And the players they brought in are still growing. It may still take a year to fully weed out the seasoned vets (Poly, Keisel, Taylor, Harrison), but the replacements are already rostered (Thomas, Tuitt, stable of mediocre CBs, JJ) . We shall see how it plays out. The 2014 unit was coming together towards the end of the season. Hard to judge but I'll stick with a B

Then wouldn't you know it, they won the Division. There is a plan in place for this team and it is starting to come together. "Superbowl teams are not built overnight..."

Comments on your points.

Tomlin...agree "B" is a fair grade because of the sub .500 team thing. Cowher's players...it's tough for some people to move past Bill and his influence on the Steelers. Mike did well with the great players he inherited, and he (along with Colbert) are doing a pretty good job imo transitioning to a younger team.

Haley...I might go B+...Ben had just a tremendous 2 or 3 game stretch that made those numbers look so gaudy...still needs to show more creativity or better game planning...the play with AB throwing the TD, pass, and more so, the game where Spaeth was a bigger part of the game plan...that type of creativity is what is needed to win in the playoffs.

Lebeau...C+ for me...I agree the system still works, and the players make the system. But...JH has played in the system for a decade...it's like looking at the back of his hand...his ineffective stint in CIN is proof enough for me that players make the system.

Tomlin is 4-3 Tampa 2 guy...Coming off Hampton...there was a miscue, or a disconnect between Colbert//Lebeau to think that McClendon could be his every game replacement. He bulked for the job, but he's always been a gap penetration type player, not a block eater/penetrator...you don't have to dbl McClendon.

I do think Lebeau is grounded into his system come hell or high water...he's massaged it to field a competitive DEF and on that end I applaud his effort. He now has 2 legit 3-4 DEs, a host of good ILBs...the rest is still a work in progress.

Too reliant on vets...even though Troy has a mostly injury free 2013 season, imo it should've been his last in PIT (maybe that was a Rooney thing)...same with Ike. Okay...Brett/JH were needed commodities, but if not for him getting injured Tuitt would still practically be a rookie.

To put a cap on Lebeau...now that McCullers has shown some promise, it's doubtful they will put a lot of effort into getting another true 2 gap NT...so, for this DEF to get back to championship cailber, the back 4 is going to have to get better talent.

 

[element1286]

Great posts, guys!

Been thinking about the safety situation, does moving Cortez to safety make sense? I think he could play the position, has the size, is a bit slow for corner, but speed plays at safety, he has good ball skills, would be a good FS playing CF. I still think Mitchell should be playing SS.

I know Shamarko is still here, but they refuse to play him, so I don't know if he is in their plans.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Just went back through the 2014 Predictions thread down at the bottom of the Steelers Forum... I forgot that I predicted that we were going to sweep Cincy. I was wrong about sweeping Cleveland though lol. But I got the 11-5 right!!

Might have to go buy a lottery ticket.