This team is a year a away

[flippy]

Are we hiring a new GM and/or coach next season?

Our biggest problem imho is finding the right players and coaching up the ones we do get. There's some talent on this team, but a ton of mediocrity and age across the roster.

Ben's only got a few more seasons. I don't see what Colbert/Tomlin are doing to help him win a championship again before he retires.

We might be so far off that it might makes sense to trade Ben to AZ and get what we can out of it. But on the other hand, I wouldn't trust Colbert/Tomlin to really do anything with extra picks or young talent to develop them and make this team better.

It's really hard to see a ray of hope for this team. They remind me more and more of the Pirates during the last 20+ years as each day goes on. And it feels like we're in for a long drought of mediocrity unless something dramatic changes.

[Slapstick]

And if we beat the Bengals?

Super Bowl, baby!!!!

[BradshawsHairdresser]

It's really hard to see a ray of hope for this team. They remind me more and more of the Pirates during the last 20+ years as each day goes on. And it feels like we're in for a long drought of mediocrity unless something dramatic changes.

There it is. Without changes in the way they're doing things, they're a lot more than a year away.

[WindyCitySteel]

I'm not so sure. I do believe the first rounder will be in the secondary. Maybe not DB but could be a safety. I don't base this on history but on the fact that W. Gay is probably the best player in the secondary...which should tell us much.

LeBeau doesn't value CBs. Anyone can "tackle the catch". If they signed Revis or drafted a guy #1, it would take one practice for him to get disillusioned with this soft scheme.

[WindyCitySteel]

We didnt waste the second half of Ben's career... he damn near ruined it himself with thr off field distractions.

Ben is a good QB but he plays down to the competition just like the rest of the team.

Compare the Indy and Jets offensive game plans and say that with a straight face. They said after Indy that they knew they had to score a lot to keep up. Against the Jets, they played close to the vest, with a horizontal passing game and running into the teeth of the Jets only strength.

This staff *coaches* down to the level of the competition.

[Iron City Inc.]

LeBeau doesn't value CBs. Anyone can "tackle the catch". If they signed Revis or drafted a guy #1, it would take one practice for him to get disillusioned with this soft scheme.

Ike can no longer do this and we don't have any press corners on the roster. Best cook can't make a good meal if they don't have the ingredients. Two press corners rookie or f/a (Revis ) would put us light years ahead of where we are now. I agree with Shawn a safety should also be added to the mix. We get our O some turnovers and we would put up 30 a game. Right now we average just under 25 with no turnovers.
Get the better ingredients and the execution will improve regardless of scheme and it will allow more diverse schemes. When u got "players" as a coach you always look good and when you are lacking talent no scheme by DL or anyone else in Canton is gonna make it happen.

[Shawn]

LeBeau doesn't value CBs. Anyone can "tackle the catch". If they signed Revis or drafted a guy #1, it would take one practice for him to get disillusioned with this soft scheme.

Trust me, I get it. But, even a guy as thick as LeBeau has to see he doesn't have a single guy in the secondary who would start on another squad.

[feltdizz]

Compare the Indy and Jets offensive game plans and say that with a straight face. They said after Indy that they knew they had to score a lot to keep up. Against the Jets, they played close to the vest, with a horizontal passing game and running into the teeth of the Jets only strength.

This staff *coaches* down to the level of the competition.

I never said the coaches are above criticism..

I just get tired of hearing how Ben's career is being wasted when he is part of the problem IMO.

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers and their fans face a painful reality

By Billy52 on Dec 3 2014



It's the start of another bitter winter in Pittsburgh, and the reality is setting in among Steelers' fans; this year has been a bust.

Thanksgiving might be over, but the Pittsburgh Steelers continue stuffing themselves with generous helpings of their own shortcomings. Too frequently, these inadequacies conspire to produce outcomes like Sunday's 35-32 defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. The situation now has reached the point where even some of the more absurd suggestions for remaking this team (and we've heard them all) might sound semi-plausible. Ben Roethlisberger has been demoted in many fans' reckoning to the status of a second-rate, NFL quarterback. The Steelers' coaching staff is widely thought to deserve summary banishment in a great cleansing that supposedly would remove all vestiges of the organization as it now exists. The fine house that Art and Dan Rooney once built now sits condemned, and the remedy suggested is to raze the entire structure and rebuild from ground zero.

But if we stop to consider what actually happened to the Black-and-Gold so far this season, we might yet spare them from our torches and hangman's ropes. Let's be honest, Steelers Nation. At the beginning of this season, how many among us seriously believed this Steelers team was a serious contender for the big prize? Now that we've arrived at roughly the same point where many predicted we'd be sitting as December begins, the dark recriminations expressed recently in several game threads seem rather extreme to say the least.

But if you've ever been in a car wreck, especially one in which you nearly bought the proverbial ranch, there's a certain Twilight Zone period when it's difficult to come to grips with the reality of what you've just experienced. This seemed to be the case for many in Steelers Nation on Sunday, when the Black-and-Gold turned a perfectly fine opportunity to keep pace in the playoff hunt into another sober reminder that this team isn't yet close to being ready for championship competition. Like a car crash where everything seems to happen in slow-motion, we could see this one coming beforehand, but there was nothing we could do to prevent it.

Since we're powerless to alter what has become an all-too-familiar scenario these days, the angry mob descends upon those deemed responsible for failing to turn a patchwork group of old and young Steelers into an NFL powerhouse. Having allowed ourselves to be tempted by the shimmering mirage of a playoff-run, blaming the Steelers' organization is far easier than accepting the more-troubling reality. But in the wake of Sunday's devastating loss to New Orleans, a defeat which most certainly will haunt the Steelers as this season plays out, reality finds the Black-and-Gold as a team simply not good enough to compete at the high level required for success in January football, let alone in February.

The Steelers' inability to maintain anything resembling a groove during the course of their 12-game schedule has a number of causes. Some of them are obvious, even to those of us whose knowledge of the Xs-and-Os is pretty limited. One of the more widely-discussed factors has been the Steelers' relatively slow development of young players, which too often has resulted in promising performers moving on to help other NFL teams instead of the Steelers. This helps to explain why timeworn veterans such as James Harrison, Ike Taylor and (until recently) Brett Keisel are still wearing Steeler uniforms. On the other hand, when your team is struggling, it's natural to focus on the players that got away as further evidence of a general decline. "You see," scolds my grumpy pal, "if only we'd kept (fill in a name) on the practice squad, he'd be starting for us now."

Dovetailing with the player-development issue is the fact that some key players previously believed to have completed their formative periods were exposed as not quite what the doctor ordered. On defense, this trend probably started with the 2009 Draft when Ziggy Hood (remember him?) was chosen as the Steelers' No. 1 pick. Five seasons and 11.5 sacks later, the Ziggy experiment had run its course and he was shipped off to Jacksonville where he has compiled exactly one sack in 12 games this season. Cortez Allen and Jason Worilds appear to be this season's candidates for Underwhelming Players of the Year.

Despite the better-than-expected play of Keisel and Harrison this season, there never was any long-term objective in bringing these guys back to Pittsburgh for their swan songs. By rights, some of the players currently manning key positions in Dick LeBeau's defense ought to be cooling their heels on the bench, or perhaps playing strictly on special teams - that is, if Mike Tomlin had the luxury of any viable alternatives.

While Sunday's loss certainly can't be laid entirely at the feet of the defense, we can't deny the fact that this group still is a hybrid comprising over-the-hill veterans, plus a bunch of young players who wouldn't be starters for other NFL teams. These days, it's essentially a JV squad out there. So realistically, how far did we expect these guys to carry us? Drew Brees might actually have done the Steelers a favor by puncturing the silly notion that this defense somehow might gather itself when facing a crucial matchup against a top-flight NFL quarterback.

What's actually surprising is the utter lack of consistency on offense, despite some noteworthy individual performances by Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. The unit led by Ben Roethlisberger continues to exhibit a trait which hasn't changed much during a period dating back at least as far as the dawn of the Bruce Arians era in Pittsburgh. Quite simply, the Steelers continue to leave far too many points on the field and, in the process, have been unable to kick their habit of giving lesser competitors far too many opportunities to pick themselves back up off of the mat. This also relates to Pittsburgh's seeming inability to get off to a fast start by capitalizing on early scoring opportunities. We saw this sluggishness once again on Sunday, with the Steelers dominating the early time of possession, but failing to convert their advantages into any substantial lead on the scoreboard.

With good reason, opposing teams believe that, as long as they keep the game close, the Steelers won't be able to seal the deal when the fourth quarter rolls around. So it happened on Sunday that Drew Brees bided his time patiently throughout a largely ineffective first quarter, only to come roaring back when the Steelers' offense failed to take the initiative. This is the same pattern we've seen repeated many times and regardless of our opponent's relative capabilities. In fact, this is the very trait that ultimately turned Super Bowl 43, a game which the Steelers had dominated for nearly three quarters, into a narrow, cardiac affair at the end which might have gone either way.

But neither Sunday's defeat at Heinz Field, nor any of the other disappointments Steelers Nation has suffered in 2014, should dim our optimism about the future. Most of us knew basically what we were getting with this team as far back as the preseason. But there's still some solid evidence that the Steelers are on the right track personnel-wise, even though we obviously haven't seen the kind of seamless, year-to-year transition that typifies a team like the Patriots, for example.

When examining Sunday's wreckage, we should also keep in mind that top draft-picks Ryan Shazier and Jarvis Jones, who had been counted on to shoulder key parts of the overall load, have remained on the sidelines during a substantial portion of this season. Rarely at any stage of the current campaign have we had what might be considered a full complement of defensive talent on the field, whether you're speaking about veterans or youngsters.

That being said, what's perhaps most troubling is the absence of any palpable urgency on a team that desperately needs wins at this stage of the season, and especially wins at home. Going into the bye-week, the idea was that an extra week of rest would give the Steelers a golden opportunity to regroup, help them to get some key players healthy and come back stronger in front of their home crowd.

It's a difficult enough task just to improve your team's overall talent level year to year. But even more difficult is instilling a winning attitude into a new generation of Steelers, many of whom lack the confidence that comes from having won a conference or league championship. The loss to New Orleans underscores the fact that much hard work remains before the Steelers can begin to avoid the type of debacle we've seen only too frequently during this up-and-down season.

[url]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/pittsburgh-steelers-opinions-reactions-news-updates/2014/12/3/7325531/steelers-and-their-fans-face-a-painful-reality[/url]

[NJ-STEELER]

i'd try and move shazier outside and utilize his speed before i go drafting another top OLB

maybe he doesnt get caught up in the trash as much and stays healthy

[hawaiiansteel]

Week 13: Steelers are angling for another 8-8 finish

By Ryan Wilson | CBSSports.com
December 2, 2014

The Steelers have only themselves to blame for the current state of their secondary. The front office and coaching staff didn't address the position in the draft (technically, they drafted Arizona's Shaquille Richardson in the fifth round before cutting him in August), and decided that off-the-scrap-heap pickups Brice McCain and Antwon Blake would provide suitable depth behind aging Ike Taylor, just re-signed-to-a-big-deal Cortez Allen, and the best of the group, veteran nickel back William Gay.

But Taylor suffered a broken arm in September, Allen was benched for poor play in October, and Gay has hit the skids in recent weeks, including his worst effort of the season in Sunday's loss to the Saints.

The Steelers were reportedly interested in drafting cornerback Justin Gilbert in the first round but the Browns landed him first. Bolstering the defense remained a priority, but it doesn't help that inside linebacker Ryan Shazier, the team's eventual first-round pick, has missed all but five games because of knee and ankle injuries. And defensive end Stephon Tuitt, taken a round later, has barely seen the field, presumably because the coaches aren't comfortable with his progress.

Taylor returned to the lineup Sunday (and struggled), and Tuitt will see more snaps now that Brett Keisel's season is over (torn triceps). But it all may be too little, too late for a unit that has so few playmakers that not even defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, who has spent more than a half-century in the NFL, can do anything with them.

The secondary ranks 29th in the league, according to Football Outsiders, an issue exacerbated by the lack of consistent pass rush from the front seven. Some of this can be explained by bad luck; the organization tried to shore up the defense in recent drafts; in addition to Shazier, the Steelers used a first-round pick on outside linebacker Jarvis Jones in 2013 and defensive end Cam Heyward in 2011. Jones has been sidelined with a wrist injury since September, though Heyward has emerged as a good player.

But excuses are for losers, as the old saying goes. Look at the Ravens, whose secondary has been ravaged by injuries. And yet, their front seven continues to dominate the line of scrimmage, mitigating any advantage opposing offenses might have in the passing game.

Meanwhile, the Steelers were manhandled by the four-win Saints, a team coming off convincing home losses to the Bengals and Ravens. But in an all-too-familiar theme, the Steelers played down to their opponent and lost. On Sunday, New Orleans had three pass plays of 30 yards or more, and three runs of at least 12 yards. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers have given up 11 pass plays of at least 40 yards this season. A year ago, they allowed 12 in 16 games.

“If you give up big plays, you better get a few of your own,” coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday. “We didn't complement ourselves in all three phases.”

Which brings us to Ben Roethlisberger, an MVP candidate as recently as a month ago, when he was coming off a 12 touchdown, no interception two-game stretch that had the Steelers at 6-3 and surging. That success was short-lived; they were beaten by a hapless one-win Jets outfit the next week and barely beat an equally as hapless Titans team a week later. On Sunday, Roethlisberger looked more like Tommy Maddox, misfiring on passes -- short, medium and long -- on an afternoon where he could have easily thrown four or five interceptions if not for a butter-fingered Saints secondary.

Details via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Mark Kaboly: "Roethlisberger started the game by completing only 3 of 9 passes for 52 yards, including a stretch of five consecutive incompletions on a number of poorly thrown balls before he slammed his hand against Lofton's wrist eight minutes into the first quarter. ... After the injury, Roethlisberger wasn't much better. He went 5 of 13 for 63 yards to finish the first half 8 of 22 for 115 yards and a passer rating of 35.2."

Put another way: The Steelers are doomed without the Roethlisberger we saw for the first two and a half months of the season. And even if he shows up, there's no guarantee he'll be able to overcome what now passes as a defense. The good news is that at 7-5, the Steelers remain in the playoff mix. Unfortunately, we've reached the "We control our own fate" portion of the schedule, a conversation we wouldn't need to have if Pittsburgh had beaten Tampa Bay or New York or New Orleans.

“The next four stadiums that we play in, that's what matters," safety Mike Mitchell said. "That's what we're in control of and that's what we have to do. We have to take care of business these next four games. I'm not really looking on the outside at other teams or games. I'm just focused on winning the games that we're playing."

The 2005 Steelers were 7-5 before winning their final four regular-season games, getting hot in the playoffs and bringing home another Lombardi Trophy. The difference is that team had the NFL's No. 3 defense, which comes in handy in December and January. Unless this Steelers' offense can score 50 points a game from here on out, another 8-8 finish seems much more likely than a return to the postseason for the first time since 2011.

[URL]http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-...her-8-8-finish[/URL]