Defense Doomed Pittsburgh Steelers, But Can It Be Fixed For 2015?
By Rich Donahue
With the sting of Saturday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens fading away, the Pittsburgh Steelers now begin the road to Latrobe.
Despite winning their first division title since 2010, the Black & Gold enter the offseason with great uncertainty. A top-five offense was not able to overcome a defense that looked completely incompetent at times. Even the few bright spots on the Dick LeBeau-led unit could not lift them from the abyss.
So what went wrong with the defense in 2014? To simply put it, the house fell in on itself. And the funny thing is this collapse began to take shape during free agency. As in 2013, the Steelers dumped many veterans, including Brett Keisel, Lamarr Woodley, Ziggy Hood as well as Larry Foote. Though Keisel would be back by training camp, it was clear that the Steelers wanted a fresh look on defense. That decision would haunt them for the rest of 2014.
This incoming group of free agents was tasked with maintaining the same high level of success that past Steeler defenders relished. The group from an overall standpoint failed across the board. Defensive linemen Cam Thomas and safety Mike Mitchell completely bombed in their first year with the Steelers.
Thomas only managed 18 tackles and half a sack in 2014 while losing the starting job at left defensive end twice – once to Keisel and the second time to rookie Stephon Tuitt. Though he combined for 71 tackles, Mitchell is far from looking like he is worth the 5-year, $25-million contract he signed before the season. Mitchell looked unfocused at times and his lackluster coverage made the Steelers susceptible to the vertical passing game.
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Even with solid efforts by linebacker Arthur Moats and cornerback Brice McCain, this free-agent class for the Steelers failed to live up to expectations.
As with the free-agent class, this year’s batch of defensive rookies left Steeler fans with more head scratching than great highlights. Linebacker Ryan Shazier dazzled fans during preseason action, showing all of the speed and skill that made him the 15th-overall selection in the draft. But injuries limited the Ohio State product to only nine games and the playmaking ability from the preseason was nowhere in sight.
Second-round pick Tuitt struggled early in the season, but cemented himself as the starter at left defensive end by years’ end. Still, Tuitt has a long way to go until he is producing at a high level like his predecessors.
Easily the most intriguing rookie from the 2014 Draft was sixth-round selection Daniel McCullers. Standing 6-foot-7 and weighing 352 pounds, McCullers was labeled from Day 1 as the heir apparent at nose tackle. Though the big man did show glimpses of being a great space-eater in the middle, McCullers still has a long way to go before he is a great two-down player.
When you have this many new faces on a defensive that is riddled with aging veterans who have obviously lost a few steps, things are abound to foul up. Couple that with losing starting cornerbacks Cortez Allen and Ike Taylor for most of the season and you have a defense that had no chance at being great or even good. Even with masterful attempts by the father of the zone blitz to fix the sinking ship, inexperience, age and injuries derailed any chance for the Steelers to have a well-rounded defense.
Now with 2014 in the rear view mirror, the time is now to rebuild this defense from the ashes of last season. Veterans James Harrison, Troy Polamalu and Taylor look to be on their way out of the league, leaving a glaring hole in not only the defense, but in terms of leadership as well. The secondary will need to be upgraded even with Polamalu and Taylor are kept.
Though William Gay had surprisingly solid season along with Antwon Blake, the fact is that they are average corners at best. It is at the utmost importance that the Steelers either draft at cornerback in the first round or sign a big name corner in free agency. New England Patriots cornerback and Aliquippa native Darrelle Revis could be on the market, but will take a king’s ransom to sign and it is unlikely that he will leave Foxboro to begin with. Denver Broncos cornerback Chris Harris is also set to hit the market after this season.
Either way you put it, the Steeler must inject fresh blood into the secondary. Even though it looks bleak for the future, this defense should not be written off yet. Lawrence Timmons made the Pro Bowl and Cam Heyward has finally come into his own.
All is not lost for the Steel Curtain to make a comeback. But if the young and old of this defense fail to mesh again, it will be the same story in 2015.