Pittsburgh Steelers: Final Report Card for 2013 Season

Secondary: For most of the season, the Steelers secondary struggled, largely in part due to age and the lack of a pass rush.  However Ike Taylor, Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark all showed their age at times this season even though they all had their moments. The Steelers finished ninth in the league against the pass, mostly due to playing very well late in the season.

Dec 29, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu (43) breaks off the line of scrimmage against the Cleveland Browns during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Pittsburgh Steelers won 20-7. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

On the outside, Taylor wasn’t his usual reliable self this season. He did play well for about half the season, but he was beaten a lot more than we have seen in the past. Opposite Taylor, Cortez Allen and William Gay played decent as both had opportunities to start. I was particularly impressed with Allen down the stretch and look forward to big things from him next season if he can stay healthy.

As for the safeties, after a slow start Polamalu came on strong and earned another trip to the Pro Bowl. He was healthy all season and out of the entire secondary, I thought he was the best of the bunch. He should be taking a pay cut as I feel his days of dominance are over, but I was encouraged enough by his performance to look forward to what he can do in 2014, if he is in a Steelers uniform.

I can’t say the same thing about Clark, as he was the worst of the five guys who saw regular duty. This was the worst Clark has played in a Steelers uniform as he left a lot of plays on the field. I can’t envision any scenario where he is back in Pittsburgh next season.

Individually for the season I would give Polamalu a B, all three corners would be in the C range and Clark would get a D. Average all that out and it was a below-average year for the secondary. Grade: C-

Special Teams: You have to start with kicker Shaun Suisham, who other than two misses against the Oakland Raiders, was absolutely perfect this season. Suisham has turned into a weapon and should have been picked for the Pro Bowl.

As for the punting situation, the Steelers cut Drew Butler at the end of camp in favor of Zoltan Mesko, who was a mess. He was cut for Mat McBriar, who wasn’t that much better. Sadly the best thing the punters did all season was McBriar’s 30-yard completion on a fake punt against the Packers.

Both coverage units were a mess again as the Steelers allowed way too many big plays and they got very little production from the kick returners. However Brown had an outstanding year returning punts and made the Pro Bowl as both a returner and a receiver.

Suisham and Brown get A’s, but it’s difficult to give any other part of the special teams unit much better than a D grade. Grade: C-