Pittsburgh Steelers: Final Report Card for 2013 Season

Coaching: We started off the season with callings for both Haley’s and Mike Tomlin’s jobs as the Steelers were brutal for eight weeks. But give the coaching staff some credit for not throwing in the towel and having this team in position to make the playoffs the final week of the season.

Dec 29, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin gestures on the sidelines against the Cleveland Browns during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Pittsburgh Steelers won 20-7. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

I have never been that impressed with Tomlin as a coach and I don’t believe his job would have been in jeopardy, but it was nice for him and his staff to finish the year on a positive note.

Haley should be back in 2014 as his offense was very good down the stretch. I give him some credit for swallowing his pride and handing most of the offense over to Roethlisberger, showing that the two can work well together. There’s no need to start over with a new offensive coordinator when the team went 6-2 down the stretch.

I can’t say the same about defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, as for the second year in a row his defense was average at best. For most of the year they had trouble getting pressure and forcing turnovers. That was a problem and to me the main reason why the Steelers will be watching the playoffs instead of participating in them. The Steelers need to get younger on the defensive side of the ball and sadly that includes the man calling the shots.

Of all the coaches, LeBeau has always been given a free pass from Steelers Nation. That shouldn’t be the case any longer.

Overall though the coaches deserved a lot of the blame for a 2-6 start and deserve some credit for a 6-2 finish. However at the end of the day though the Steelers were only an 8-8 team which means for the entire season they were nothing more than a mediocre football team. Grade: C