Quarterback:
The Pittsburgh Steelers began the season without their franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger due to his four game suspension. In Ben’s place the burden was bestowed upon veterans Byron Leftwhich, Charlie Batch, and the young Dennis Dixon. Many believed that without Ben the Steelers season would be an inevitable failure. However, the platoon of quarterbacks weathered the storm and was able to start the season with a 3-1 record. The Steelers were able to have major victories over the Falcons, Buccaneers, and Titans, while nearly beating the divisional rival Ravens. After a long, yet successful five weeks, Ben Roethlisberger returned as the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. At first Ben appeared to be a bit rusty, but only for the moment. Ben quickly shook off the cob webs and returned to his Big Ben form, piecing together one of his finest seasons. With an injury plagued, depleted offensive line, Big Ben was on the move making the big plays and picking up the victories that we are accustomed to see. During the season Ben became a more patient and accurate quarterback which was reflected by only throwing 5 interceptions this season. Although missing four games, Big Ben threw for 3200 yards and 17 touchdowns. Big Ben also found his new favorite wide out Mike Wallace, connecting with him for 8 touchdowns of 40 yards or more. Ben displayed his toughness yet again this season playing with a broken foot and shattered nose. Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers all the way to the Super Bowl and came within a failed two minute drive of winning his third Lombardi Trophy.Grade: A-
Running back:
The Pittsburgh Steelers running attack was amongst the league’s best this season. Led by Rashard Mendenhall the Steelers were able to run effectively through the duration of the season. During Roethlisberger’s suspension, the Steelers relied heavily on the run, which resulted in Steelers’ victories. Many fans loved the nostalgic reminisce of “Steelers Football” by pounding the ball down the throat of our opponents and winning on defense. Mendenhall put together his best season as a pro thus far rushing for 1273 yards and 13 touchdowns, including a game winning 50 yard overtime touchdown run in week one against the Falcons. Mendenhall also improved on his ball handling ability only fumbling twice during the regular season; however he had the biggest fumble perhaps in Steelers history during the Super Bowl, which gave the momentum back to Green Bay and ultimately the victory. Mewelde Moore and Isaac Redman played limited yet effective roles this season on the ground for the Steelers. They both were able to carry the ball efficiently when needed this year. During the season, I have stated multiple times that the Steelers have a hidden gem with Isaac “Red Zone” Redman. Redman displayed throughout the season that he has proven to be difficult to tackle. Redman has been clutch for the Steelers on short yard situations, but also has the ability to take the run to the second level with his deceptive speed. Redman displayed these skills against the Ravens in week 13, catching and breaking tackles for a 9 yard game winning touchdown. Expect next season to see a healthier dose of Redman in the running game. I would have loved to have seen the Steelers run the ball more this year and god forbid actually using a full back, but we can thank Bruce Arians for that. Unfortunately, the running attack became stagnant at times this year due to the Bruce Arians’ “Arial Circus.” This year the Steelers were far more successful in the Red Zone than last season’s debacle. Even with the make shift offensive line this season, the Steelers ran the ball effectively, and was a key contributor for making the trip to Dallas.
Grade: B+
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends:
The biggest question entering the season was, “How do you replace Santonio Holmes?” This season can best be described as the emergence of Mike Wallace as the Steelers number one receiver. With his electric speed, Wallace set a Steelers record with 8 touchdowns of 40 yards or more. Averaging an outstanding 21 yards per catch, Wallace accumulated 1257 yards and 10 touchdowns, while becoming one of the league’s most exciting players. Hines Ward was his usual physical self, all the while making his clutch catches when needed. Hines streak of consecutive games with a catch came to an end with an astonishing 186 consecutive games. In the off season, the Steelers brought back veteran Antwaan Randle El, who returned to his vintage ability throwing for 2 touchdowns. Heath Miller had yet another productive year with 512 yards and 2 touchdowns. A welcomed surprise for the Steelers was rookies Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown. Both Sanders and Brown displayed potential as future key receivers for the Steelers. Each of them made clutch catches this year as well contributing on Special Teams. Antonio Brown had the biggest catch of his career against Baltimore in the playoffs, making a one handed spectacular catch which placed the Steelers in position to win the game. The following week Emmanuel Sanders caught a clutch 20 yard pass from Roethlisberger. Brown again rose to the occasion catching a third down pass which enabled the Steelers to run the clock out against the Jets and advance to the Super Bowl. Hopefully these two young wide outs as well as Wallace continue to develop their skills and become the next core of great Steelers wide receivers.
Grade: B
Offensive Line:
Before the season even started the Offensive Line caught the injury bug. The Steelers used a make shift offensive line for the majority of the year and the offensive line played as well as expected. Unfortunately the expectations were low, and that is how the line performed for the majority of the year. The Steelers brought in veteran Flozell Adams to play Right Tackle, and Adams was actually one of the bright spots of the line for the Steelers. This season was typical for an injury plagued/depleted line. Big Ben had to run to make plays, there was an abundance of false start and holding penalties, but yet the Steelers were still good enough to finish 12-4. The brightest light of the offensive line was rookie Maurkice Pouncey. Pouncey quickly established himself as one of the NFL’s best lineman. Pouncey on countless occasions has been referred to as a 10 year all-pro as a rookie. Pouncey displayed extreme strength and intelligence which cultivated in a Pro Bowl selection. Maurkice Pouncey already has the ability to become the next great Steelers center, following the lineage of Mike Webster and Dermontti Dawson.
Grade: C-
Defensive Line:
The hard-nosed front three for the Steelers were historic to say the least. Consisting of defensive tackle Casey Hampton, Pro Bowl right end Brett Keisel, and second year new comer Ziggy Hood, fought valiantly in the trenches all season and became the 5th best run stopping team in the history of the NFL only allowing 62.8 yards per game and only 1004 yards for the entire season. Ziggy Hood stepped in to replace the injured All-Pro Aaron Smith at left end. It took Ziggy a few weeks to adapt into LeBeau’s system, but when Ziggy figured it out, he began to play at his 1st Round ability. Casey Hampton, often times one of the most overlooked men in the game, had yet another stellar season and is cementing himself as one of the best in Steelers history. Almost as impressive as Brett Keisel’s Pro Bowl season was his famed beard. Keisel was dominant on the end shutting down the run and breaking up passes. The defensive line is not your typical pass rushers, but they still are extremely efficient.
Grade: A
Linebackers:
The Steelers line backing crew was as a dominant of group as ever this season. Timmons led the team in tackles with 135. Timmons improved his game this season by becoming a better pass defender and a more prominent tackler. Timmons is continuing to be groomed to replace James Farrior as the general of the linebackers. Even though James Farrior appeared to lose a step, he was still able to register 109 tackles and 6 sacks, while still being regarded as the leader of the defense. LaMarr Woodley was able to stifle the opposing offense shutting down the run and recording 10 sacks for the Steelers. This was Woodley’s 3rd consecutive season with at least 10 sacks. Finishing 3rd in the vote for Defensive MVP should be all one needs to know for James Harrison’s season, but yet controversy plagued James Harrison this year. Being unfairly marked as the “Poster Boy” for illegal hits this year, James Harrison was fined four times this season on questionable hits for a staggering 125 thousand dollars. Under much scrutiny and the watchful eye of every referee, James Harrison still was able to record 100 tackles, 10.5 sacks, and 6 forced fumbles.
Grade: A-
Secondary:
The Steelers secondary this season at times revealed glimpses of promise, but more often than not they were scorched. The secondary was good against average pass attacks, but were simply terrible against teams with a strong armed quarterback. This was extremely evident in the games the Steelers lost against the Ravens, Patriots, Saints, and most importantly in the Super Bowl against the Packers. Albeit the Steelers were able to finish with the 5th best pass defense in the NFL with 199.3 yards per game, they fell short when needed the most. Troy Polamalu was voted Defensive MVP for good reason, intercepting the ball 7 times and revitalizing his role as Mr. Clutch for the Steelers defense. Ryan Clark was amongst the team leaders in tackles with 90. However, many times this season, Ryan Clark found himself in position to make multiple interceptions, but instead went for the big hit. Ike Taylor is a good cornerback, but at times plays over his head, and would be a far more valuable number two cornerback opposed to our number one. The offseason acquisition of cornerback Bryant McFadden proved to be a failure with his inability to cover a prototypical number two receiver. William Gay showed a slight improvement from last season as he was able to make a few big plays with his athleticism. However, for every opposing quarterback, Gay was their favorite target. The majority of the season William Gay was beat by a receiver or had blown coverage. This was most evident when Tom Brady came to town and scorched William Gay for three touchdowns with a rookie tight end. Until the Steelers fix their problems in the secondary, teams with elite quarterbacks are going to continue to throw all over the Steelers.
Grade: C
Special Teams:
During the draft the Steelers dumbfounded fans by drafting four linebackers. There was a method to the madness. By drafting these linebackers, the Steelers wanted to ensure that the Special Teams would no longer give up easy kick return touchdowns. For the most part Tomlin’s plan was a success with the emergence of special team rookies Sylvester and Worilds. The beginning of the season was definitely the most daunting for the Steelers. Long time Steelers kicker Jeff Reed was absolutely miserable, going 0-4 in field goal attempts between 40-49 yards, which ultimately lost the Steelers the game versus Baltimore. The Steelers then turned to travel-man kicker Shaun Suisham, who was able to connect 14/15 attempts. David Sepulveda was having a tremendous season averaging 45.5 yards per punt and 16 punts inside the 20, until his injury sidelined him for the season, yet again. Jeremy Kapinos replaced Sepulveda for the remainder of the season. The Steelers turned to rookies Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders to return kickoffs. Antonio Brown played a pivotal role against the Titans returning the opening kickoff on a reverse for a touchdown. Antwaan Randle El used his sure hands in efforts to return punts for the Steelers.
Grade: B-
Coaching Staff:
Coaching at times this year was at times completely frustrating. Mike Tomlin has to be given credit for making sure the Steelers remain victorious even with the absence of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Dick LeBeau created exotic defensive schemes throughout the year to become one of the league’s best defenses yet again. LeBeau was great the majority of the season, but against teams like the Patriots, Jets, and Saints, the defensive game plan was lackluster at best trying to rely on pass coverage, rather than blitzing. What continues to be the Achilles heel for the coaching staff is offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. Arians relies too heavily on the pass and consistently abandons the run, even when the run is effective. Throughout the season, some of the plays called by Arians left many Steelers fans wondering “why someone would call that?” For example, against the Jets, the Steelers were pinned down on their own goal line and Arians decided to call a half back draw in the shotgun formation with Mewelde Moore, resulting in a safety. This bone-headed play calling is one the most glaring problems with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Even with all the injuries that plagued the Steelers, they were still able to make it to the Super Bowl.
Grade: B
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