During the build up for the Super Bowl of last year between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, I was trying to determine the most important player on the Steelers' roster.
The obvious choices on the field were Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu and to a lesser extent, because of the Packers aversion to running, Casey Hampton.
Eventually I settled on none of the three. The article actually took a look at Sean Kugler.
Who is Sean Kugler, you ask? What position does he play?
He doesn't play. He coaches...very well!
Sean Kugler was appointed as the Steelers' offensive line coach before last season. He replaced Larry Zierlein after the team gave up a league leading 50 sacks the season before.
The appointment was met with curiosity as he had coached an offensive line in Buffalo that gave up 46 sacks in 2009.
Last year, the Steelers' offensive line was anchored by an all-pro rookie at center. As impressive a player as Maurkice Pouncey is, it would be naive to suggest that Kugler didn't have some input on his performances. Kugler got the best out of an offensive line that, by the end of the season, featured just one of the original starting five entering training camp.
With this patched-up group of pass protectors, Ben Roethlisberger had one of his best seasons. Roethlisberger threw only five interceptions during the regular season. There were a few reasons for this:
He was healthier. His lighter frame made him faster and allowed him to escape pressure or even run with the ball. This in turn reduced the number of poor decisions he made.
His release. The quarterback took the time during his four-game suspension to work on his mechanics. He got the ball out noticeably quicker, which allowed his receivers to receive the ball on time and gave defenders less time to get in position to pick off passes.
Most significantly, however, Roethlisberger was under less pressure last season. He had more time to throw as his offensive line created a better pocket for him to stand in.
The improvement in run blocking allowed Rashard Mendenhall to gain 1,273 yards and put his name among the elite running backs in the league. The overall effect of this was that the Steelers' running game returned to a respectable level. Opposing pass rushers couldn't pin their ears back and hunt down the quarterback.
The Steelers may have upgraded the wide receiving corp last season that contributed to their proficiency on offense. However, you cannot overlook the improvement in the offense line as a key contributor also.
You've probably noticed by now that I haven't mentioned how many sacks the Steelers gave up last season. It was 43. There are two reasons why this number doesn't bother me.
Should the Steelers draft an offensive lineman in the first round?
Should the Steelers draft an offensive lineman in the first round?
-
Yes
-
No
-
Only if the talent is there
- Total votes: 7
Firstly, Ben Roethlisberger is always going to be sacked. This is the way he plays, Steelers fans for the most part understand that you have to take the good with the bad with No. 7 under center.
What is more important is how many turnovers Roethlisberger commits. That is something that can be prevented by better offensive line play. Roethlisberger is not scared to throw the ball while under duress or hold onto it for lengthy periods, which is when the risky plays ensue.
Secondly, the injuries. Not to be repeating myself, but the team played the majority of the season without left tackle Max Starks and the whole season without Willie Colon. Flozell Adams had a great season, but he is definitely a better run blocker than pass blocker. Jonathan Scott was solid but his pass blocking is nowhere near to the standard of Max Starks.
Sean Kugler has proven that he can work with a less than stellar cast on his offensive line.
The argument could be made that if he had better pieces, the Steelers could make the line a position of strength. Who's to say that he couldn't do this with the Steelers' original starters when healthy.
The problem with taking offensive linemen in the draft is that there are bigger holes for the Steelers to fill elsewhere.
They may have made the Super Bowl last season, but there is a glaring hole at cornerback that needs filling while the defensive line was old half a decade ago.
As things stand right now, Bryant McFadden is the team's No. 1 corner. Ike Taylor is likely to return, but even he didn't have a great season last year. Taylor is definitely good enough to remain as the Steelers' starter but could be tempted away by a bigger contract elsewhere.
Presuming that Taylor does return, that doesn't so much remove the problem as it does lessen its severity. The Steelers were 12th against the pass during last year's regular season. The secondary relies too much on Troy Polamalu as the only impact player. Without him they are much worse than what the statistics tell you.
Even with Polamalu, the defense was easily dismantled by the only elite quarterbacks it faced last year.
Drew Brees threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-10 victory early in the season. Tom Brady had 350 yards and three touchdowns before Aaron Rodgers rocketed his team to a Super Bowl ring with 304 yards and three touchdowns. The team had one interception in those three losses when Ike Taylor caught an under-thrown pass by Drew Brees. It was one of only two interceptions for Taylor all season.
Picking 31st in the draft, it will be tough to get value at corner. The potential to trade up is always there because the Steelers have very few roster spots available as well as an aggressive general manager in Kevin Colbert.
Realistically, however, it makes more sense to pick up a defensive lineman.
This year's draft is considered to be one of the better drafts for defensive linemen in the past few seasons. Replicating the success of Ziggy Hood from two seasons ago or picking up a successor to Casey Hampton should be the team's number one priority. As of last season, Hood was the only defensive lineman under the age of 30. It must be remembered as well that Hood wasn't the starter coming into the season.
Aaron Smith will likely return as the starter next season. He will be 35 when the season begins. Casey Hampton will be 34 by the time opening day comes around, while Brett Keisel will turn 32 within the first month.
There is no worry about each player's performance, but they do have precious few years left in them as a unit. This would be okay if the Steelers had any form of backups that were being groomed but they do not.
Drafting an offensive lineman may seem like a great option for the Steelers right now, but realistically, the team should look towards the defensive side of the ball.
At least in the early rounds, anyway.
This is the first ever article that Cian Fahey has written as a Featured Columnist for Bleacherreport. Today he was very excited to learn that he is now a 'NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots Columnist.' For any feedback, article updates or to simply talk sports look him up on twitter @Cianaf
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers. Five Filters featured article: Libya and Oil.
No comments:
Post a Comment