The Blitzburgh Report

I don’t know what’s worse- to play horribly and get beat badly, or to play horribly but make one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history only to still end up losing. Either way the result is the same and the Steelers’ season is over:

• The Steelers have had a lot of comebacks this season, which isn’t totally a great thing. I mean you love to see a team that can rally and doesn’t give up, but you also can’t keep starting out so poorly that you have to keep coming back.
   
  But along that same point, it is good to see that Ben Roethlisberger can recover from a bad performance. Quarterbacks will have bad days, but as the saying goes they need to have short memories- and Ben does. He’s done it all his career and it is good to know that the team is never really out of the game no matter how bad it gets.

• But, it must be said that Big Ben’s poor performance in the first half was probably the main contributor to the Steelers’ loss. I will give him a pass on the third interception because the Jacksonville player was basically out of the play, and just made a nice recovery and catch for a big man. But the first two interceptions were horrendous. Especially the second one. That pass intended for Najeh Davenport has to go down as one of the worst of Ben’s career so far in terms of decision and execution…

• …there just was no reason to throw it deep to a double covered Davenport who wasn’t in position to defend the pass, let alone try to catch it himself. Unfortunately I think it is just part of Ben’s game and something that will always be there. He reminds me of Brett Favre, slinging the ball around and trying to force it. They are talented enough to make the play most times, but they’re going to throw those dumb picks as well.

• One last point on Ben- and it is that nearly all of his sacks last night were because he held on to the ball too long. As bad as the offensive line has been this season, I think you can chalk a chunk of those sacks up to Ben not getting rid of the ball. I think that a large part of it is because he is always looking for the long ball. Sure, it makes for a lot of exciting plays, but at the same time he usually has a back wide open that he could dump the ball off to.
   
  I remember on one of the sacks last night they showed a replay of the Steelers receivers and Ben had two guys wide open that he could have thrown to. This is a part of Ben’s game that he really needs to work on.

• Speaking of the offensive line, they actually played a fairly good game. Especially Trai Essex. I give him a lot of credit for holding his ground, and it starts to make me wonder about Marvel Smith. When he went down he had two different guys- “the scapegoat” Max Starks, and “hasn’t started in two seasons” Trai Essex- step in and play better than he did. I know he was hurt but we’re going to have to include him in the pile with the linemen that will need a serious evaluation this offseason.

• Alright, I am just going to throw it out there, but I think the Steelers got hosed a bit last night on some of the penalties. It happens and teams have to deal with it, but that phantom holding call on Sean Mahan on the two point conversion is still bugging me today.
   
  Furthermore, it seemed like every replay they showed of an outside Steelers’ rusher, he was held after he had his man beat. I am sure holding happens a lot with every team, but there is nothing more frustrating then hearing Al Michaels talking about what a great block some Jaguars player had as on the screen we are seeing him with his arm hooked around James Harrison’s neck.

• What happened to the offense? Not just in this game but over the last half of the season. They started the year looking nearly unstoppable, and ended looking confused and sporadic. Especially the running game. The Steelers had been the best rushing team in the league over the last 15 odd years, so to see them struggling this season is just frustrating.
   
  What is it? They looked so impressive on that first drive last night, very reminiscent of their games in the 2005 playoffs. Then they looked horrible. As much of a dumb sounding comment it was by Madden when he said it looked like the Steelers didn’t have a plan on offense, he was kind of right.
   
  There were a lot of bad calls last night. That run by Ben on a third and six when they were trying to run out the clock was just a bad idea. Ben is no Vince Young, and furthermore I’m not so sure that at that point you may just want to throw it and try to get the first down. They only had a one point lead and I think getting the first down there was more important than running a couple more second off the clock.

• I think the two point conversion plays were garbage as well. We’ve seen some creative ones that worked well during the season, but this time they ran two fade passes. The first was insanely lucky to have been caught by Hines Ward, but it was negated by the phantom holding call anyway. After that they probably should have kicked the extra point.
   
  But the third two point attempt was just as bad. That fade to Nate Washington just seemed like more of a play that you would run on a first and goal, not when you absolutely need to get into the endzone. Where was the trick play? Where was that special play you keep just for those situations? A fade pass? Come on.
   
  I’m not very confident in Bruce Arians right now. I am not saying they need to get rid of the guy or that he is terrible, just that he still needs some work. Hopefully he is the type that can learn from his mistakes and improve his work.

• This is getting a bit long so I will quickly go through some of the props I wanted to give. Props to Hines Ward and Heath Miller for being dependable and clutch. Props to LaMarr Woodley for his pass rushing- he should be starting next year. Again, props to Trai Essex for having a solid game. Props to Ben for bouncing back from the first half, but most of all for waiting for David Garrard to finish his interviews so he could congratulate him; he is a class act. Props to the entire defense for playing a good game, they held Fred Taylor in check this time and had two interceptions on Garrard- they certainly did enough to win on their end.

• For whatever the reason, the Steelers went on quite a slide to end the season after starting 9-3. There were a lot of key injuries and I am sure that had a lot to do with it, but that is part of life in the NFL. They went from looking like a possible darkhorse in the AFC to losing 4 of their last five games. Ouch. There will be a lot of discussion over just what went wrong, but I am willing to bet that there is no easy answer. A lot of things went wrong, and fortunately I think they are fixable. But we’re going to have to wait until next year to find out.

That’s it, the end to another season. The Steelers went from a team that started out looking like one of the best, to a team that limped into the playoffs. I am sure a lot of time will be devoted to trying to figure out why. But for now it is time to fold up the terrible towels and put them away until next year.

Thanks to all of the readers of this site and for your great comments and discussion. We’ll keep updating regularly this offseason including some reviews of the season , so check back in the coming weeks for a for that.

I think most Steelers fan would agree that there are some positional changes that could be made on the team right now. Former head coach Bill Cowher wasn’t known to be one who often switched out under-performing players, especially veterans. He was a “players coach” who was often loyal to his players, sometimes to a fault. That is why I am interested in seeing what Mike Tomlin will do.

It is never an easy decision to bench or move a player. Without a doubt, it is a fine line. You don’t want to overreact and pull someone too soon. But after 11 weeks, I think that you have a good idea about who is under-performing and who might have just had a bad game or two.

The first player that needs a look is Allen Rossum. I called for Willie Reid getting a shot last week, but it didn’t happen. There’s more of a real chance for it this week, however, as Reid should be active on gameday due to Santonio Holmes‘ injury. I think that it is time for a spark on returns and it is worth the risk of trying Reid, especially against the Dolphins.

The other glaring spot is the offensive line. It is the one position where you don’t really say you’re bringing someone in to provide a spark; it is not a very spark-y position. You kind of know what you have who does what best. The concern is that I’m not sure the Steelers have any special guy waiting in the wings, just begging to get his shot. The Steelers OL backups are: Trai Essex, Chris Kemoeatu, Darnell Stapleton, Marvin Philip, and Max Starks. Not exactly a who’s who of rising OL stars.

As far as the starters, Sean Mahan just isn’t getting it done and should probably be the focus right now. Marvel Smith and Alan Faneca might not be playing their best but I don’t think they should be benched, because who would take their place? I like Willie Colon and while his inexperience shows, I think he is a very solid player in the making. With Mahan, you can say he is still learning but I would have hoped that he would be further along at this point. That is not to say he might not be good at another position. In fact, I would think that he would be headed that way after this season. But is it worth trying before then?

I’ll freely admit that I am no expert on offensive line mechanics, but I do know enough to realize that switching positions is not cut and dry, especially in the middle of the season. The team thought highly enough of Darnell Stapleton to keep him on their 53 man roster to start the season. Would they be confident enough in him to give him a shot? They then might give Mahan a turn at right guard, or even try Kendall Simmons at center, where he does have a little experience. How viable is all this? Maybe not very much, but I am just throwing some things out there.

Also, what about fullback? Count me in with the group of people that were high on Carey Davis after the pre-season. I did not, however, feel that he should be replacing Dan Kreider and I feel even more strongly about that today. Carey Davis is not getting the job done blocking, and his versatility ( the supposed reason he was playing ahead of Kreider) has yet to really have any impact.

Running out of three tight end sets has been very slow going, especially with rookie Matt Spaeth’s poor blocking. The biggest issue facing the team presently is that they can’t pass block, and really haven’t been doing great run blocking either. So why not bring back the guy who specializes in it? If you can’t protect your quarterback, bring in the guy who is basicially another offensive lineman. Willie Parker has made it well-known he prefers running behind Krieder as well.

The point is that there are changes out there that can be made. I am not saying they are all great changes (well, except for putting Kreider back in, which I feel very strongly about). But it will be interesting to see if Tomlin is the type of coach that will make them. As I said earlier, it is a fine line of when to make a switch, but some changes might just be what the doctor ordered to help shore up some weaknesses.

What are some changes that you would like to see be made for the team to strengthen it self?

Free Safety Ryan Clark (Spleen) and Tight End Jerame Tuman (Back) have both been placed on Injured Reserve.

The Steelers signed Center Marvin Philip from their practice squad to fill one of the roster spots. That is a bit odd because it leaves the team with three centers on the active roster. It is unclear yet whether the Steelers have plans for Philip or if they were protecting him from being signed by another team. It may also be the case that they aren’t too happy with Sean Mahan’s constant short and low snaps to Big Ben in shotgun formations. We’ll see.

The Steelers also signed cornerback Grant Mason from the practice squad. Mason was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints last year. He was waived by the Saints before the season started and never played in a regular season game. The Steelers signed him last January and he spent training camp with the team. Hopefully he can play special teams.

This Broncos game reminded me of a lot of the games from last season where the Steelers were just not able to match the intensity of their opponent. The Steelers, looking flat and unenergized most times, committed numerous turnovers and penalties. Both offense and defense struggled throughout most of the night.

It is almost laughable now to think of the Steelers’ bluff, saying they would run the ball all night. When they came out passing, it didn’t seem to surprise anyone and the offensive line couldn’t pass block anyway. So when that failed, they tried to go back to the run, and low and behold that didn’t work either. Ben Roethlisberger was able overcome early interceptions and a fumble and run for his life enough to make some plays and lead the team to four touchdowns and a tied score.

But that number one defense in the league couldn’t stop the Broncos’ offense all night, let alone on the final drive of the game that ended with Jason Elam kicking the game winner. The defense gave up three touchdowns last night after only giving up five total previously for the entire season.

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The Steelers open their season tomorrow in Cleveland against the Browns. With a new coaching staff and new philosophies there could be a different Steelers team on the field then we are used to. The pre-season is over and it is time to see if it has all be talk, or if the big bad Steelers are back.

The Much Anticipated New Steelers Offense- Now that the pre-season is over with, it is time to play for real. No more generic formations and plays. Three tight end sets, Carey Davis leading the way for Willie Parker, the ball getting thrown all over the field… Let’s finally see this new offense in motion.
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ESPN has the Steelers at 13 in their season opening Power Rankings.

Steelers players are confident that they are Super Bowl Contenders

James Harrison is shooting for at least 12 sacks in his first year as a starter.

The Kemoeatu brothers face off tonight in North Carolina.

Tonight is Okobi and Mahan’s last chance to make their case for the starting center job.

Word is coming out that QB Ben Roethlisberger was was injured at practice today. Reporter Dale Lolley wrote in his blog today that Roethlisberger was injured when his foot was stepped on. He was carted off, but considering he finished the drill after the injury, it was probably more precautionary then anything. Coach Mike Tomlin also said it wasn’t a big deal, so hopefully it is just a bruise that inevitably must come from being stepped on by a big man wearing cleats.

Lolley also reports that center Chukky Okobi went down with an apparent back injury. But on the good news front, Sean Mahan, James Harrison, Larry Foote, and Brian St. Pierre all returned to practice.

With their first 5th round selection, the Steelers take Rutgers guard Cameron Stephenson. He is said to be a Sean Mahan clone, the lineman who recently signed with the Steelers.

NFL.com’s positives and negatives:

Positives: Has a thick frame with wide hips, good muscle mass and very good lower-body strength to anchor … Lacks timed speed, but in the short area, he has soft feet and good lateral movement to break down in space … Tough and competitive drive blocker who has excellent strength and explosion … Can play with leverage and generates good pop coming off the ball … Efficient trap blocker who could shift to tackle at the pro level because of his ability to move off the snap to explode into defenders … Shows good arm extension to seal off the edge rush … Maintains position and knows how to go low to take defenders off their feet …

Effective moving in the short area … Positions himself properly to wall off his man and follow through in run blocking … Slides his feet and mirrors the rusher’s moves in pass protection … Uses his big hands forcefully to get control in the trenches … Simply man-handles the pass rushers with his brute strength … Works well with his center pulling on sweeps, but needs to keeps his balance better going after second-level defenders … Shuffles his feet and extends his arms properly dropping back in pass protection … Generates very good power behind his good hand punch to redirect his man … Adequate at handling the speed rush, getting proper arm extension to wall-off and lock onto the blitzers … Knows how to use his size to lean, push and engulf the smaller defenders … Shows decent knee bend and kick slide setting up in pass protection.

Negatives: Lacks foot quickness needed to be effective pulling on long sweeps, laboring at times to maintain balance in the open field … Has a very strong hand punch to shock and jolt, but needs to use them with better consistency … Will get his hands out of his framework, leaving his body exposed … Despite his strong base, he struggles at times getting movement vs. two-gap defenders … Needs to be more consistent bringing his feet setting up to protect the pocket … Will get high in his stance, losing leverage in the process … Must do a better job of keeping his feet under him when on the move … Could play tackle, but lacks ideal size and arm length for that position.

Sounds like another project type offensive lineman for the Steelers. He seems like a solid pick, yet the Steelers already have a lot of these lineman projects on the team, without much to show for them yet. The Steelers’ offensive line needs some big help and we wonder if the 5th round wasn’t a little late for them to start addressing it considering how immediate the need will be.

- Coach Dick LeBeau doesn’t expect to miss a beat with James Harrison in place of Joey Porter
- Despite being a top candidate, Sean Mahan has yet to practice at center, only getting time in at guard so far.
- Chris Gardocki hasn’t punted yet because of a minor back injury
- Coach Mike Tomlin hasn’t ruled out resigning running back Verron Haynes

Steelers.com has an article up about Kendall Simmons taking reps at center this offseason. He says that he’s up for the challenge of making a position switch:

“It is something I want to try,” said Simmons. “It’s a new challenge. Any athlete who is willing to get better will try to step up to the challenge. It’s something I think I can do. Coaches have said it would help slow me down. I move too fast. They would say I am a bull in a china shop sometimes and playing center would help me because it would slow me down.”

Our take is that Simmons is not stupid and knows this might be his only shot at having a long term future with the team. He’s been on the hot seat at guard and may actually turn out to be a better fit at center. However, there is already a bottleneck of possible replacements for Jeff Hartings, between Simmons, Chukky Okobi, Marvin Philip, and the newly signed Sean Mahan. While none of the candidates are a shoe-in, Simmons probably figures last in the competition because of his lack of experience at the position. But Simmons just might be a much better fit at center then at guard, and if he is, maybe he could be another Jeff Hartings.