Steelers Roster Moves Continue: Isaiah Green Returns via the Practice Squad

No one will accuse Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert of taking a "Set it and forget it" attitude to the composition to the Steelers 2013 Roster.

Per NFL rules, the Steelers cut down their roster to 22 players on Saturday. But that was hardly the final 53, as the Steelers went to the waiver wire not once, not twice, but three times, adding guard/center Cody Wallace, punter Zoltan Mesko, and cornerback Antwon Blake to their active roster.

They also placed Matt Spaeth on their injured reserve designated return list, which in turn led them to sign linebacker Terrance Martin from their practice squad.

With the exception of Wallace, all of these moves are aimed at shoring up a special teams until which was an glaring liability in preseason.

Practice squad move by @Steelers -- CB Devin Smith is off and CB Isaiah Green is added
— Bob Labriola (@BobLabriola) September 4, 2013

This shuffling with the regular season is having a spill over effect on the practice squad, which continues today as the Steelers said goodbye to practice squad star cornerback Devin Smith and replaced him with cornerback Isaiah Green.

Thanks for visiting. Click here to check out the rest of Steel Curtain Rising. Or... Follow @SteelCurtainRis

Read More

Steelers Roster Moves Continue: Zoltan Mesko and Antwon Blake in, Drew Butler and Isaiah Green Out

Mike Tomlin didn’t promise to “leave no loose stone unturned” in his quest to improve the Steelers from their 8-8 performance in 2012, but he might as well have.

The Steelers initial roster cuts included some surprises, such as Jonathan Dwyer getting the boot. But Tomlin and Kevin Colbert didn’t stop after trimming the Steelers 2013 roster to 53.

First the Steelers signed guard Cody Wallace and cut John Malecki and today they took aim at shoring up what have been some truly atrocious special teams during the preseason.

During the preseason one of the bigger, if less sexy, position battles was between Drew Butler and Brian Moorman. The Steelers cut Moorman leaving Butler the presumed winner of the competition. Butler’s victory was short lived, however.

• The Steelers signed former New England Patriots punter Zoltan Mesko off of waivers.

Mesko is an accomplished punter and has been dubbed by the Wall Street Journal as the NFL’s most interesting man, with 5 languages under his belt and a degree in business administration from the University of Michigan.

They also claimed former Jacksonville Jaguars punter Antwon Blake off of waivers. Blake made the Jaguars as an undrafted rookie free agent last year, but looks to primarily be someone who will contribute on special teams. To make room for him, the Steelers waived Isaiah Green.

Thanks for visiting. Click here to check out the rest of Steel Curtain Rising. Or... Follow @SteelCurtainRis

Read More

Steelers Cut Danny Harpmann, Sign RB Jeremy Wright

Place kicker Danny Harpmann put in a very solid preseason of work during 2012 and had Steelers Nation been in charge of the decision, it would have been Harpmann rather than Shaun Suisham doing the Steelers kicking chores in 2012.

• And that shows you why fan’s should have zero impact in those decisions, because Suisham had a phenomenal year.

Not only was Suisham almost perfect, he routinely kicked balls back into the end zone. Indeed, Suisham was a bright spot in a special teams unit that was otherwise a liability.

The Steelers thought enough of Harpmann to bring him back for another shot at St. Vincent’s. Well the Steelers have broken camp and are leaving Latrobe, but with three preseason games remaining, they’re saying good bye to Harpmann.

Taking Harpmann's place is running back Jeremy Wright, who is an undrafted rookie out of Louisville. Behind the Steel Curtain has speculated that the Steelers are mainly interested in Wright for his return abilities.

However, the BTSC also suggests that, with injuries to second round pick Le’Veon Bell and Isaac Redman, the Steelers may just be looking for a body to help carry the load in preseason. Last year the Steelers brought in Dujuan Harris for just that purpose, only to cut Dujuan Harris and see him do well in two starts for Green Bay.

Thanks for visiting. Click here to check out the rest of Steel Curtain Rising. Or... Follow @SteelCurtainRis

Read More

Steelers Training Camp Preview: A Closer Look at Mike Tomlin's New Assistants

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 NFL Draft class won’t be the only new faces feeling their way through their first training camp at Latrobe. So will three new assistant coaches. And that's unusual.

• Unlike his predecessor Bill Cowher, Mike Tomlin isn’t trigger happy when it comes to firing assistant coaches. 

So it’s understandable that Mike Tomlin’s coaching shake ups in after the Steelers 2009 and 2011 seasons captivated Steelers Nation’s attention. Yet Tomlin’s coaching changes in the wake of 2012’s disappointment’s barely raised an eyelid.

• Perhaps that shouldn’t be the case – at the very least some patterns appear to be replicating themselves…

Let’s take a closer look.

Bill Cowher to Mike Tomlin, From Trigger Happy to Trigger Hesitant on Assistants

In his first season Bill Cowher assembled a team of coaches who’d never worked together before. Dick Hoak was the lone hold out from Chuck Noll’s staff. Cowher had cold called offensive coordinator Ron Erhardt out of the blue.

• Skeptics wondered if it could work and 1992 Steelers 11-5 take the league by surprise season shows it did.

But unity did not last long. The day after a blocked punt in a wild card game at Kansas City ended the 1993 Steelers playoff run Bill Cowher fired, in summary execution style, special teams coach John Guy, receivers coach Bob Harrison and defensive line coach  Steve Furness (Furness, a veteran of the Steel Curtain, dismissal was the most surprising, and friends said he never recovered.)

Assistant coach firings became the norm for the Cowher years as Ron Erhardt, Ray Sherman, Kevin Gilbride, and Tim Lewis all got the boot and that’s only counting the coordinators. Other coaches such as Bobby April left because they found Cowher difficult too work for.

In contrast, Mike Tomlin went two years without firing any assistant. Word is that he resisted pressure (who knows why) to fire Bob Ligashesky after special teams disasters sabotaged the Steelers 2007 season.

Tomlin likewise went to the mat in 2009 to defend Bruce Arians job, but he did nonetheless make other coaching changes.

A Closer Look at Tomlin’s Coaching Changes

Although he saved Arians job (with Ben Roethlisberger's help), Tomlin fired Larry Zierlin and Bob Ligashesky. Ken Anderson retired as quarterbacks coach creating another vacancy.

Back in 2010, to fill those vacancies, Tomlin hired:

• Al Everest to coach special teams
• Sean Kulgler to coach the offensive line
• Scotty Montgomery to coach the wide receivers 

The vacancy at the quarterbacks coaching spot was filled by Randy Ficthner, who’d served as receivers coach.

Fast forward to 2012. Art Rooney II again pressured Tomlin to fire Bruce Arians, and this time Tomlin declined to stick his neck out for his coordinator, even though he’d already invited Arians back.

• Then in the middle of training camp, Tomlin shocked Steelers Nation, firing special teams coach Al Everest.

Despite the Steelers 8-8 finish, Tomlin fired no assistant coaches, but there’s been plenty of turnover nonetheless. Amos Jones followed Bruce Arians to Pittsburgh West (aka the Arizona Cardinals), Sean Kugler left to coach UT El Paso, and Scotty Montgomery returned to Duke University.

Those departures resulted in Tomlin hiring:

• Jack Bicknell Jr. to coach the offensive line
• Danny Smith to coach special teams
• Richard Mann to coach the wide receivers

So, in two years time Tomlin has replaced the exact same set of position coaches…

…Does that mean anything? Perhaps not but it’s a coincidence that deserves recognition. Jack Bicknell has no ties to the Steelers or Tomlin, but the same cannot be said for Danny Smith and Richard Mann.

Danny Smith is a Pittsburgh and Central Catholic graduate. He coached at William and Mary, Tomlin alma mater and also coached in Detroit while Kevin Colbert was there.

Richard Mann has worked in the NFL long enough to coach for the original Cleveland Browns, the Baltimore Colts and the Baltimore Ravens. He also happened to coach the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just when Tomin was breaking into the NFL.

So while Tomlin might have shuffled some assistants some, not all of them are exactly new faces. Perhaps that will turn out to be a good thing. Time will tell.

Thanks for visiting. Click here to check out the rest of Steel Curtain Rising. Or... Follow @SteelCurtainRis

Read More

Steelers Hire Danny Smith as New Special Teams Coach

The Steelers have hired Danny Smith to be their special teams coach for the 2013 season. Smith, 59, is from Pittsburgh and was the Redskins special teams coach for the past nine seasons.

Smith is replacing Amos Jones, who was promoted to special teams coordinator in 2012 after Al Everest was fired just prior to the start of the season.

However, Jones recently departed to fill the same capacity with the Arizona Cardinals as part of Bruce Arians' new coaching staff.

Smith will be overseeing a unit in Pittsburgh that didn't see many break-downs in coverage in 2012, only allowing one punt return for a touchdown--a 63 yard return by Jacoby Jones in a 13-10 loss to the eventual AFC Champion Ravens in Week 11--but didn't get much in the way of returns from the likes of Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders and the recently departed Chris Rainey as the unit failed to score a touchdown of its own in '12 and had several big returns called back because of penalties.

On the other hand, placekicker Shaun Suisham enjoyed a career year, going 28-31 on field goals, with two of his misses being from 50+ yards away.


Thanks for visiting. Click here to check out the rest of Steel Curtain Rising. Or... Follow @SteelCurtainRis

Read More

Bruce Arians Hires Amos Jones as Special Teams Coach for Pittsburgh West

Make that two position coaches who the Steelers will need to replace this offseason. Before the 2012 season was even over, it was announced that Sean Kugler, the team's offensive line coach since 2010, would be leaving after the season to be the head coach at UTEP.

And now it's being reported that special teams coach Amos Jones has left the Steelers to take the same position on Bruce Arians' staff with the Arizona Cardinals. Jones, who was an assistant special teams coach in Pittsburgh from 2007-2011, took full control of the unit when former special teams coordinator Al Everest was let go just prior to the start of the 2012 campaign.

Under Jones, the Steelers averaged 7.3 yards per punt return and 25.3 yards per kick-off return.

Kicker Shaun Suisham enjoyed a career year, going 28-31 on field goal attempts (two of his misses were from 50+ yards away).

Rookie punter Drew Butler averaged 43 yards on 79 punts.

Since Jones was an assistant who was promoted to head special teams coach, Pittsburgh will more than likely go outside the organization to fill his vacancy.

Thanks for visiting. Click here to check out the rest of Steel Curtain Rising. Or... Follow @SteelCurtainRis

Read More

Steelers Report Card vs. Cowboys @ Jerry's World

Taken from the grade book of a teacher who is wondering if what once seemed to be his star pupil is actually underachieving or is simply mired in mediocrity, here is the Steelers report card for the loss to the Dallas Cowboys at Jerry’s World. As a caveat, no other report cards were consulted prior to this posting.

Quarterback
Had the Steelers won, it would have been forgotten that Ben Roethlisberger started shaky, was uncharacteristically low on several key throws, and was below 50% passing for much of the early going.  The amnesia is justified, as Roethlisberger put on a sterling performance to close the second half, and brought the Steelers back from deficits in the fourth quarter in strong fashion. But… He threw an interception, inside his own twenty, in over time. Maybe one costly error doesn’t negate everything Roethlisberger did, but it negates a lot.  Grade:  C-

Running Back
Jonathan Dwyer started off with a strong 6 yard run, and then end up averaging 2.4 yards per carry, although nine carries isn’t much to judge by. Isaac Redman had a spectacular 22 yard run and looked good, on his other 2 carries. Ditto Chris Rainey, who made the most of his carries. It may have been through no fault of their own, but the running backs were largely a non-factor. Grade:  B-

Wide Receivers
This unit started out with some ball security issues, drops and inability to get in bounds, and of course finished with an inability to stay in bounds. But in between, the receivers turned in a pretty good game. Heath Miller was phenomenal in the first half. Mike Wallace burned his men so badly he had to wait for the ball, and Jerricho Cotchery made a couple of key catches.  Grade:  B

Offensive Line
Ben Roethlisberger didn’t go down often early, but that was largely from his “Roger the Dodger” imitation. The run blocking was average at best. Both Max Starks and Kelvin Beachum struggled to contain pressure off the edge. But unit put up a winning performance until the Steelers final two possessions – when Roethlisberger needed time the most. That breakdown was unacceptable.  Grade:  D

Defensive Line
Unlike Pittsburgh, Dallas’ running game was a factor, giving Tony Romo lots of 2nd and 3rd and shorts which he converted with relish. That starts with the defensive line. Likewise, the Steelers got little significant  pressure on Romo. In fact, Ziggy Hood and Cameron Heyward were the only players to register any stats, although Brett Keisel recovered a fumble. With a depleted  secondary, the Steelers needed something extra up front. They didn’t get it much from the line. Grade:  C-

Linebackers
Lawrence Timmons continued to make his case for defensive MVP registering a sack and stopping a key Dallas third down conversion. James Harrison saved a touchdown with a masterful strip at the goal line, and nixed some sort of trickery by slam dunking Romo on another 3rd and short. LaMarr Woodley played, but was invisible throughout the game. Larry Foote did little to distinguish himself. Grade:  B-

Secondary
You had to feel for Joshua Victorian. Has a Steelers corner ever been picked on so badly? Clearly he was over matched early on, but he did perk up, a little during the game. Still, poor tackling and yards after the catch were as much issues as completions, which were plentifully. Keenan Lewis turned in a strong game including some great touchdown saves. Ryan Clark led the team in tackles, and Troy Polamalu was second, although he’s clearly failed to be a force since his return. The Standard is the Standard, and the secondary was below the line.  Grade:  D

Special Teams
Shaun Suisham was 1-1 on field goals. Chris Rainey had one nice kick return. No returns got called back on penalties. Dallas did have a long punt return. Antonio Brown had two long punt returns. Unfortunately on his second one, where he looked primed to set Pittsburgh up to ice the game, he put the ball on the ground. For an encore he passed on fielding a punt and the ensuring bounce put the Steelers another 15 yards in the hole. This unit cannot seem to stop tripping over its own too feet. The fumble was a decisive momentum shift. Inexcusable.  Grade:  F

Coaching
After a heart breaking letdown the Steelers started off jittery. To their credit, Mike Tomlin kept the team on an even keel. On a day when Tony Romo was moving with alarming ease, the Steelers maintained their composure and did not hesitate to go blow for blow. And for all of the defense’s flaws, they did force Dallas off the field at a couple of key points (only to watch their special teams self destruct.)

Dick Lebeau had a difficult task. His adjustments didn’t manage to get much pressure on Romo, but overall the defense’s performance might have been good enough. Ditto Todd Haley. Much is made of the inability to get Heath Miller the ball in the second half, but the Steelers offense did tie the game in the 3rd and took the lead in the first. Ultimately the Steelers did make some adjustments, but they weren’t enough. Grade:  C

Unsung Hero
He’s a guy who doesn’t see the stat sheet a lot and will in all likelihood have to fight for a roster spot every summer at St. Vincents. But Ben Roethlisberger called his number twice, and twice he delivered with double digit receptions, including one that helped set up the Steelers first score. On the Steelers second score, he helped open the daylight that lead to Dwyer’s first half ending touchdown, and for that Will Johnson is the Unsung Hero of the Dallas game.

Thanks for visiting. Click here for other Steelers Report Cards. Or, click here to follow Steel Curtain Rising on Twitter @SteelCurtainRis.

Read More

Tomlin Shuffles Steelers Depth Chart, Voluntary and Involuntary...

In dropping games to Baltimore and Cleveland the Pittsburgh Steelers have repeated something they’ve rarely done since Mike Tomlin’s arrival in 2007 – lose back to back games.

In 2007 it was the Anthony Smith game vs. New England followed by a loss to Jacksonville.

And of course in 2009 the Steelers began by losing to the Cincinnati Bengals at home, and did not stop losing until eeking out a last second victory vs. Green Baysix games later.

After the 2009 season, Steelers President Art Rooney IIcited Tomlin’s ability to snap that losing streak – the Steelers won their final three, as part of the reason why he was so comfortable with having Tomlin as his coach.

The 2009 streak was instructive, because Tomlin’s ability to break the losing streak got little discussion in the press. This stands in sharp contrast to Bill Cowher’s ability to snap his Steelers teams out of similar funks. 

• In 1995, after the Steelers laid an egg vs. Cincinnation Thursday night, Cowher made wholesale roster changes, including shifting Carnell Lake from safety to corner.
• In 2005 the Steelers dropped three straight, including a home loss vs. Cincinnati, and Bill Cowher responded by calling for a full pads practice in December – something rules would prohibit him from doing today.

 But no one really knows what Mike Tomlin did back in 2009 to get the Steelers to stop losing games.

Steelers Nation does know, however, what didn’t work. Horrendous specials teams were at the root of the Steelers first two losses during that ugly ’07 streak. Tomlin cut special teamers Arnold Harrison, Donavan Woods and reserve corner Keenan Ratliff and brought back Anthony Madison but those moves did not halt the Steelers slide. (Firing Bob Ligashesky would have been a wiser move.)

After a tough overtime loss to the Ravens, Tomlin promised to “Raise Hell in December” only to see the team fall even flatter on its face vs. the Browns in Cleveland. In between he talked big about benching starters, but the only move that materialized was Joe Burnett going in for William Gay on a few series.

Mendenhall Demoted, Mike Wallace Now a “Co-starter”

That was then, however. This is now. Tomlin has made two moves in response to the Steelers latest loss.

Jonathan Dwyer will start for the Steelers vs. the Ravens over Rashard Mendenhall, after Mendenhall fumbled twice, and seemed to shy away from embracing responsibility.

• He also has elevated Emmanuel Sanders to status of costarter, equal to Mike Wallace.

Whether that’s a symbolic move or whether it has more substance behind it remains to be seen, but Mike Wallace has not produced consistently, Emmanuel Sanders has.

Musical Chairs on the Offensive Line, Again

Those won’t be the Steeles only roster moves this Sunday. The Steelers placed Marcus Gilbert on IR, ending his season, and activated first round pick David DeCastro, who has recovered from the knee injury he suffered in preseason.

But Mike Adams is still nursing an ankle injury as is Willie Colon.

So its quite possible that the Steelers offensive line vs. the Ravens will look like this:

• Max Starks – Markuice Pouncey – Doug Legursky – David DeCastro – Ramon Foster

This is one of the configurations they’ve been trying, although Tomlin had earlier said that rookie Kelvin Beachum would start at right tackle.

Not exactly the offensive line you want to take into a crucial match up with your division rival Ravens but “The Standard is the Standard.”

Thanks for visiting. Click here to check out the rest of Steel Curtain Rising. Or... Follow @SteelCurtainRis

Read More

Steelers Signal Special Teams Shake Up, Activate Cromartie-Smith

With Maurkice Pouncey returning to the line up, the Steelers waived offensive lineman John Malecki. So much was expected, just as it is expected that John Malecki will return to the practice squad.

But the Steelers made another move which is more interesting by activating another practice squad player, namely safety Damon Cromartie-Smith.

That move likely signals that corner back Marcus Van Dyke is headed for the bench. The Steelers picked up Van Dyke off of waivers just before the season, and he’s largely played special teams. While did distinguished himself in early weeks, lately he’s been drawing attention to himself for the wrong reason – namely penalties.

In Antonio Brown and Chris Rainey the Steelers have two players capable of doing damage as return men. But neither player has been able to work up any momentum because every time they get a good return, it ends in a penalty. Mike Tomlin vowed to bench the responsible parties....

• ....and while Van Dyke has not been the only offender, he has been a repeat offender.

Damon Cromartie-Smith spent the first 12 games of the Steelers 2011 season on the practice squad, but was activated for the final four due to injuries. He didn’t play much in the secondary, but did help out on specials teams.

Expect to see Cromarti-Smith covering kicks Sunday afternoon while Van Dyke watches in street clothes.

Thanks for visiting. Click here to check out the rest of Steel Curtain Rising. Or... Follow @SteelCurtainRis

Read More

Steelers Fire Al Everest As Special Teams Coach

In a shocking and totally uncharacteristic move the Pittsburgh Steelers fired special teams coach Al Everest.

Unlike his predecessor, Mike Tomlin has not been wont to fire his assistant coaches. He resisted pressure to fire his first special teams coach  Bob Ligashesky  after the 2007 campaign when the Steelers special teams were a glaring liability.  He went to the mat for Bruce Arians after the 2009 season when management preferred to see the oft criticized offensive coordinator go.

But this isn’t an issue of Tomlin being willing to fire or not fire an assistant coach. NFL teams do not fire coaches during the preseason.  Todd Haley did it while in Kansas City, and it was taken as an immediate sign of coaching instability.

(A quick survey of non-NFL sites already has some pundits chalking the move up to the "Todd Haley effect.")

Insights into Al’s Exit Absent….

The news of Everest’s was broken by Jay Glazer on Twitter at 1:24 pm. Since then the scribes in the Pittsburgh press corps have had all day to consult their sources, yet no one has any news on why Everest was let go.

Jim Wexell admitted on Twitter that he never understood why Everest’s replacement, Amos Jones, hadn’t been given the job in 2010.

Alan Robinson of the Tribune-Review offered a possible chink of light on the subject with his comment that Amos Jones “already was doing much of the on-field coaching.” Dale Lolley added to the story by reminding readers that Jones and Mike Tomlin had been friends since coaching together at the University of Cincinnati back in 1999 and 2000.

Fair enough.

But Mike Tomlin certainly did not wake up “think, ‘gee, wouldn’t it be nice to give my buddy Amos a promotion, he does all the work anyway’ and issue a pink slip.

Clearly there’s more to the story.

Reviewing the Everest Record

Al Everest joined the Steelers in January of 2010 after a season where special teams breakdowns had cost the Steelers a minimum of two games.

He made an immediate impact in 2010, with splash special teams plays contributing directly to the margin of victory in road contests vs. Tennessee and Cincinnati.

But special teams performance waned during the later part of 2010, contributing to the Steelers a home loss vs. the Jets. Everest’s special teams also benefited from a rather, “generous,” call in the AFC Divisional playoffs vs. Baltimore.

A quick review of Steel Curtain Rising’s post-game Report Cards for 2011 (click here to review) shows a similar mixed bag. While special teams did come up with big plays and solid play in general, they also suffered two blocked kicks and got suckered by a fake punt vs. Kansas City that never should have happened.

As I observed back in 2009, the history of Steelers history with special teams coaches features an ensemble of Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde characters (click here for the full article).

In that light, Everest clearly continued the trend, as his special teams improved markedly from Bob Ligashesky’s disastrous units.

Now Steelers Nation had better hope that Amos Jones can buck the trend.

Thanks for visiting. Click here to check out the rest of Steel Curtain Rising. Or... Follow @SteelCurtainRis

Read More

Steelers Bludgeon Bengals, 35-7

NFL Divisions are like animal packs. By nature, teams vie against each other to determine who claims a spot atop the pecking order.

For a decade, the two top dogs in the AFC North have been the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. The Cincinnati Bengals have never earned a place in the conversation. Early playoff exits after their ’05 and ’09 division crowns merely confirmed Cincinnati ambitious underdogs.

After photo-finish losses to Pittsburgh and Baltimore, Bengals coach Marv Lewis suggested his rookies Andy Dalton and AJ Green were about to effect a change in the pecking order.

But whenever a perennial underling challenges the Alpha Male and realizes he has the upper hand, he has to make a gut check that determines whether he’s really ready to be the top dog or not.

Against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field the Bengals faced their gut check on their very first drive at the Steelers nine yard line. Unfortunately for Queen City faithful, when that moment arrived, the Bengals flinched.

It was one flinch too many allow against a Steelers team unhappy to be on the outside looking in at the AFC North Alpha Male slot....

The Flinch

The Bengals started the game with the look of a team that had every intention of challenging for AFC North supremacy. They forced a quick Pittsburgh three and out and then proceeded to march into the Red Zone on the strength of the longest pass play allowed by the Steelers this season.

They drove all the way to the Steelers 4 and appeared to draw blood with a beautifully executed touchdown pass. Cincinnat nullified its score with a penalty.

• The issue is never really whether a team takes points of off the board with a penalty, but how well they bounce back.

Cincinnati followed with another pass attempt, this one too high, forcing them to settle for a field goal.

Cincinnati appeared to make good on its field goal attempt, but wait, they took too long in getting it off.

• Again, the issue is never really whether a team takes points of off the board with a penalty, but how well they bounce back.

Cameron Heyward was there when Cincinnati lied up to kick again, and instead of Cincinnati bouncing back, Heyward bounced the ball off his hands blocking the field goal. The would-be contender flinched, and the Steelers took advantage by knocking them silly.

Arians' Chameleon Ariseth....

Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer posses one of the finest defensive minds in the game. In the 2009 match up at Heinz Field he not only gave Ben Roethlisberger fits, but almost seemed to issue a template for shutting him down.

Zimmer frustrated the Steelers offense early and often in the first quarter.

But the Steelers responded with a dynamism on offense that heretofore they had only hinted at, and their first scoring drive provides a perfect example. In nine plays:

• Isaac Redman pounded the ball for gains of 7 and 9 yards (plus a couple of shorter ones)
• Ben Roethlisberger hit Hines Ward for a short 5 yard gain
• Weslye Saunders posted a medium gain of 14 yards
• And Roethlisberger hit Antonio Brown for 45 yards, the longest gain of the season

And as if to make a statement that all of his aerial weapons hadn’t relegated the Steelers to the status of a “finesse” offense, Bruce Arians called four straight runs in the Red Zone, resulting in Mendenhall’s 3 yard touchdown scamper.

After forcing a quick three and out by Cincinnati, Mike Wallace drew a pass interference call which brought the Steelers into the red zone again and again the Steelers pounded it in, as Mendenhall rushed for 20 yards on 3 carries to put the Steelers up by 14.

Long ago, Mike Tomlin disavowed any a desire to have a “running” or a “passing” offense, but rather an offense that transformed itself into what it needed to be given the circumstances. The Steelers have flashed this ability before, but against Cincinnati, the men in Black and Gold to a first step towards making that goal a reality.

Cincinnati’s Wiley E. Coyote Moment

The Steelers of course, failed to shut out the Bengals. Down 21 to zip, Andy Dalton put together a ten play touchdown drive, getting Cincinnati on the board with less than 4 minutes in the half. Zimmer’s defense quickly forced the Steelers to punt.

Could the Bengals get on the board again and make a game of it?



Naw, this was nothing more than their Wiley E. Coyote moment – Pittsburgh already pushed Cincinnati off of the cliff, the Bengals just hadn’t stopped to look down.

The Steelers defense forced them to look down on the next drive and for good measure Antonio Brown gave them a downward push with his 60 yard punt return.

The Stat sheet says the two teams played for 30 more minutes - Steel Curtain Rising says the game ended here.

Late Season Stride?

The victory over the Bengals gives the Steelers a 8-3 record, tying them for best in the AFC. But that’s window dressing. The Ravens of course beat the Cleveland Browns and hold the decisive tiebreaker over Pittsburgh.

The Bengals started the day playing like a contender. In rebuffing them the Steelers gave them the familiar appearance of the division doormat that they used to be.

• That’s ironic, because the Steelers' AFC North hopes require Cincinnati to regain its contender form and smartly enough to beat the Ravens on the final week of the season.

But the Steelers can’t control that. Their focus now must solely be on playing their "Best Football."

Because if the execution and focus that Pittsburgh displayed at Heinz Field vs. the Bengals is any indication, the Steelers "Best Football" can carry them to Lombardi Number Seven, regardless of how the AFC North race finishes.

Thanks for visiting. Click here to check out the rest of Steel Curtain Rising. Or, click here to follow us on Twitter @SteelCurtainRis.

Read More

Steelers Report Card vs. the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium

From the grade book of a teacher who is pleased to see his star pupil has moved to the head of the class, here goes the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for their victory over the Bengals. No other grades have been consulted.

Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger was flawless on the Steelers three touchdown drives, and his lone interception was decidedly not his fault. With that said, he had at least one other "should have been an interception" took too many sacks, and was not terribly effective on third down. Ben's performance was "above the line" but the Steelers need more from him over the next six games. Grade: B

Running Backs
Look at the stat sheet. Rashard Mendenhall only ran for 44 yards with a seemingly pathetic 2.8 average. And Isaac Redman and Mewelde Moore were only a little better. And stats can be misleading. Mendenhall punched in not one, but two touchdowns and both were examples of power rushing par excellence. Redman also ground out a key 11 yard carry on the go ahead touchdown drive. All three running backs blocked well. Grade: B

Wide Receivers
Hines Ward apparently has slipped to the 4th receiver position a bittersweet reality made palatable by the emergency of Antonio Brown. Antonio Brown’s development is taking on phenomenal proportions. This guy simply catches EVERYTHING. Mike Wallace again showed he’s now one-note Johnny. And, after 6-7 weeks of functioning as little more than a paper weight Jericho Cotchery is emerging as a weapon. Wesleye Saunders came through with a big play. Grade: A

Offensive Line
It seems like individual units are prone to let downs. After turning in its best performance of the season against the Ravens, if not perhaps several seasons, the offensive line slumped badly. Credit Cincinnati wearing down the line with their constant defensive line rotation because as the game wore on, the Steelers offensive line began to lose the battle at the line of scrimmage more consistently and the run and pass blocking suffered accordingly. Grade: C-

Defensive Line
Cincinnati might not have piled up a lot of yards, but they ran the ball effectively, particularly Bernard Scott. The Steelers likewise got little or no pressure on Andy Dalton. That’s not completely the fault of the defensive line, but the responsibility starts with them. Grade: C

Linebackers
James Harrison wasn’t much of a factor, although he was blatantly held for most of the day. Jason Worlids got a lot of time looking a lot more like the next Carlos Emmons than the next Woodley. James Farrior was back in action and looked OK. Lawrence Timmons defense a pass and came down with a difficult interception. Grade: B-

Secondary
William Gay had a whale of a game with defensed passes, 5 tackles, and an interception. Ike Taylor, Keenan Lewis, Cotez Allen, and Curtis Brown all made plays. AJ Greens touchdown catch in double coverage vs. Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark was ugly, and the inability of either play to attempt a play drops the grade for this group. But Troy Polamalu was a force in run support registering two tackles for losses and limiting several others to short gains. Grade: B

Special Teams
On the plus side, both Justin Kapinos and Shaun Suisham kicked well. However, Antonio Brown was average in the return game and Cincinnati got some daylight on both its punt and kick returns. Last year at about mid-season the quality of the Steelers covrage units began to slip. Let’s hope this isn’t the beginning of a repeat performance. Grade: B-

Coaching
Prepping your team to ride the roller coaster that is the NFL season is an under aperciated talent. The Steelers loss against the Ravens could have been brutally deflating, but Mike Tomlin kept that from happening. Likewise, as Zimmer’s defense began to wear down the Steelers offense, Bruce Arians made adjustments. They may not have scored a lot in the second half, but they burned up a lot of lock. Dick LeBeau can now notch another victory over a rookie quarterback on his belt. Grade: B

Unsung Hero
The only highlight reels that this player is going to get this week are for a botched play that allowed the Bengals to cut had been a 14-0 lead to 14-10. And while you never want to see such plays, Heath Miller more than made up for it with other plays. His 18 yard catch set up the Steelers second touchdown and then he paved the way for Mendenhall to make it into the end zone. He also made the key block on Mendehall’s go ahead touchdown, and for that Heath Miller is the Steelers Unsung Hero of the week.

Thanks for visiting. Click here for other Steelers Report Cards. Or, click here to follow Steel Curtain Rising on Twitter @SteelCurtainRis.

Read More

Steelers Report Card vs. Titans

From a teacher who suspects his pupils got a stern talking to after receiving their mid-semester report. Here goes the Steelers report card for their Tumbling of the Titans. As always, no other grades have been consulted.

Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger’s first two passes were off, and the interception before the half seemed foolish. But beyond that, Roethlisberger was damm near perfect, throwing five touchdown passes for the second time in his careeer. Moreover, he adjusted his game, and got the ball out smartly. Grade: A-

Running Back
Overall rushing averages might fail to impress, but Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer did something that had yet to be done in the first four games – make the Steelers running game relevant. And that made a huge difference as Ben Roethlisberger used play-action to perfection. Grade: B+

Wide Receivers
Seven different receivers caught balls, and all of them made plays, from Hines Ward and Heath Miller returning to their roles as Mr. Dependable I and Mr. Dependable II, to Antonio Brown’s catch which set up the first TD, to Mike Wallace burning Tennessee deep after he burned them underneath. Against the Titans, Steelers Nation glimpsed what Pittsburgh’s offense could be with a compotent running game and decent pocket protection. Grade: A

Offensive Line
Who says that you can’t sign quality left tackles off of the street? Turthfully, it is possible to give Max Starks too much credit for the line’s rebound, as Pouncey played markedtly better and Foster looks to settle back into a starting role. But Starks did make a difference on any number of plays. The line opened up holes for the runners and give Ben what he needs, time. Grade: B+

Defensive Line
Cameron Heyward got his first NFL sack, Ziggy Hood got part of another, Brett Kiesel batted a pass that got intercepted and Chris Hoke had two tackles for losses. Outside of one quality 21 yard run, Chris Johnson was not a factor. The Steelers defensive line played head and shoulders over what it had done before, and that allowed other things to click for the defense. Grade: B+

Linebackers
James Farrior played as if he took all of those “over the hill” comments personally. His career may be winding down, but Farrior seems determined to go out with a bang. LaMarr Woodley atoned for his past misdeed with 3 splash plays. Lawrence Timmons also had a tackle for a loss and a pass defense. Grade: B+

Secondary
Statistically Matt Hasselbeck didn’t have a bad day, but he also did not move his team effectively until garbage time rolled around. Still, there were a few miscues that lead to the late touchdown and the defense needs to guard against those. Grade: B

Special Teams
The successful fake punt and another moster game by the return team are nice. A blocked field goal and the failure to recover an on-sides kick are not so nice. While its gone unnoticed because of everything else and because of some dumb penalties, the Steelers special teams breakdowns are happening with alarming familiarity. The breakdowns must stop. Grade: C-

Coaching
Mike Tomlin said after the Texans game that their was nothing that ailed the Steelers that couldn’t be solved with a little better blocking and better tackling, and he was one to something. Really, it looked like a different team out there between the improved run defense, improved offensive line, and flawless play calling by Bruce Arians on offense. Grade: A

Unsung Hero
This award could go to a lot of different guys. With young studs blossoming into super stars around him we have not seen a lot of him, but with 7 catches 2 touchdowns and a number of key third down conversions, Hines Ward is Steel Curtain Rising’s Unsung Hero of the Titans game.

Thanks for visiting. Click here for other Steelers Report Cards. Or, click here to follow Steel Curtain Rising on Twitter @SteelCurtainRis.

Read More

Watch Tower: Bouchette Exaggerates the Impact of Kicking Off From the 35 Yard Line

One of the new NFL rules adopted this year is the decision to move kickoff from the 30 to the 35 yard line in the name of safety.



The more correct way to describe the rule is return the kickoff spot to the 35 yard line.



It would be difficult for younger NFL fans to know that based on the coverage the rule change got. Most writers simply praised or criticized the move and, in one tone or another, discussed how safety was bringing another change to the game.



Few bothered to remind readers that kickoffs had been made from the 35 yard line for generations, and even fewer bothered to talk about what impact the previous rule change had had.



The reaction to the rule changed seemed exaggerated then.



Fans who cut their teeth watching the game in the ‘80’s and early ‘90’s and share memories of dramatic kickoff returns changing the course of pivotal games. Indeed, Rod Woodson’s 84 kickoff return for a touchdown against San Diego not only sparked a comeback victory by the 1989 Steelers but arguably their remarkable playoff run.



During the first Joe Gibbs era Redskins return man Mike Nelms might not have been as popular as Theismann, Riggins, or “the Hogs” but even young Steelers Nation members growing up in exile in the DC area such as yours knew who he was.



Fans from that era certainly remember names like Detroit’s Mel Grey, Indy’s Clarence Verdin, or Philly’s Vai “You can’t hope to stop him you can only hope to contain him” Sikahema.



Much To Do About A Lot Less



The NFL preseason brings the first test of the new kickoff rules, and veteran Steelers scribe Ed Bouchette wasted little time in assessing the impact:

The kickoffs, moved from the 30 to the 35, worked well. They were moved to help avoid injury and they did that last night. All but one were touchbacks. They should have just removed the kickoffs all together and have the offense start at the 20 after each score. Save time. As it stands now, it's a charade. [Emphasis added.]

Such an attitude from someone born in the ‘80’s or ‘90’s would be easy to understand. But coming from someone who has covered the NFL since the early 1970’s?



That peeked my interest, and prompted me to do some research into the actual impact of the original movement of the ball from the 35 to the 30 yard line.



For points of reference, I looked into kick return data from 1993 and 1994, the years before and after the last rule change. To get a basis for how things had been from before then, I went back through 1989, 1985, 1981, and 1977 that’s four seasons at separated by four years. Likewise, I did the same, moving forward, taking data from 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010.



The results were interesting:

From this snap shot, we can draw a couple of quick conclusions:

• We’ll see fewer long runs now that the kickoff is back at the 35 yard line





• Touchbacks will be more common, as more balls were returned after the kickoff was moved to the 30 yard line





• Overall impact on field position, however, will not be greatly impacted





• Steelers fans can expect to see the Steelers score about half as many touchdowns on kick returns





• Steelers fans can expect to see far fewer touchdowns cored against the Steelers

The Steelers, playing in the AFC Central/AFC North and with a Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde nature to their special teams performance, should not be considered representative of the NFL.



To draw a more representative sample, data from the same years was collected for the Cowboys, 49ers and Giants. Those three teams were chosen because they provided a good mixture of Super Bowl contenders/champions as well as bottom feeders at various points during the survey.



Those results are a little more thought provoking:

If you’ve read this far, you almost certainly ask “How does this affect the Steelers” when you hear of a new rule change. Let’s see:

• Prior the moving kickoffs back, the Steelers were right on average in terms of balls returned against them, return average, and both touchdowns scored for and against





• Since kickoffs were moved back, the Steelers have had fewer kicks returned against them – this could perhaps be a function of them being scored on less





• Individual long returns for the Steelers have been well above the league average





• Opponents have scored touchdowns against the Steelers with relative ease





• The Steelers return averaged in at about the norm

As for kick off returns in general, these four teams did score touchdowns on kickoff returns about 40% more of the time and there were 20% more returned kicks following the movement of the kickoff spot. Likewise, the average “long” return increased 16%. However, return yardage only increased by about 6%.



At the end of the day, we can say that this mini-set of data indicates that returning the kickoff spot to the 35 yard line will impact the game at the expense of fewer touchdowns and shorter “long” kick off returns.



But does that mean that the return game will now become a “charade?” as Bouchette argues?



It may be counter-intuitive, but I’d argue for the opposite. If anything, I’d argue that the return to the old kickoff spot rule gives a greater advantage to the team that can consistently open holes for a return man who is a treat to “go all the way.”



I don’t mean to criticize Ed Bouchette for expressing the opposite opinion, nor would it be fair to single him out for ignoring the fact that kickoffs used to be spotted at the 35 as he is far from alone. He could have, however, backed up his argument with a little bit of research however….

Thanks for visiting. To read more analysis of the media that cover the Steelers, click here to read more from Steel Curtain Rising's Watch Tower.

Read More