Beer We Go Steelers

Here is the Beer We Go Steelers 2014 Final Roster Analysis. It would be a huge mistake to call this season a failure. While winning the Super Bowl is ALWAYS the goal, winning the division was pretty impressive. This team was fun to watch but was badly flawed specifically in the pass rush and the secondary.

GRADES:

Coaching: A-, Mike Tomlin had a great season, I don’t care what the media said and the crazy fans. say This was Tomlin’s best work as Coach. He maximized Talent, he kept the team focused and at the end of the day he won! Is there room for improvement, of course! Losing to the Jets and the Bucs was AWFUL, but for the most part the Steelers went about as far as the talent could go. Todd Haley year three, finally started rolling. He protected Ben and the offense was original and fun to watch. When they were rolling they were hard to stop.  Dick LeBeau, once again comes under fire after a very mediocre year by the defense. The secondary’s decline continued and not picking a CB in the draft haunted the Steelers all year.  The Secondary was the Achilles heel clearly. The pass rush was not up to Steelers standards and did nothing to protect a weak secondary. I still stand by LeBeau, he is a GREAT coach and went far with the talent he had. Mike Munchack, gets a mention for his work with the O-Line, who improved dramatically.

QB: A, Big Ben had a great year and followed up a terrific 2013 with a better 2014. He struggled in the playoff game, but he is clearly one of the best in the business, one game can’t change that. Bruce Gradkowski and Landry Jones were non factors.

RB: A+, Last year I predicted this will be a sure A. I was right! Le’Veon Bell is awesome and was voted the teams MVP. He set the Steelers record for yards from scrimmage. Will Johnson, did another great job at fullback! The only negative the Steelers had very little help behind him. LeGarrette Blount was a great backup but his lousy attitude hurt the team and he was gone. Dri Archer was never utilized properly, Josh Harris showed some signs.

WR: A+, The best unit on the Steelers, Antonio Brown is amazing and one of the best players in the NFL. He consistently played great all year. Everyone in the unit contributed and the Steelers are seven players deep here.

TE: A-, Heath Miller, was back 100% and his numbers and performance showed it. His backups both performed when called upon, the A belongs to Heath though!

OL: B-, After years of being a weak point, the Offensive Line looks to have turned the corner. Three of the five starters played exceptional, Dave DeCastro was great, Maurkice Pouncey bounced back and was outstanding and Kelvin Beachum, had a great season at LT. Ramon Foster is serviceable and contributed and Marcus Gilbert and Mike Adams look like works in progress. Both made strides!

DL: C, The defensive line put together a pretty good season and made some adjustments to get better. “Steelhead” Heyward continues to be a monster! Brett Keisel put together a solid workmanlike season until he was injured and provided great leadership. Stephon Tuitt and Steve McLendon look like they are improving. This unit looks like it will take the biggest leap next year. Dan McCullers and Cam Thomas both had some moments.

LB: C, This is no longer the Strength of the Steelers. Lawrence Timmons continues to be a consistent and excellent performer. Jason Worilds was a clear disappointment and should not get a huge contract. Sean Spence and Vince Williams kept getting better as the season went on. The Steelers brought back James Harrison and after a slow start lit it up and played great. While his best days are clearly behind him, he made a big impact. The Steelers pass rush was non-existent and the run defense was leaky at best. I like Jarvis Jones and Ryan Shazier but both were non-factors. This unit has huge upside but didn’t perform this season.

DB: C-, The Steelers secondary was as lousy as predicted. Ike Taylor and Troy Polamalu struggled. Troy still has a presence and showed some flashes but he is on the way out. Ike Taylor was a borderline disaster and he clearly doesn’t have a lot left. Mike Mitchell was inconsistent at best. Cortez Allen looked lost and was eventually benched. He has the tools but is just struggling. William Gay played well and would be a good number 2 if the Steelers had a number 1. Brice McCain and Antwon Blake are both worth a second look, but both were exposed several times. This is the number one need in the draft.

Special Teams: B-, Great work by Shaun Suisham. He had one bad week but for the most part played well and was consistent. Brad Wing was erratic at best and Greg Warren played well. Robert Golden did a great job in coverage. Dri Archer was a non factor, Antonio Brown was great but honestly, I hold my breath when he returns punts. With what he means to the offense the Steelers need to rethink that.

BEER WE GO STEELERS! BEER WE GO!