Because of the Bye Week, this is technically the 44% of the season report.
What has gone right?
The Steelers sit atop the division despite two straight losses. It has been a season of many highs and lows.
Ben Roethlisberger has played some of his best football. Giving him a mulligan on the Miami game, because everyone played terrible. He is clearly a difference maker. Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell are the best one-two punch in the NFL. The key is getting all three on the field at one time.
Jesse James has done a nice job, filling in for not only Ladarius Green but a Steelers legend in Heath Miller. To me Ross Cockrell is the unsung hero of this team. He has done a terrific job in coverage without a pass rush to help him.
Jarvis Jones continues to develop and he was the best player on the field in the New England game. The stats don’t really show it, but he has stepped up his game. James Harrison continues to provide some much needed help on defense. Cam Heyward has done a terrific job when not injured.
The offensive line was awesome until Gilbert was injured. They are mobile, agile and absolutely tough. Alejandro Villanueva has done a nice job in year two.
What has gone wrong?
Injuries have been awful again, seriously awful. For those keeping score at home, Ben Roethlisberger which is always very hard, D’Angelo Williams, Bud Dupree, Ryan Shazier, Marcus Gilbert, Robert Golden, Sammy Coates and “Steel Head” Heyward to name a few. Missing these guys played key roles in the last two losses. The defense looks lost without Heyward. Also Ladarius Green is a mystery although he finally looks to be back soon.
The Steelers continued their trend losing to the dreck of football. I actually copied this from last years AND the year before. Losing to the Patriots is always rough and the Steelers had them on the hook, I hope we get another shot at them, but losing to the Dolphins with a packed Steelers house in Miami is inexcusable. I spent half my time at the bar at the hotel arguing over what a great coach Tomlin is and then the Steelers were so badly prepared they lost to a team that was on their last legs. They were gored by a mediocre back for 200 yards plus.
What happened to the pass rush? The Steelers used to be tops in sacks. Again what happened? Last year it looked like the defense turned the corner, as of today they are last in sacks and interceptions. The defense has had good Cornerback play, so pressure has been the issue. How about using Shazier in pass rush situations and playing Vince Williams more?
Reasons for Concern: The defense needs to find a pass rush. The Steelers can beat ANYONE…and proved they can lose to anyone. Starting to realize I am plagiarizing myself, from last year. It has been this way for three seasons and it is truly frustrating. The loss in Philadelphia was just an embarrassment, the loss to the Dolphins was again just inexcusable.
Offensive Game Beer: Has to be Antonio Brown again, he is such a huge factor for the Steelers offense. He narrowly beats out Ben Roethlisberger who would have been the game beer winner, if not for the Dolphins game.
Defensive Game Beer: Ross Cockrell, he has done a terrific job in stabilizing a tough position.
Disappointment of the first half: Losing to the Dolphins when the place was all Steelers fans. A win in that game would have put the Steelers in a great position to win the division. Now they are still slogging it out.
Most Improved: I am going with Jarvis Jones, he looks to finally be cashing in on his promise. He has done some nice things and the sacks will be coming, look for a breakout second half.
GRADES:
QB: A-, Big Ben has played extremely well except for the Dolphins game. He gives the Steelers a chance to win every week and is one of the best at his position. I recently heard a local sportscaster who summed it up perfectly, switch Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger with Marvin Lewis and Andy Dalton and they would be the division winners every year
RB: A+, Le’Veon Bell is an outstanding back who has done a tremendous job when called upon. D’Angelo Williams would be starting for literally half the teams in the league and Fitz Toussaint has filled in admirably.
WR: A, This crew is the best in the league, They have a superstar in Antonio Brown, who makes 99% of the plays, they have a field stretcher in Sammie Coates, they have a terrific big play veteran in Darrius Heyward-Bey and an exciting young prospect in Eli Rogers. Markus Wheaton needs to turn it up in the second half.
TE: B, Jesse James and Xavier Grimble have done a fine job in helping the offense. David Johnson’s second act with the Steelers has been mostly as an H-Back. He has been a terrific blocker. We can only imagine how good this unit will be when they have Ladarius Green stretching he field.
OL: B, This could have easily been an A. But losing Gilbert has slowed them down and they put up a stinker against the Eagles. Again though, this is one of the best units in the league and they will have a huge second half.
DL: D+, If Cam didn’t get injured it would have been a B-. They have had some great games and then some not so great. I like Jason Hargrave and he adds a dimension, Mt. McCullers continues to develop. Without question this is the unit that WILL improve the most as the season moves on. Once Cam is back, look for the scary trend of getting torched on the ground to come to an end.
LB: C- Jarvis Jones is the bright spot here. Lawrence Timmons has played consistent except for the Miami game. Ryan Shazier is exciting but has been injured again. Silverback has shown flashes of brilliance but he has been playing sparingly, Vince Williams has been good when called upon. Arthur Moats has been a non-factor.
DBs: C-, The secondary has been getting torched for big yards but they usually right the ship inside the 20’s. Ross Cockrell has played well, Robert Golden has also done okay. Mike Mitchell takes too many stupid penalties and plays like a Safety from the 70’s drilling guys instead of tackling. William Gay has done okay. Justin Gilbert is intriguing and if he could work hard he could put himself in a good position. I like Artie Burns and he has solid coverage skills, he needs to tackle better. There is a lot of upside in this group as well.
Specials: B, Little Bos had one bad game but has done a good job. Jordan Berry you can say the same. The Steelers have produced two turnovers on Special Teams which is good. Our best returner is AB but I HATE SEEING him back there. I almost forgot Greg Warrens name, so that means he is doing great!
Coaching: C , The coaches are doing C work right now. The record and where they are in the standings is why this is a passing grade. Losing to the Dolphins is just inexcusable and downright embarrassing. The Steelers need more consistency and Keith Butler is on the spot, they need much better defensive game plan.
What does part two look like: The Steelers have the division well within reach and a first round bye with some luck. They need to get Ben back out there. But more importantly turn the defense around. The Steelers should go 6-3 down the stretch putting them at 10-6, which should win the division and at worst 9-7 which gives them a long shot at the Wild Card.
BEER WE GO STEELERS! BEER WE GO!