Big step forward
Running back Le’Veon Bell was a big reason the Steelers offense ranked near the top of the NFL in most categories. His 2,215 yards from scrimmage led the AFC,
Strong safety Troy Polamalu likely played his last season with the Steelers.The Steelers defense showed a marked regression in 2014. The defense was ranked 18th overall, the lowest ranking of any Steelers defense under the direction of defensive coordinator Dick LeaBeau.
PITTSBURGH – When asked what grade he would give the Steelers’ 2014 season, guard David DeCastro was blunt.
“There’s one way to grade seasons here in Pittsburgh and that’s Super Bowls. So, I guess you’d give it an F,” DeCastro said.
It’s a good thing DeCastro became a football player and not a teacher. He wouldn’t have been too popular with that grading curve.
But the point is well taken.
For the Steelers, every season is Super Bowl or bust. It leaves them disappointed most seasons. But some disappointments are different than others.
While an opening-round playoff loss to Baltimore wasn’t the desired result, the Steelers took a big step forward in 2014. Following back-to-back 8-8 seasons that saw them miss the postseason, Pittsburgh finished 11-5 and won the AFC North division title.
More importantly, the Steelers accomplished their improvement with a number of young players filling important roles.
“I’m excited about that, especially with the young guys,” said guard Ramon Foster. “A lot of guys grew up this year.”
The growth was particularly evident on offense, where the Steelers saw a dramatic rise from 20th in yardage and 16th in scoring in 2013 to second and seventh, respectively. The 411 yards and 27.3 points per game both were team records.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger flourished in his third season working with offensive coordinator Todd Haley, setting or matching team records for yards (4,952) and touchdown passes (32), while leading the AFC with a passer rating of 103.3.
“I don’t really care about what I did,” said Roethlisberger, who started all 16 games for the second season in a row. “I’m proud of the way that this team bounced back from the last two years and got back to the playoffs. Obviously, it didn’t go the way that we wanted it to, but it only ever ends for one team the way they want it to. I’m proud of the way a lot of young guys stepped up, the way that the offensive line played this year.”
That improvement earned the much-maligned Haley a contract extension.
The same could not be said of defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. LeBeau, 77, announced Saturday he resigned as defensive coordinator of the Steelers, a position he’s held the past 11 years.
That could obviously lead to some changes with the defense.
The only question surrounding the offense heading into the offseason will be Roethlisberger’s contract status. He turns 33 in March and has one year remaining on his current deal, which is scheduled to pay him $11.6 million with a cap hit of $18.4 million.
Team president Art Rooney II said the Steelers will work on an extension with their star quarterback this offseason that will allow him to finish his career in Pittsburgh and that it will be a priority.
Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown both were named first-team All-Pro after record-setting seasons, as was center Maurkice Pouncey.
Bell, voted team MVP by his teammates, had a spectacular second season, emerging as one of the most complete running backs in the NFL. A second-round draft pick in 2013, the 22-year-old rushed for 1,361 yards and eight touchdowns and set team records for a running back with 83 receptions for 854 yards and three scores. His 2,215 yards from scrimmage led the AFC and also were a team record.
But Bell suffered a hyperextended knee in the regular season finale against Cincinnati and was unable to play against the Ravens.
After releasing backup LeGarrette Blount at midseason following his decision to leave a win Nov. 17 at Tennessee, the Steelers were left with rookies Josh Harris and Dri Archer as the only backups.
Finding a backup to Bell, who is likely to be suspended at least one game next season following an arrest for DUI in August, will be critical to this offseason.
As good as Bell was, Brown might have been more dynamic. The fifth-year pro became the first Steelers receiver to lead the league in receptions (129) and receiving yardage (1,598), shattering team records for both.
While Brown was a known commodity, who would emerge opposite him with the offseason losses of both Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery in free agency was not.
Markus Wheaton, a second-year pro, and Martavis Bryant, a rookie drafted in the fourth round, basically shared the job.
Wheaton finished with 53 receptions for 644 yards, while Bryant exploded onto the scene after being inactive for the first month and a half, catching 26 passes for 549 yards and eight touchdowns in the final 10 games.
The team is especially excited about the possible growth the 6-4, 211-pound Bryant might experience this offseason.
“The thing is, he has to continue to grow and have an open mind,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “He has to acknowledge that he doesn’t have all the answers. Sometimes, that is seemingly more difficult than it appears.”
In his 10th season, tight end Heath Miller had another solid, if unspectacular, season, catching 66 passes for 761 yards and three touchdowns while also doing yeoman-like work as a blocker. He was backed up by eight-year veteran Matt Spaeth, who excels as a blocker but offers little as a receiver.
With both getting up in age, the Steelers must start looking to the future at the position.
Rookie Rob Blanchflower, a seventh-round draft pick, spent his rookie season on the practice squad and opened some eyes late in the year on the scout team. He could push for a roster spot in 2015.
Led by Pouncey, the offensive line had a solid season, paving the way for Bell and allowing Roethlisberger to be sacked 33 times in over 600 pass attempts.
All five starters are 26 or younger with the exception of Foster and are under contract for 2015, as are top backups Mike Adams and Cody Wallace. The team might want to add to the group with an eye to the future. Foster and Adams have just one year each remaining on their current contracts.
While the offense should return relatively intact next season, expect a number of changes on defense, where linebackers coach Keith Butler is expected to replace LeBeau.
Twenty-two different players started at least one game on defense for the Steelers in 2014 as the team fell to 18th in the league in yards and points allowed per game. That was down from 13th and 14th in 2013, respectively.
Veterans Troy Polamalu, Brett Keisel, Ike Taylor and James Harrison – who was re-signed four weeks into the season – are aren’t expected to return, while linebackers Jason Worilds and Arthur Moats, cornerbacks Brice McCain and Antwon Blake and safety Will Allen are all scheduled to become free agents.
The Steelers signed Worilds to a transition tag in 2014 that paid him $9.75 million and he matched defensive end Cam Heyward for the team lead with 7.5 sacks.
The team would like to sign him to a long-term deal at a reasonable price, especially since the only other outside linebacker currently under contract for 2015 is Jarvis Jones, who spent much of his second season injured. If Worilds leaves, the Steelers could try to re-sign Harrison.
“I thought he evolved over the course of the season,” Tomlin said of Worilds. “I thought his arrow was pointing up. I thought he did a nice job for us regardless of what we asked him to do.”
The biggest mystery surrounding the team heading into 2015 will be Jones and inside linebacker Ryan Shazier, the Steelers’ top draft picks from the previous two seasons.
Both opened in the starting lineup but had their season derailed by injuries.
Jones appeared in seven games, starting three, and had 15 tackles and two sacks, while Shazier played in nine games with five starts and made 34 tackles.
The team has similar issues at cornerback.
Taylor and Cortez Allen opened the season as the starters but were benched because of injuries and ineffectiveness in favor of William Gay, McCain and Blake.
While Taylor will not be back, Allen, who is just 26 and was signed to a 5-year, $26-million contract before the season began, will get another opportunity to prove he can rebound.
“How you respond to the adversity that the game of football or professional football presents you often times defines you and defines your career,” Tomlin said of Allen, who finished the season on injured reserve after fracturing his thumb and undergoing a minor knee surgery. “He’s going to be faced with a stiff challenge in terms of responding to the adversity that he faced this year.”
The same could be said of safety Mike Mitchell, the team’s big offseason free agent signing. Much like the man he replaced, Ryan Clark, Mitchell struggled in his first season adjusting to the Steelers’ defensive scheme. He played better late in the season and the Steelers will likely go into 2015 with Mitchell and Shamarko Thomas as their starting safety tandem.
With further improvement of Heyward and the emergence of rookies Stephon Tuitt and Daniel McCullers, the defensive line appears set and the defense is well-stocked at inside linebacker, where Lawrence Timmons made his first Pro Bowl.
With the salary cap expected to increase to just under $141 million, the Steelers enter the offseason with about $4.5 million in cap space. But the expected retirements of Polamalu and Keisel and releases of defensive lineman Cam Thomas and wide receiver Lance Moore would increase that amount to around $13.5 million, enough to allow the team to extend Roethlisberger and sign a handful of free agents.
Those could come on offense or defense.
“We are trying to get better and what all of that entails,” Tomlin said. “Just because we have some outstanding, front-line guys on offense, it doesn’t mean that we can’t get better. It might be as simple as fortifying depth in some positions. But we aren’t going to neglect any element of our team as we try to build it as strong as it can be for 2015.”