TGS 2007 Football Preview Bonus: Pittsburg Steelers

PITTSBURGH—Outside of Jack Murtha (left), John Dingell, John Conyers, and a handful of other long-serving Congressmen, there aren’t many other jobs with the sort of security that goes along with being head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Following Bill Cowher’s retirement after 15 years on the job, and the preceding 23 campaigns on Chuck Noll’s watch, ex-Vikings d.c. Mike Tomlin becomes only the third coach of the Steelers in 39 seasons. Although it might surprise members of the ESPN generation that things weren’t always so stable in Pittsburgh. Indeed, when Noll was hired in 1969, he became the fourth Steelers coach in a 6-season span that also included Buddy Parker, Mike Nixon, and Bill Austin, all dismissed. And oldtimers might remember that Pittsburgh was once the laughingstock franchise of the NFL for decades, never reaching the playoffs until Terry Bradshaw, Mean Joe Greene & Co. turned the trick in 1972. And that prior to those glory years of the Steel Curtain defense and Franco Harris’ Italian Army, kindly owner Art Rooney was regarded as the most-gracious loser in American sport.

Enough of the trip down memory lane. Anyway, only guys as old as Murtha and Dingell can vividly recall the days of the Steelers as the NFL’s punching bag, and the highly-regarded Tomlin has no intention of revisiting that dark period in franchise history anytime soon.

Not that Tomlin’s (right) first Pittsburgh team is guaranteed to remind anyone of past Steelers Super Bowl winners, either. Right off the bat, it’s imperative that QB Ben Roethlisberger put 2006 behind him as quickly as possible. The year went downhill quickly for Big Ben (lower left) after the Super Bowl win over Seattle, starting in the offseason when suffering injuries (and lucky not to be killed) in a downtown motorcycle accident, then undergoing an emergency appendectomy in September. Along with a slew of interceptions (he ended with 23), Roethlisberger went from Super Bowl to super bust by midseason, although he and the team recovered enough down the stretch to reach .500 and deny AFC North rival Cincinnati of a playoff spot on the last day of the regular season.

The formula is changing a bit this fall with new o.c. Bruce Arians (once Temple’s HC and a long-time NFL assistant) running the attack. Arians has already shaken things up a bit by stating he’d like to use as many as three TEs at one time, and those multiple TE sets, likely featuring rugged Heath Miller and rookie Matt Spaeth (Minnesota), should afford the flexibility of throwing out of what appear to be running formations, especially on first downs. The resultant ability to spread the field will hopefully create gaps in which explosive RB Willie Parker (right; a whopping 1494 YR in ‘06, plus 16 TDs) can exploit. Roethlisberger will also be given more responsibility at the line of scrimmage. All-Pro G Alan Faneca, however, wasn’t apparently thrilled at Tomlin’s appointment (he was an unabashed advocate of former OL coach Russ Grimm, who followed last year’s o.c., Ken Whisenhunt, to Arizona), threatening a holdout unless his contract is reworked or he’s traded (preferably to the Cardinals). We’ll see what happens. Arians has also said he isn’t afraid to use 4 wideouts at a time, either, making better use of last year’s top draft pick, Santonio Holmes, who ended up leading all AFC rookie receivers with 49 catches, while further utilizing the talents of the versatile Hines Ward, who caught another 74 passes in ‘06. There are still some depth issues, however, especially after Tomlin and Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert laid fairly low during free agency.

Tomlin’s initial impact on the franchise, however, is likely to come on defense, where it’s expected he’ll slowly wean the Steelers from their long-time 3-4 alignments, a staple since Noll’s days in the early ‘80s, into a 4-3 with “Tampa 2" looks that Tomlin was running lately in Minnesota. Holdover d.c. Dick LeBeau is on board with the changes, and elements of both defenses figure to be included in the fall, with the new emphasis on the 4–3 also partially necessitated by the release of LB Joey Porter, who signed with Miami. The sort of flexibility Tomlin likes in his defenders was reflected in top two draft picks LB Lawrence Timmons (Florida State) & DE LaMarr Woodley (Michigan), each of whom can be used as situational pass rushers at DE and allow OLBs James Harrison & Clark Haggans to not have to rush the QB on every passing down, which they were continually asked to do in the Cowher regime. Both rookies, especially Timmons, are expected to contribute right away, as LB is another area where depth issues are a concern, and they each fit the “younger and faster” priority Tomlin has placed on the platoon. Not many changes are needed on the defensive front, however, which was tough against the run in ‘06, not allowing an opponent to rush for over 100 yards while ranking a solid 3rd vs. the rush. Longtime DL coach John Mitchell was wisely retained by Tomlin, and immovable NT Casey Hampton (left) remains the anchor in the pits. Tomlin and LeBeau were also apparently comfortable enough with their returning options in the 2ndary that they didn’t make a DB choice in the draft until the 7th round (Louisville CB William Gay).

Bottom line...The transition from Cowher to Tomlin hasn’t been completely smooth, with some internal factions wondering why the replacement didn’t come from within. Further, team captains Faneca and Ward (upset that friend Joey Porter was released) have been slow to buy into the new regime. Even if Roethlisberger returns to his pre-2006 form, we wonder if the changes being implemented on defense might keep the Steelers out of the playoffs again.

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