Pittsburgh Steelers: Creating the Blueprint for Optimal Offense in 2015

To find the blueprint for an optimal Pittsburgh Steelers offense this year, one does not have to look far—2014 will suit just fine as a template for the Steelers to send forth a successful offense this season.

Last season, the Steelers offense ranked seventh in points, second in total yards, second in passing yards, 16th in rushing yards, sixth in passing touchdowns, 21st in rushing scores and fifth in interceptions thrown. They possessed the overall second-best offense in the league, just barely trailing the New Orleans Saints.

It wasn't that a new coordinator took over and was able to get the most out of the Steelers' offensive players. It wasn't a new quarterback under center to bring a spark to the team. In fact, the Steelers' offensive skill positions saw very little change from 2013 to 2014.

Stat	Value	Rank
Total Points	436	7th
Total Yards	6,577	2nd
Pass Yards	4,825	2nd
Rush Yards	1,752	16th
Pass TDs	33	6th
Rush TDs	10	21st
Interceptions	10	5th

Running back Le'Veon Bell came into his own, but it was not surprising, given how highly the team regarded him in 2013 when they selected him in the second round of the draft. Wide receiver Antonio Brown was already on a 16-game streak of a minimum five catches per game for at least 50 yards heading into the 2014 season. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was as reliable as ever, finally completing a full 16-game season in 2013 for the first time since 2008.

The difference was in the offensive line. If there was ever a bulletproof example of just how dependent an offense is on the line, the 2014 Steelers would be it. From 2011 to 2013, the Steelers fielded 15 players in 23 different starting combinations on the offensive line. Unsurprisingly, the Steelers finished 8-8 in two of those three seasons. 

But in 2014, the line was stable. Players were not being pulled and added because of poor play, and no starting lineman ended his season on injured reserve. As a result, Roethlisberger had the best season of his career, Bell accounted for over 1,300 of the Steelers' 1,752 rushing yards and Brown extended his five-and-50 streak to 32 games. 

All the Steelers have to do is keep it up. Granted, that's much more easily said than done in the NFL, where one team's success is an opportunity for all 31 of their rivals to invent new and increasingly more clever ways to stop them. There is also the matter of Bell's three-game suspension to start the season; while DeAngelo Williams is an accomplished veteran, he still does not bring the same talents to the table as Bell, who is not just a talented running back, but an integral part of the passing and blocking games as well. 

But one way to "keep it up," so to speak, is for the line to again be solid, healthy and performing at a high level. Football Outsiders ranked the Steelers' 2014 line as the 14th-best in pass protection—having given up 33 sacks, or a sack percentage of 5.8 percent—and sixth-best in run blocking. Pro Football Focus, meanwhile, ranked the line seventh in pass protection, ascribing 22 of Roethlisberger's 33 sacks to them.

Stat	Value	Rank
Time/Drive	2:59	1st
Plays/Drive	6.32	2nd
Yds./Drive	37.5	2nd
Points/Drive	2.23	6th

Tackles Kelvin Beachum and Marcus Gilbert ranked fifth and 23rd, respectively, at their positions. David DeCastro ranked 19th, and Ramon Foster ranked 39th out of 78 guards. Center Maurkice Pouncey ranked sixth. And together, the five were better than the sum of their parts.

Though Roethlisberger, Bell and Brown are talented players—the latter two may be the very best at their respective positions at present—it was the line that allowed them to put together drive after efficient drive. Pro Football Reference notes that the Steelers' 2:59 average drive was tops in the league, their 6.32 plays and 37.5 yards per drive were second-best, and their 2.23 points per drive ranked sixth. 

That the Steelers went from lacking this type of drive efficiency in 2013, despite their skill position talent, to being one of the league's best a season later is a testament to the offensive line and of line coach Mike Munchak. And as long as that line remains intact in 2015, the Steelers should be in good position to reprise their offensive success from 2014.