Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 Questions That Must Be Answered Before Season Opener

At the onset of training camp, head coach Mike Tomlin was excited at the prospect of having an extra week of practices to prepare for the regular season. Now as the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for the final few days at Saint Vincent College, the team still has several questions to answer.

Many of these questions surround the defense, where new coordinator Keith Butler has a number of issues to resolve. Not only does he have to break a number of young players into the starting lineup, but he will also integrate new wrinkles into the scheme.

Unlike Butler, offensive coordinator Todd Haley has his entire offensive unit returning in 2015. Although this appears to make his job easy, he is under a lot of pressure to not only have the offense perform, but to also improve upon its record-setting 2014 season.

These represent just a few of the questions Pittsburgh's coaching staff must address prior to the start of the season. Will they be able to find answers prior to the season opener against the New England Patriots? We have just over three weeks to find out.

What Is Wrong with the Special Teams?

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It is only the preseason, but there is a repeating pattern of poor play by the special teams coverage units.

As noted by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, there is time for special teams coordinator Danny Smith to rectify the issues, but similar problems have occurred over the first two games:

"No need to overreact to preseason special teams work, but this is the second straight week the Steelers have given up a punt return of at least 35 yards after Jags returner Rashad Greene gained 37 yards late in the second quarter. Expect a healthy dose of special teams drills in the final week of camp."

Preseason is never a time for overreaction, but at some point, the special teams needs to show progress in the return game. Through two games, opponents have averaged 20.43 yards per punt return and 26.43 yards per kick return.

By comparison, the Steelers have averaged 4.83 yards per punt return and gained 34 yards on their only kick return. Whether it is the personnel or scheme, Smith must find an answer to these issues and find an answer relatively quickly.

Although the offense can overcome a poor return game with the ability to score from any area of the field, the defense doesn't have such a luxury. Based on what we saw last year, the Steelers' opponents have few issues moving the ball, and the coverage units can't afford to give them a short field to work with.

It is too early to panic, but if the special teams struggle for a third straight week, it will be a cause for concern entering the regular season.

Will the Steelers Emphasize the 2-Point Conversion?

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Rather than settle for an attempt at an extra point from the 15-yard line, Tomlin began to explore the idea of going for two during the offseason, according to Ben Roethlisberger via Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

"Coach told me we were going to do it, and I was a little prepared for it," Roethlisberger said. "It was a little surprising knowing that we haven't put in red zone yet and they haven't put in red-zone defense yet. That's going to be a big part of the game now: teams consciously going for two or at least debating it."

Not only did the Steelers work on this drill during organized team activities, but they also worked on it during training camp with the "Seven Shots" drill at the start of practice. Sure, this could be considered a goal-line drill for red-zone situations, but it fits perfectly within the context of the new NFL extra-point rules.

Historically speaking, the Steelers are very successful when going for the two-point conversion, and with the talent they have on offense, they should continue to convert at a high rate.

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From @ESPNStatsInfo: since 2001, team with best success rate on 2pt conversions = Steelers @ 72.7% (16 of 22).

— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) May 21, 2015

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The Steelers scored nearly three touchdowns per game last season and averaged 27.3 points per game. Given the goal of scoring 30 points per game in 2015, electing to go for two instead of one could help the team meet this goal without any additional scoring plays from what they had in 2014.

Pittsburgh has enough talent on offense to risk going for two more often than not, but is it a risk Tomlin will take as the regular season approaches?

Can Shamarko Thomas Start at Safety?

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Between injuries and an adjustment to playing with Troy Polamalu in Pittsburgh's defense, Mike Mitchell had a rough first season with the Steelers. As he enters his second season, he will once again have a new partner at safety—Shamarko Thomas.

Thomas showed some promise during his 2013 rookie year but was limited to special teams in year two. That leaves a lot of questions as he enters his third season as the favorite to start at strong safety.

As was the case for his first two years in the NFL, Thomas has struggled with injuries and has missed time during training camp. However, he hit the field last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars and came away as one of the "lows," according to Fowler:

"The Steelers' starting safety is probably shaking off rust after missing a few weeks, but Thomas appeared to get fooled on Chad Henne's 31-yard touchdown pass to Clay Harbor. Thomas cut to the middle of the field instead of the sideline."

Beyond this disappointing play, Thomas and Mitchell haven't had much time to build chemistry. With both players sidelined for much of training camp, Tomlin believes it is paramount that the two get on the field at the same time: 

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Tomlin chuckled when asked how big it is that Shamarko Thomas and Mike Mitchell get reps together this preseason. "Pretty big."

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) August 16, 2015

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Thomas has excellent work ethic, and he will continue to prepare as the starter, but as a former fourth-round pick, there is no guarantee that he will succeed. He is only 5'9" and will have trouble matching up with the bigger receivers and tight ends. However, he has the ability to excel in coverage and against the run.

With 2015 representing his first significant action on defense, Thomas will experience some growing pains, but the potential is there for him to be successful. If not, the Steelers have a dependable veteran backup in Will Allen who will be ready if called upon.

Who Will Start at Right Outside Linebacker?

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

One of the perks of being a veteran is that you get the privilege of having several maintenance days off throughout the duration of training camp. James Harrison got that and then some, as he earned a ticket out of practice for the first two weeks at Saint Vincent College.

This was right in line with how the Steelers plan to use him in 2015. According to outside linebackers coach Joey Porter, Harrison's snaps will be limited this year, via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"Harrison is going to be a better player for us if I keep his snap count down to 25 snaps [a game]," said Porter. "I'll get the best James Harrison I can out of him instead of trying to make him play like he was 25 [and getting] 60 snaps a game. I told him already, the James Harrison [of before] is over."

Porter's assessment of Harrison is probably true. A fresher Harrison should only mean more production for Pittsburgh's defense. However, can the Steelers keep their best outside linebacker off the field for a majority of the game?

In vintage Harrison form, he beat Luke Joeckel for a strip sack in his preseason debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It demonstrated once again why the 37-year-old linebacker is still the team's best pass-rusher.

Meanwhile, former first-round selection Jarvis Jones has yet to flash the dynamic playmaking ability that he showed in college. Yes, he has made several nice plays during camp, but not the splash plays that the Steelers are looking for.

At some point, the Steelers will need to move on from Harrison, but he is showing that he can still get the job done. Is it enough to convince the coaching staff to put him in the starting lineup?

With three preseason games to go, there is still time for Harrison and Jones to battle it out, but as long as Harrison keeps getting to the quarterback, it will be No. 92 running out of the tunnel and being announced as the starting right outside linebacker.

How Much Will the Defense Change?

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As the Steelers transition from Dick LeBeau to Keith Butler at coordinator, the defense will take on a new look in 2015. However, how much it will change remains a mystery.

What we do know is that after two preseason games, the Steelers have implemented a Cover 2 coverage scheme into the defense and have given some 4-3 looks with their defensive front seven.

"We're going to have both. We're going to have the 3-4, we're going to have the 4-3," Butler said, via F. Dale Lolley of the Observer-Reporter. "We're going to have things that we feel will give people problems. We're going to use our personnel to get some mismatches if we can. Offenses are going to do that to us. They're going to try to do the same thing."

The four-man front would take advantage of the penetrators whom the Steelers have along the defensive line as well as mask their issues at outside linebacker. However, it also represents a significant change from over two decades working out of the 3-4 defense.

As the season progresses, it may be a formation Butler chooses to utilize more often. It is the scheme associated with the Cover 2, as it utilizes a four-man rush. It is vital that the defense is able to generate pressure, as it will take some time to iron out the issues with the coverage scheme.

Pittsburgh's safeties have had some problems early in the preseason, as pointed out by Bleacher Report's Andrea Hangst:

"With additional practice—and also three more preseason games—these coverage issues can be ironed out. And it's worth noting that their struggles to run the Cover 2 were more pronounced when non-starters were on the field."

These changes could represent a slow shift in defensive philosophy, or they could just be a few wrinkles that Butler is adding to his playbook. Of course, they could also represent a few different looks to experiment with to see what works during the preseason.

"I guess he's trying to throw some different things out there and see what works and what doesn't," linebacker Sean Spence told Lolley.

The implementation of any modifications to the defense will all depend on how fast the personnel adapts to the changes. Whether it is just a few plays a game or a major shift with the defensive scheme, Butler is doing what he can to get the defense back on track.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats are courtesy of ESPN.com, and roster information is courtesy of Steelers.com. Camp observations obtained firsthand.               

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