Bruce Arians Larry Zierlein Are Not Getting the Job Done in Pittsburgh

Hoping the Defense Can Hold Out

Here we are at the end of the season, again with reasonable hopes for the Steelers' chances at a Super Bowl berth, and again it is not the offence that has gotten the Steelers where they are, it is the defense.

The offense this year has been an atrocity, few are denying that. It was shaky last year, with a pick-up center and then the letting go of Alan Faneca, which cut the legs out from the entire line.

Today, the Steelers' offense inspires fear in none. Is this all the fault of the offensive line?  Bruce Arians and Larry Zierlein are running the show and Faneca is in New Jersey, and you can bet that five years later the Jets' O-line will be one of the top three in the league.

Running Back and the O-Line

Remember back to when Willie Parker took the mantel from Jerome Bettis. "The Bus" was nursing injury after injury and an intact O-line punched huge holes for Parker to run through, and he ran into the hearts of Steelers fans.

Bettis and Parker are (or were) good, but they are made better by their offensive lines. Parker last season running behind a fullback or around Faneca blocking at guard, churned out a thousand+ yards. This year, opposing defenses are two or three yards into the back field before the ball is handed off. 

The argument here is that any decent back could have run behind the old Steelers line and gotten 100 yards a game. This year, I don't think an Eric Dickerson or Earl Campbell could run behind this line with much success.

The Steelers' O-line has lost its core. One player can make the entire line better, simply by his presence and professionalism. The Steelers probably should have looked at a way to keep Faneca around, making him a player coach or something that would have guaranteed his future. That ship has sailed though.  What should Pittsburgh do with what they have?

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