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?
2 comments Last one added 5 months ago — Leave a Comment
Dennis Lorio 5 months ago
Brian Wolff,
So how do you like the Steelers offense now? Is it efficient? What do you know about o-line? Tell us please.
I had the pleasure of coaching with Larry Zierlein at LSU and found him to be extremely knowledgeable. At LSU he coached All-Pro's Alan Faneca and Kevin Mawae. Larry knows technique and is terrific working with players. He is very capable as the Steelers success has shown.
Go Steelers!!
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Brian Wolff 5 months ago
I defer to your first hand knowledge of Zierlein and his time at LSU. However, I don't know if a 5-6 LSU record is anything to crow about. Also, I would probably have to give the credit for being an all-pro to Faneca, rather than Coach Z. Is this the same Faneca that Zielein failed to keep in Pittsburgh? Hasn't it been reported that Faneca and Zielein disagreed over many things including basic technique?
I will grant you that It is clear the Steelers have made adjustments over the past month. Still though, Parker's 47 rushing yards on 24 caries against Baltimore is not that great. He rushed for 147 against the San Diego Chargers whose pedestrian rush defense gave up 4 yards per carry. The O-line performed as they should have in that game.
The Steeler's offense still is not efficient, though they've performed well under pressure. I guess any recent successes should be credited to the players extra efforts (PER the AP Story mentioned below), who are probably all thinking they will lose their jobs if they keep relying on Zielein's leadership.
My disappointment will be if the Steeler's going to the Superbowl will somehow save Arians and Coach Z.
A story by the Associated Press (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ietFUd8Sk5_8k_9oH71jYjUHt3nwD95JHN5O0) titled, "Time line: off-field time aiding Steelers' O-line" leads me to believe that the players have begun relying on their own analysis, rather than the analysis of Coach Z.
Larry Zierlein
Linebacker Fort Hays State (Kan.)1969-1970. No pro playing experience. College coach: Fort Hays State (Kan.) 1970-71, Houston 1978-1986, Tulane 1988-1990, 1995-96, Louisiana State 1993-94, Cincinnati 1997-2000. Pro coach: Washington (AFL) 1987, New York/New Jersey Knights(WLAF) 1991-92, Cleveland Browns 2001-04, Buffalo Bills 2006, joined Steelers in 2007.
I respectfully disagree. I am sure Coach Z is a great guy and gets along with the players, but he does not seem to be the right man for the job in Pittsburgh.
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