Taking a Closer Look at the Pittsburgh Steelers' Secondary

The Pittsburgh Steelers have long had one of the top defenses in the NFL, and that's because of more than just their linebacking corps. Their secondary has also been incredibly strong, notching an impressive 21 interceptions in 2010.

But that number declined in 2011 to just 11—the first half of the season was a particularly dry spell—and now that they've lost cornerback William Gay to the Arizona Cardinals, the Steelers may be in for a bit of a struggle in the secondary this year.

Things like forced fumbles—and especially fumble recoveries—are very much a game of chance as much as they are an art, but interceptions are the bread-and-butter of every secondary, so the Steelers have work to do this offseason to get those numbers closer to their 2010 level.

Losing Gay hurts the Steelers somewhat, but it's not a loss they can't overcome. In 2011, Gay had 61 tackles—good for fifth on the team—and two interceptions. Keenan Lewis has the best shot of replacing him, but will be competing for the spot with 2010 draft picks Curtis Brown and Cortez Allen.

They also recently signed former Tennessee Titans cornerback Myron Rolle to a future contract; whether he makes the final roster is yet to be seen, but Rolle had an excellent skill set coming out of college and could find himself joining the starting competition.

But the Steelers might have to make some additions to the secondary in this year's draft. The Steelers are in decent shape at free safety with Ryan Clark as the starter and Ryan Mundy his backup, but they may look to add another to compete with Mundy for the No. 2 spot.

At strong safety, however, the Steelers have just Troy Polamalu on the roster and no one else; when he misses time, Mundy takes his spot and starts alongside Clark. Polamalu isn't getting any younger and his concussion history is enough to give anyone pause. The time may have arrived for Pittsburgh to get serious about acquiring his ultimate successor.

Considering the Steelers' other needs in this year's draft, if they go for a strong safety it won't be early on. Mid-to-late round options include Duke's Matt Daniels, Kentucky's Winston Guy and LSU's Brandon Taylor.

Of course, players of Polamalu's caliber aren't easy to find and don't come around often. That's always the issue when it comes to replacing starters with his kind of resume. Tempered expectations are key when it comes to the next strong safety the Steelers bring into the fold.

According to Football Outsiders, the Steelers had the third-best pass defense in the league last year, however, they ranked just 20th against No. 3 receivers and 14th against pass-catching running backs.

Though no one member of the Steelers' secondary is to blame (considering the multifaceted approach they take and the nature of defending slot receivers and over-the-middle passes) it's an issue the team must address this offseason.

Looking at their success rate against tight ends (No. 4 overall) and No. 2 receivers (10th) it seems that just a shift in scheme could improve their ability to stop slot receivers. It also indicates that nickel corner is an area of weakness that needs to be worked on in the coming months.

In a pass-heavy modern NFL, strength in the secondary is becoming ever more important. The Steelers have been on the right path in the past few seasons, but they do have a few stumbling blocks that nagged them in 2011.

Having proper contingency plans in place, as well as a better strategy over the middle, should ensure another strong showing against the pass in 2012.

Follow @FBALL_Andrea