Fact or Fiction for Pittsburgh Steelers' Biggest Offseason Question Marks
Every NFL team has issues this time of year. Some are bigger than others, while some may seem like issues but aren't really problems at all.
Let's take a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers' biggest offseason issues and separate the truth from the untruth. Which issues are facts, and which are pure fiction?
Fact: Pittsburgh's Secondary Is Still a Question Mark
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The Pittsburgh Steelers' secondary underwent two key changes this offseason, with cornerback Ike Taylor and safety Troy Polamalu retiring. The team also let cornerback Brice McCain leave in free agency, while the team chose to draft two more cornerbacks, Senquez Golson and Doran Grant, in May. They also drafted safety Gerod Holliman in Round 7.
The new faces join veterans William Gay, Cortez Allen and Antwon Blake at cornerback and Mike Mitchell and Shamarko Thomas at safety. And, as of now, it's not entirely clear which positions each man will play and how the depth chart will shake out.
Allen was demoted from starter on the outside to the slot and ultimately to the bench last year, thanks to poor play. He's trying to get back to his fundamentals, working hard with defensive backs coach Carnell Lake this offseason to regain his form and his confidence. But Lake, as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo reported last week, is not opposed to starting either of the rookie cornerbacks if they prove worthy of the promotion.
At safety, the question lingers about Thomas' ability to take over for Polamalu after playing just two defensive snaps in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus. And Mitchell is returning from two surgically repaired torn groin muscles; the hope is that a healthy Mitchell will be far more effective than he was last year. But unknowns remain.
This picture will become far more clear as training camp commences late next month. But until then, it stays murky.
Fiction: The Steelers Are Doomed Without Le'Veon Bell to Open Season
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Unless a reduced penalty is handed down as the result of an appeal, the Steelers are preparing to be without their top running back and 2014's second-leading rusher, Le'Veon Bell, for the first three games of the season. Bell's suspension stems from a DUI and marijuana possession arrest last year.
The Steelers felt the negative effects of a Bell-less offense in the playoffs, where Bell had to sit out thanks to a knee injury suffered in the final game of the regular season. The Steelers fell in the Wild Card Round, 30-17, to the rival Baltimore Ravens, and had just 68 rushing yards in the game.
NFL.com's Adam Schein ranked Bell the fifth-most indispensable offensive player to his team, saying "the Steelers' offense just looks different with Bell in the backfield." And it's true that he meant a lot to the Steelers last year, totaling not just 1,361 rushing yards but also 854 receiving yards. But his three-game absence to start the season doesn't mean the Steelers are guaranteed to lose.
Bell is an excellent running back, receiver and blocker. But the Steelers have enough pieces in place to weather his suspension.
They have the NFL's best receiver, Antonio Brown. They have second-year wideout Martavis Bryant, who is going to have a bigger role this year. And they had time to plan for Bell's suspension, which resulted in the team signing veteran free agent DeAngelo Williams. It's not like Bell's injury, where they had to sign Ben Tate off the street and get him ready in a week.
Further, it's not just the offense that takes credit for the Steelers' chances to win or lose—the defense plays a major role in that effort as well. And if the defense can do a better job both in pass rushing and in the secondary, it could also make up for the lack of offensive production Bell's suspension may cause.
Bell's suspension is not an ideal way for the Steelers to start the 2015 season. But it doesn't mean they are doomed to go 0-3, either.
Fact: Pittsburgh's Offense Must Do Better in the Red Zone
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The Steelers' offense ranked second in total yards amassed and seventh in total points scored last year. But there is one area that it could use improvement: the red zone.
The Steelers ranked 11th in red-zone scoring opportunities last year, averaging 3.4 per game. Yet, they managed a 13th-best red-zone touchdowns per game, with 1.8. Ultimately, the Steelers came away with a touchdown on just 51.72 percent of their red-zone appearances last year, ranking them 19th. On the road, it was even worse, with a red-zone touchdown percentage of just 40.74 percent.
This fact is not lost on offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who has made red-zone drills a point of emphasis during OTAs and minicamp reports the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Mark Kaboly.
Haley said, "We have to finish the ball in the end zone. We did a good job of scoring touchdowns outside the red zone, and we were pretty explosive in that area. ... But when we get down in there tight, where football gets tough, we have to get the ball in the end zone whether it is running it or throwing it."
Kaboly notes that Haley looked at the team's red-zone scoring after Week 6 last season and found that the team left 37 points on the field from within the 35-yard line through those six games. Haley said, "When we get inside that 35, we have to get points, whether it is three or seven, and those add up quick."
The problems, according to Haley, were "an ill-timed sack that took us out of field-goal range and didn't let us kick the ball or a couple of turnovers." These areas need to see improvement this year for the Steelers to get the most out of their high-powered offense.
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Fiction: 2015 Is Jarvis Jones' Last Shot to Prove Himself
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Outside linebacker Jarvis Jones' career with the Steelers hasn't gone quite as planned. The 2013 first-round pick has totaled just 58 combined tackles and three sacks over the last two years—not exactly the pass-rushing production the Steelers had hoped for when they drafted him. But this isn't all Jones' fault.
Jones missed nine games last year with a broken wrist, one that as of late May was still healing. And that missed time is why Jones still has a chance to become a starter in 2015 and beyond. The final bell has yet to ring on his career in Pittsburgh.
Though the Steelers drafting another Round 1 outside linebacker this year—Kentucky's Bud Dupree—might be seen as a knock against Jones, the fact is, the Steelers needed to add pass-rushing talent to the roster this year no matter how well Jones played in his first two seasons. The 37-year old James Harrison isn't going to be around forever, and Arthur Moats is the only other capable outside linebacker on the roster.
Now, if Jones returns to full health and is available to play all 16 games this year and still underwhelms, then it's time to sound the alarms. But right now, Jones shouldn't be considered a bust or on the margins of Pittsburgh's roster.
Fact: The Steelers Need More Interceptions
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The Steelers defense struggled in coverage last year, ranking 27th in passing yards allowed. That may or may not improve this year—again, the secondary still remains a question mark—but one way the Steelers can make up for poor coverage is to improve their interception total.
In 2014, the Steelers totaled only 11 interceptions, tied for just the 25th-most in the league. Cornerbacks Brice McCain and William Gay led the team with three apiece. Improving the interception total is something the defense—and head coach Mike Tomlin—are working hard to do this offseason.
Safety Mike Mitchell spoke to the Steelers' official website earlier in June about this process, saying,"I think we did a decent job of getting our hands on the ball. Coach [Tomlin] doesn't want to give us any credit, though. I think I had three [last] Thursday. He said they weren't interceptions; they were catches. So we're working on getting interceptions, not just catching the ball when it comes to us."
Pittsburgh's defense intercepted opposing quarterbacks on just 1.92 percent of their throws last year. And if coverage is going to be an issue again, it needs to increase that interception total in order to at least get some positive plays out of the secondary.
Stats are courtesy of TeamRankings.com, unless noted otherwise.
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