Seahawks vs. Steelers: 4 Second-Half Adjustments Pittsburgh Must Make

As the Pittsburgh Steelers try to extend their big lead nearing the halfway mark of this week's contest in Pittsburgh, it's time to look at some halftime adjustments the the Steelers need to make to keep the lead and assure themselves of victory in Week 2.

Here are four adjustments the team must make before leaving the locker room for the second half of this afternoon's game.

Spread out the Seattle Defense

Ben Roethlisberger is benefiting today from a little better blocking and from the slashing running of Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman. But I'd like to see the Steelers take some more time in the second half to fine-tune their passing game.

Let's see what the Steelers can do in four and five receiver sets and what Ben Roethlisberger can do with an empty backfield.

At this point, it doesn't seem like doing some tinkering can hurt the Steelers' chances, so I'm very much in favor of seeing what kind of big plays these receivers can create. They have the best collection of speed in the NFL.

Offensive Line Blocking

The pass blocking is the problem so far. The Steelers are doing a great job of getting running lanes for Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman. They aren't doing a consistently good job of getting Ben Roethlisberger time to make reads.

The problem is still coming from the left side. Jonathan Scott is getting physically beaten regularly, even if he doesn't lose the block. That costs space for Ben Roethlisberger to step into. Clean pockets are best, and the Steelers never seem to get that.

I'm impressed so far with Ramon Foster and Marcus Gilbert making injury replacements, but they have to continue that in the second half.

Defense Needs to Get off Blocks

It's hard to argue with the way the Steelers have performed in the first half, but the defense is still struggling to get pressure consistently, despite blitzes happening more often this year.

The Steelers defenders aren't consistently getting off their blocks. They were very good last year at disengaging from blockers and moving on to get into the pocket or the running lanes. They've done it against the run, but not against the pass.

Tarvaris Jackson is deficient as a quarterback. That's the big reason why the Steelers are having a good day against Seattle. I get the feeling that a better quarterback or better receivers would be finding some more success. This is something left over from last week that still needs cleaned up.

Better Kickoff Length

Would it be too radical to propose a change in playing assignments at the half?

I'd like to see Daniel Sepulveda kicking off. Shaun Suisham, even with the help of the new kickoff rules, isn't consistently getting the ball deep after two weeks. I'm not saying to make a permanent change, but let's see what their punter can do in this situation.

Suisham's field goal work has pretty good since he arrived in Pittsburgh. His kickoffs haven't been as good. With more returners getting the green light this year, teams like Pittsburgh have to pay even more close attention to those kinds of plays.