5 Things the Steelers must do to return to the Super Bowl, #4

Whoosh!
Do you know what that was? Josh Cribbs just returned another kickoff for a touchdown against the Steelers. The Steelers have rarely had great special teams play. When Mike Tomlin came in his first year he actually put some effort into stabilizing the Special Teams. They made it a focus in part of training camp. It really didn't seem to show in games though. Maybe it took a year to kick in because in the 2008 season they actually played decently. Maybe James Harrison threatened their lives, who knows. Anthony Madison was an important part of the unit that year, but then was let go before the start of this season. I don't know if one person is going to make a big difference on special teams, but several kick and punt returns later the Steelers quickly re-signed Madison after he was let go by the Bengals and the Special Teams coverage improved near the end of the year.

Crash!
Do you know what that was? That was Ben Roethlisberger getting sacked again. Ben has hit the ground again and again the last 3 years. He has been one of the most sacked QBs in the league since Russ Grimm left. Insiders say that has a lot to do with Ben holding the ball too long. But, Ben makes a lot of plays when he holds onto the ball and quite a bit of the time they are big plays because the defense breaks down and Ben finds the open guy. I heard one of the NFL analysts say one time that Ben is the best playground quarterback in the NFL. You know, either draw the play up in the dirt or say go long, if you're open I'll hit you. Imagine what Ben could do if his line could give him a little more time and he could be comfortable back there just waiting for those guys to run their routes. The Steelers run game started to become more and more effective toward the end of the year, some of that due to a young Rashard Mendenhall growing as a back
and knowing what to do with the ball. Maybe some of that had to do with the O-Line growing familiar with each other and knowing what each other was doing.

Do you know what these 2 situations have in common. The Special Teams Coach and the Offensive Line coach were both released after the season. The Steelers have 2 new coaches, bringing hope that these two facets of the team can improve with a change of coaching style. The Steelers have won in the past with average Special Teams, and that would be an improvement over last year. Let's hope the Special Teams can climb the Mt. Everest of quality playing. I tried to fit that in not really very successfully. Al Everest is the new Special Teams Coach.
Sean Kugler, formerly of the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions, will be the new offensive line coach for the Steelers.

Hopefully these two guys will bring fresh perspectives to the team and keep those kick returners from reaching the end zone and Ben from landing on the turf.

#4 thing the Steelers must do to return to the Super Bowl. Listen to their new coaches to improve their play on Special Teams and the Offensive Line.

Steelers Rule!!!!!