On paper, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense has been neither really good or really bad in this 2014 season. Heading into a late Week 12 bye, the team is 7-4 and ranks a very average 16th against the pass (allowing 241 yards per game) and a respectable 10th against the run. Allowing 23.9 points per game, coordinator Dick LeBeau’s unit ranks 18th in the 32-team league. The 14 turnovers forced already matches last year’s total with five games still remaining, so that is certainly an improvement, even if it still ranks in the lower half of the league.
Making impact plays, including the occasional pick-six, has not been the M.O. for the usually-vaunted Pittsburgh “Steel Curtain” defense in recent years, despite a number of big-name veterans and first-round draft picks consistently appearing on the roster. Brice McCain‘s interception return for a touchdown at Jacksonville was a turning point in that game and William Gay had a big one early Monday at Tennessee. If you are looking for a team that frequently pressures the quarterback and earns drive-killing sacks, avoid looking to the Steelers for that. Pittsburgh ranks near the bottom of the league in that column with 20, and nearly a third of those came in two games, the team’s most impressive wins of the season over Indianapolis and Baltimore.
So what are the Steelers lacking on this side of the football? Criticism is often thrown the way of the offense and Todd Haley, while LeBeau’s defense continues to age and regress. The youth movement, led by 2014 picks Ryan Shazier and Stephon Tuitt, 2013 picks Jarvis Jones and Shamarko Thomas, 2012 pick Alameda Ta’amu and 2011 picks Cameron Heyward and Cortez Allen, has netted no major success stories, some moderate though inconsistent production (Heyward, Allen, Thomas) and the occasional train wreck (Ta’amu, who is no longer in black and gold).
Free agency has not been worth much to the Steelers defense either, with the most notable recent addition to the current roster being safety Mike Mitchell. Mitchell has officially recorded a total of two passes defended through 11 games. He is a safety. Two passes defended. And no interceptions. That means either the ball is being caught when thrown his way, dropped by the receiver, or it was so off the mark that he did not need to defend on the play. He has been beaten often on big plays and even embarrassed himself at the end of the team’s inexplicable loss to the Jets when he attempted to launch himself over the center at QB Michael Vick in a ridiculous attempt to disrupt victory formation.
Sure, Brett Keisel and James Harrison have been welcome and productive additions, but the veterans were not gone long (Harrison spent one year at Cincinnati, Keisel was re-signed during the preseason). They fit well into the system and might as well have not been gone at all. The concern is who will replace such players when they are no longer in the picture? Both are 36 and nearing the ends of their careers. At linebacker, Lawrence Timmons and Jason Worilds have been solid. The rookie Shazier and another former first-round pick, Jarvis Jones, cannot stay on the field due to injuries, LaMarr Woodley was a bust and is now an Oakland Raider, and overall depth is lacking. On the defensive line, the problem is the same. Heyward has been just okay and nose tackle Steve McLendon is the only other major contributor.
Probably the most troublesome part of Pittsburgh’s defense these days, though, is the secondary. Losing Ike Taylor was a huge blow, of course, and the absence of Troy Polamalu has always been noticeable. When Allen got his big payday and then immediately had to step up in Taylor’s absence, he seems to have disappeared. Now, Gay, McCain and even Antwon Blake are getting more playing time because Allen has been just dominated at times.
Up and down the defensive roster, there are stars of the past, potential stars of the future, disappointments, pleasant surprises and too many oft-injured guys we are tired of seeing stuck on the sidelines. With this bye week and five games remaining and a spot in the playoffs and/or a potential AFC North crown on the line, LeBeau and head coach Mike Tomlin will soon get some of their favorite pieces back in the defensive chess game. Polamalu is expected to return in Week 13 at home against New Orleans. Shazier could as well, depending on how his ankle is doing after the long break between games. Taylor will also reportedly find out soon whether he will be cleared to work back towards getting on the field. While it is unlikely he could play against the Saints, he is not far off from getting back in the lineup.
Unfortunately, the outlook on Jones returning to the linebacker position this season is looking murkier by the week. The former two-time All-American at Georgia and 17th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft has been unable to contribute much of anything with just seven tackles and two sacks in three games before he left in the Week 3 win at Carolina, the same game Taylor was lost with a broken arm. Jones dislocated his wrist in that game and was placed on injured reserve the next day, making him eligible to return after eight weeks, which has now passed.
If and when the likes of Polamalu, Taylor, Shazier and Jones return to good health and expected production, look out everyone else. The timing might just be working in the favor of a Steelers team that needs a little something more heading down the stretch. Fresh and energized talent of that caliber may be exactly what it will take to make a playoff run this season.
