Almost mercifully, it will be impossible for the Pittsburgh Steelers to fall to 0-5 this weekend, because…they have the week off. Coming home from one of the NFL’s annual visits overseas in London, Coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are one of four teams on a bye week in Week Five. The others, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, and Washington, certainly have issues themselves, so this figures to be a busy week of surgical analysis for teams that are a combined 2-14 through four weeks. Tampa Bay, for example, has already cut ties with QB Josh Freeman, who was considered a franchise quarterback over the last couple of years before irreparable differences with the organization and, specifically, head coach Greg Schiano, forced his release.
The Steelers may not have any one issue as big as that, but they are definitely a team unofficially in rebuilding mode. Two-time Super Bowl-winning QB Ben Roethlisberger has already said that he and his teammates could be, “the worst team in the league.” Jacksonville may have an argument for that undesirable distinction, but four losses in four games carries the same weight for each of the four teams already seeing that figure in the loss column (Tampa Bay and the New York Giants are the others).
Regardless of who is most awful, the Steelers have a lot of work to do, not only to corral that pesky first victory, but to simply earn back the attention and respect of a fan base that perennially has high expectations, if not demands. Perhaps too pessimistically, the season has been written off by many, and the combination of the Pirates MLB playoff run and the opening of the NHL season for the Penguins has made it easier for the city’s fans to put its beloved football third on the list of priorities. However, the Steelers are blessed, if you will, by a struggling division. It is a division currently tied by the Ravens, Bengals, and yes, even the Browns, who all have records of 2-2. With a dozen games remaining for each team, a two-game deficit in the division should not be considered close to insurmountable. No, the Steelers can help turn the tables once they stop beating themselves with turnovers and a chronic failure to execute offensively. The tables cannot be completely turned, though, until major flaws are addressed.
First, there is the offensive line, which has looked like a game of “musical chairs” due to injuries and poor performances. The Steelers traded for tackle Levi Brown on Wednesday, sending a conditional draft pick to Arizona that will be determined based on how much Brown plays this season in Todd Haley’s offense. Last week in London, against Minnesota, the Steelers got TE Heath Miller and rookie RB Le’Veon Bell back from injuries that forced them to each to miss the first three weeks, so these three additions should make the offense a little better in the long run. More points will help, of course, but what about allowing less on the other side of the football? With Dick LeBeau roaming the Steelers sideline as defensive coordinator, that has hardly ever been an issue. But now, in 2013, the defense looks older, slower, and reactive as opposed to proactive. This unit has forced zero…count ’em, ZERO…turnovers through four games.
There is certainly a lot to be fixed before a Week 6 date with the New York Jets (2-2), and winning the turnover battle is absolutely crucial. Hey, Steelers: be selfish with the football…no more carelessness by running backs or the quarterback when he is being chased out of the pocket. No more can Roethlisberger be put in a position to have to make wild downfield throws out of desperation. Playing with a lead and getting into a rhythm may aid that. The Steelers are probably closer than we think to righting the ship, though at 0-4, it could already be too late.
