Fix it

[POP]

OK, we can debate if this team is broken or not in other threads, but for this one, I am going to make the assumption that not only is this team in disrepair, but that there are no signs of improvement for four years. The play off loss to Denver, losing to a QB who can't even make ANY team's THIRD string QB, was the beginning of this team's decline. You have down cycles - there isn't a team in the NFL that doesn't. But, this team is showing zero sign of moving towards becoming good again. All they keep illustrating is a continuation of a frustrating avalanche of bad coaching and football. So, here is a plan to fix them, moving forward.

1. Clean house. Bye Tomlin, LeBeau, Haley, Colbert. Hire Bill Polian, he he wants another job, and let him rebuild everything from top to bottom. His track record is impeccable. He built three teams into contenders in the Bills, Panthers and Colts. Let him have carte blanche and give him everything he wants. He has a knack for building a strong team without signing big free agent names. Let him do it. Such an easy way to fix this team across the board. Let Bill choose the new head coach and everything.

2. Let go of (or do not resign) Keisel, Harrison, Ike, Troy, Adams, Landry Jones and Miller. We will have plenty of cap space and those guys won't help us much in 2015, if they aren't actual weak spots as is. That will truly sand blast the past from this team and let us move forward, like sanding down a car before you paint it. You want it perfectly clean before you add new paint.

3. Sign some decent free agents in their prime. Don't blow $ on top names like Suh, Here is who we are looking at, but remember, it is Polain's job to do the grocery shopping. http://nfltraderumors.co/2015-nfl-free-agents-list/

Of that list I am interested in considering adding a solid, cheap back up RB, like Rodgers or Helu - no one older than 27. Since we are dumping Miller, add a young TE by signing a Jordan Cameron, Celek or make a splash with a play maker like Julius Thomas. And unquestionably we need TWO OTs, one from FA, one in the draft. I would consider a solid OT such as Bulagu, Free or Ross. If a OT was the biggest FA signing we make, I am fine with it. Also draft an OT to develop, as Gilbert is below average and I'd like to see an upgrade there. If we have to pay in the upper 70% for a solid OT, then just do it, instead of trying to save face by tying to make our OTs work out just because we drafted them in the 2nd round. With a new regime running things, they won't be locked into face-saving BS.

Also adding a DE wouldn't be a terrible idea either. Again, draft one and sign a FA. A Klug or Jenkins might do the trick.

And, we absolutely need to double dip on a CB: A high draft pick and a mid-level FA. Ike is done. Gay is OK but not a legit #1 CB. All the other guys are back ups. Perhaps with a regime change, they will end their stubborn ways of never putting enough effort into getting good corners.

4. Scour the earth for a top shelf, 3-4 NT (assuming we are staying with a 3-4) We all whine about how soft this D is. The beginning, or end, of a 3-4 D is having an immovable NT. Whenever our D stinks, we are in between a stud NT. Prior to recently, the last time our D was soft was post Joel Steed and Prior big Casey. After Hampton was drafted, the D immediately got more solid. If we are staying with the 3-4, finding a legit 3-4 NT is paramount to making this team better. With a pseudo, fake NT, the D will be soft forever. I would make it Polian's #1 priority, after he finds a head coach.

There it is. That is a winning plan. It would work miracles and the days of zero improvement would be behind us. Oh, and head coach? If Jim Harbaugh is kicked to the curb by SF, get him on a plane to Pgh the next day. He would instantly make this a play off team.

 

[Nasty95Resilient86]

I wouldn't scrap everything and start over and here is why. They have a QB that is in his prime "NOW" and the Steelers need to act accordingly. Starting over, will almost guarantee a rebuilding process to go into effect that will cost the team to much valuable time with a QB who is getting older. I recognize that things do need change. I like our offense. I would leave it alone, and just try to build to it. Defense is where the over haul should be. Lebeau is a legend. God Bless Him. But its time for a new vision and voice. It would take less time for the defense to get back to a force then it would to scrap the whole piece.

 

[TazManianDevil]

Tomlin will be here so let's stop dreaming.

LeBeau should have an honorable retirement party.

Draft some CBs and please dump the 3-4......lets go back 4-3.

It was easy to find DE and turn em into OLB, it was easy to find players for the 3-4 about 5-7 years ago before half the NFL switched.

Go with Timmons, Shazier, and Jones as your LBers and draft Cbs, S, DE, and DT.

 

[POP]

I wouldn't scrap everything and start over and here is why. They have a QB that is in his prime "NOW" and the Steelers need to act accordingly. Starting over, will almost guarantee a rebuilding process to go into effect that will cost the team to much valuable time with a QB who is getting older. I recognize that things do need change. I like our offense. I would leave it alone, and just try to build to it. Defense is where the over haul should be. Lebeau is a legend. God Bless Him. But its time for a new vision and voice. It would take less time for the defense to get back to a force then it would to scrap the whole piece.

Nasty, I agree with you. I feel I didn't fully propose a _total_ start over or I would have said to trade Ben. But just like when working on an auto body, you have to sand the body down, removing all rust and adding metal if needed before you do a paint a job. I feel Tomlin, Colbert and LeBeau are all "rust spots" so we have no choice in sanding them out. I could be convinced to keep same offense system IF the new head coach coming in is also in favor of it. The rushing game is showing life and the passing attack has shown the _ability_ to get red hot, so the potential is there. If we upgraded the OT play, it could really be special. If Ben was 100% in favor of keeping it, then OK, I would be fine with that. i just can't shake how quickly this would be a team truly contending if we hired Polian and we ended up with Harbaugh. I don't know if he would be open to being a situation where he faced his brother twice a year or not. They did battle in a Super Bowl, but twice a year maybe just too much to deal with, plus fighting to win the div. each year.

 

[POP]

Tomlin will be here so let's stop dreaming.

LeBeau should have an honorable retirement party.

Draft some CBs and please dump the 3-4......lets go back 4-3.

It was easy to find DE and turn em into OLB, it was easy to find players for the 3-4 about 5-7 years ago before half the NFL switched.

Go with Timmons, Shazier, and Jones as your LBers and draft Cbs, S, DE, and DT.

A lot of me wants to go 4-3. You don't have to re-invent so many players. Just hire good DEs to play DE, good LBs to play LB. And this madness about it taking players so long to understand the LeBeau system needs to end. Stop it. Get over it. That whole thing is madness. My favorite - and usually best - Dees are those that can get to the QB with a quality front 4 without the need to blitz. Those are the easiest to run and players don't get confused and can focus on just playing, not thinking. But with the 3 LBs you mention, I am not sure Timmon, Shazier and Jones would make for top 4-3 LBs. Shazier seems to small to man the middle by himself. I could be wrong.

 

[AggieSteel]

As long as Tomlin is here, it won't matter how much we scour the earth for FAs and draft picks, they'll turn into **** if they are on the defensive side of the ball

 

[Nasty95Resilient86]

I hear ya Pop, but if you bring a new head coach in, its very rare that they are automatically handcuffed at what they can do with the offense. I can't see any coach worth their due taking a job that tells them they have to keep an OC or can't bring their own offense to it. So thats why I feel it would be hard to just fire Tomlin. I agree with you 100% that some changes could be made with Colbert and without a doubt Lebeau. But I just don't see where the team can lose Tomlin at this point and move forward right away. I don't hate Tomlin. I think he does a good job in many aspects of his responsibility as our head coach. He does have warts and sometimes those warts make you want to scream. But if this team can stop somebody, they can win championships right now, with the way things are. So I say evaluate Colbert and give Lebeau his day of appreciation and retirement party and lets get back to winning championships.

 

[TazManianDevil]

A lot of me wants to go 4-3. You don't have to re-invent so many players. Just hire good DEs to play DE, good LBs to play LB. And this madness about it taking players so long to understand the LeBeau system needs to end. Stop it. Get over it. That whole thing is madness. My favorite - and usually best - Dees are those that can get to the QB with a quality front 4 without the need to blitz. Those are the easiest to run and players don't get confused and can focus on just playing, not thinking. But with the 3 LBs you mention, I am not sure Timmon, Shazier and Jones would make for top 4-3 LBs. Shazier seems to small to man the middle by himself. I could be wrong.

Shazier, Timmons and Jones won't be your LBers forever. What's important now is to install the defense.

Hayward, McClendon, Geathers and Tuitt are your Dline....that's "ok" but not great...start drafting 4-3 and build it up....within 2 drafts you'll have a solid defense.

 

[Wingman]

Problem with the plan is 5 people you let go are starters. One is the top backup, and the other is likely just a guy. You have 7 draft picks to replace them. There is an excellent chance the replacements do to what is available will be worse than what leaves. That does not sound like a way to do anything outside of a video game. If rebuilding is what you want to do begin getting the parts that you can and replace parts that are upgrades. Getting rid of what is your best right now with out a replacement is not smart.

 

[SteelerFan448]

I am undecided if I want the Steelers to go all in on boosting the offense or trying to upgrade the defense. I think a top left tackle and another playmaker at receiver would be huge. You can talk about the defense and drafting players, but you have first rounders (Timmons, Heyward, Jones, Shazier) and second rounders (Tuitt, Worilds) all over the defense and they aren't getting it done. At some point these young guys must develop into viable starters or the cycle will repeat itself.

 

[POP]

As long as Tomlin is here, it won't matter how much we scour the earth for FAs and draft picks, they'll turn into **** if they are on the defensive side of the ball

Aggie, did you have to bum me out? Timmons turned out fine. Heyward is, Gay did, especially for a 6th rounder. Jury's still out on Jones and Shazier. Mitchell __MAY__ be rounding into being OK....I hope. I really don't think we will improve significantly until Mike is gone, though.

 

[Drink IRON City]

It starts at the top !!! That is NOT just a lip service staement. Tomlin / Colbert must go. This soft touch, O-B-V-I-O-U-S-L-Y , must GO.





Salute the nation

 

[Joey Porters Taint]

I wouldn't scrap everything and start over and here is why. They have a QB that is in his prime "NOW" and the Steelers need to act accordingly. Starting over, will almost guarantee a rebuilding process to go into effect that will cost the team to much valuable time with a QB who is getting older. I recognize that things do need change. I like our offense. I would leave it alone, and just try to build to it. Defense is where the over haul should be. Lebeau is a legend. God Bless Him. But its time for a new vision and voice. It would take less time for the defense to get back to a force then it would to scrap the whole piece.

I'm starting to believe Ben is past his prime.

 

[POP]

It starts at the top !!! That is NOT just a lip service staement. Tomlin / Colbert must go. This soft touch, O-B-V-I-O-U-S-L-Y , must GO.





Salute the nation

Head coaches matter, a lot, for better or worse. I believe MT was the right coach for 2008 - a team full of great players with veteran leaders. But he is not the best coach for our current conditions. And, quite honestly, when was the last time Colbert made impressive personnel moves? I don't know if Polian wants to GM anymore, but I'd offer him top $ and give him the keys and tell him to rock it. That guy rules. I am sick of seeing this team lose to the likes of the Bucs, Jets and Saints. The writing is on the wall. How can anyone not see it?