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Things are changing rapidly in Pittsburgh. While the Steelers saw long-time quarterback Ben Roethlisberger announce his retirement last week, Pittsburgh also will have to grapple with the departures of defensive coordinator Keith Butler and General Manager Kevin Colbert.
The reality is that every significant change in Steelers’ history has been spurred on, in part, by hiring outside the organization. Pittsburgh pried Chuck Noll away from the Baltimore Colts in 1969; they convinced Bill Cowher to move back to his hometown in 1992 and got young Mike Tomlin to leave Minnesota in 2006 to become the head coach in 2007. None had any experience within the organization before.
But will Tomlin and Art Rooney II have the guts to look outside the organization to improve their standing? The Steelers are +5000 longshots to win the Super Bowl in 2023 as per some US betting apps like DraftKings.
Colbert, who will step down following this spring’s draft, took over as the Steelers personnel man in 2000 and has guided Pittsburgh to a sustained stretch of success. The Steelers have won two Super Bowls and appeared in another during his tenure. Whoever takes over for him will have a severe overhaul on their hands.
The Steelers’ offense has declined significantly during the past five years as Roethlisberger aged and linemen retired. Pittsburgh will have to turn over the table in the trenches to find someone to protect who the next quarterback is. The Steelers have interviewed internal candidates Omar Khan and Brandon Hunt for the job, but Rooney said Pittsburgh would also look outside the organization.
It does seem unlikely Pittsburgh will choose anyone other than Khan or Hunt. Khan has been the Steelers’ long-time salary cap wizard, while Hunt has been groomed to be in the front office.
Matt Canada served as a quarterbacks coach for a year before becoming the offensive coordinator for the 2021 season. Things couldn’t have gone much worse for Canada, who had success as an offensive coordinator at Pitt for a season but has struggled at many of his coaching stops. Whoever takes over in the front office will need to figure out if Canada is up to snuff quickly.
While handicapped with a poor offensive line and declining Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh’s offense often looked stuck in quicksand. The Steelers’ offense ranked 23rd in total yards, finishing with 315.4 per game. Pittsburgh also didn’t showcase its proud tradition in the running game, finishing with the 29th rushing offense, compiling 93.1 yards per game despite drafting Najee Harris in the first round last season.
Steelers fans had to avert their eyes when opponents ran the ball. Pittsburgh gave up a league-worst 146.1 rushing yards per game last season. The Steelers played most of the year without defensive lineman Tyson Alualu and were without Stephon Tuitt for the entire season. Former first-round pick Devin Bush struggled at linebacker, getting benched for undrafted backup Robert Spillane several times.
Pittsburgh needs to find depth and get younger upfront. The Steelers’ best defensive lineman, Cameron Heyward, continues to play well, but he is 32 and not getting any younger. Finding pieces to support TJ Watt will be vital.
Tomlin has never had a losing season in Pittsburgh. But the Steelers are slowly slipping into the middle of the pack. Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game in five years, and the outgoing Butler said Tomlin called most of the defensive plays. Finding another defensive coordinator will be an exciting process.
Will the Steelers be inclined to turn the reins over to Teryl Austin? If the Steelers go outside the organization, how will Tomlin look to utilize someone who has fresh ideas? Pittsburgh may be best served by having some fresh concepts, but Tomlin will need to be willing to turn over some of the control of the defense.
Roethlisberger retiring leads Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins to fill his place. The Steelers don’t usually bring in big-time free agents, especially under center. Pittsburgh’s new management will need to come up with a plan to replace a Hall of Fame quarterback and the Steeler mystique moving forward.
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The reality is that every significant change in Steelers’ history has been spurred on, in part, by hiring outside the organization. Pittsburgh pried Chuck Noll away from the Baltimore Colts in 1969; they convinced Bill Cowher to move back to his hometown in 1992 and got young Mike Tomlin to leave Minnesota in 2006 to become the head coach in 2007. None had any experience within the organization before.
But will Tomlin and Art Rooney II have the guts to look outside the organization to improve their standing? The Steelers are +5000 longshots to win the Super Bowl in 2023 as per some US betting apps like DraftKings.
Colbert, who will step down following this spring’s draft, took over as the Steelers personnel man in 2000 and has guided Pittsburgh to a sustained stretch of success. The Steelers have won two Super Bowls and appeared in another during his tenure. Whoever takes over for him will have a severe overhaul on their hands.
The Steelers’ offense has declined significantly during the past five years as Roethlisberger aged and linemen retired. Pittsburgh will have to turn over the table in the trenches to find someone to protect who the next quarterback is. The Steelers have interviewed internal candidates Omar Khan and Brandon Hunt for the job, but Rooney said Pittsburgh would also look outside the organization.
It does seem unlikely Pittsburgh will choose anyone other than Khan or Hunt. Khan has been the Steelers’ long-time salary cap wizard, while Hunt has been groomed to be in the front office.
Matt Canada served as a quarterbacks coach for a year before becoming the offensive coordinator for the 2021 season. Things couldn’t have gone much worse for Canada, who had success as an offensive coordinator at Pitt for a season but has struggled at many of his coaching stops. Whoever takes over in the front office will need to figure out if Canada is up to snuff quickly.
While handicapped with a poor offensive line and declining Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh’s offense often looked stuck in quicksand. The Steelers’ offense ranked 23rd in total yards, finishing with 315.4 per game. Pittsburgh also didn’t showcase its proud tradition in the running game, finishing with the 29th rushing offense, compiling 93.1 yards per game despite drafting Najee Harris in the first round last season.
Steelers fans had to avert their eyes when opponents ran the ball. Pittsburgh gave up a league-worst 146.1 rushing yards per game last season. The Steelers played most of the year without defensive lineman Tyson Alualu and were without Stephon Tuitt for the entire season. Former first-round pick Devin Bush struggled at linebacker, getting benched for undrafted backup Robert Spillane several times.
Pittsburgh needs to find depth and get younger upfront. The Steelers’ best defensive lineman, Cameron Heyward, continues to play well, but he is 32 and not getting any younger. Finding pieces to support TJ Watt will be vital.
Tomlin has never had a losing season in Pittsburgh. But the Steelers are slowly slipping into the middle of the pack. Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game in five years, and the outgoing Butler said Tomlin called most of the defensive plays. Finding another defensive coordinator will be an exciting process.
Will the Steelers be inclined to turn the reins over to Teryl Austin? If the Steelers go outside the organization, how will Tomlin look to utilize someone who has fresh ideas? Pittsburgh may be best served by having some fresh concepts, but Tomlin will need to be willing to turn over some of the control of the defense.
Roethlisberger retiring leads Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins to fill his place. The Steelers don’t usually bring in big-time free agents, especially under center. Pittsburgh’s new management will need to come up with a plan to replace a Hall of Fame quarterback and the Steeler mystique moving forward.
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
