Pittsburgh
Steelers

Steelers Team Report

Updated: February 07, 2012 10:29 EST

It's tough to call a 12-4 record a disappointment, but Pittsburgh is one of the few places you can do so. The Steelers fought through major injuries throughout their lineup to compile that mark, barely failing to win the AFC North Division and a No. 1 or 2 playoff seed.

Then came the debacle in Denver in the first playoff game when, heavily favored, the Steelers were upset by Tim Tebow and the Broncos.

One drive cost them the No. 1 seed in the AFC -- a 92-yarder by Baltimore in Heinz Field on Nov. 6 that ended in a Ravens touchdown with eight seconds left and a 23-20 loss for the Steelers.

In reality, though, this was not a strong Pittsburgh team, and it beat only one tough opponent, the Patriots. Severe injuries to former Pro Bowl linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley seriously affected the pass rush and probably contributed to the defense's pathetic total of 15 takeaways. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger fought through several injuries, and the offensive line was in a constant state of flux.

There likely will be no coaching changes, except for Bruce Arians' retirement as offensive coordinator on Jan. 20.

There will be player changes, however, and they will be painful ones, as the transition from the former Super Bowl teams continues. Among those in jeopardy of losing their jobs are venerable veterans such as James Farrior, Hines Ward, Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, Chris Kemoeatu, Max Starks, Charlie Batch and Chris Hoke.

"There's always going to be changes," coach Mike Tomlin said. "There are changes every year. I am not going to sit here and pretend like there's not going to be changes. To what extent, at this point I am not ready to address.

"That's why I enjoy these journeys. They are precious. At the end of this thing, the wheels do continue to turn. There will be some changes. We will see where this all takes us. Right now, I just have a great deal of respect and appreciation for the men in that room and what they are willing to do for us this year."

The Steelers have gradually worked in younger players, and they did so this season. Antonio Brown opened as the No. 4 receiver in his second season and not only became a starter in November but also the team MVP by the end of the season.

The main area of concern again lies in the offensive line. The Steelers had 10 different starting lineups because of injuries and lack of performance. Kemoeatu, for example, was yanked after three and a half years as the starting left guard because of both lack of performance and self-discipline. The Steelers have two good linemen, center Maurkice Pouncey and rookie tackle Marcus Gilbert, and they will look to improve elsewhere in the unit.

The linemen need to do a better job of protecting Roethlisberger and blocking for the run, particularly near the end zone, where the team had particular trouble scoring touchdowns.

-- Former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley will be hired as the Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive coordinator, ESPN reported Monday.

Haley would replace Bruce Arians, who was not retained by the Steelers. Arians was subsequently hired as the Indianapolis Colts' offensive coordinator.

Haley, 45, was fired by the Chiefs in December when the Chiefs were 5-8. He had led the Chiefs to the AFC West title in 2010.

He met with Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin on Jan. 31 to discuss the Steelers' opening.

--For the second time in three years, linebackers coach Keith Butler has decided to remain with the Steelers rather than accept a position as a defensive coordinator for another franchise.

An Indianapolis Colts source confirmed that Butler has canceled his meeting with new coach Chuck Pagano and informed the team that he will not be a candidate for the coordinator post.

The decision by Butler to stay with the Steelers, where his contract had expired and the club could not have precluded him at all from accepting the Colts job, was first reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"He was the guy ... and then he wasn't the guy anymore," a Colts source told The Sports Xchange. "But he was definitely the man (Pagano) wanted. The interview was just a formality, really. I can only speculate as to what happened."

--As of Jan. 11, Steelers running backs coach Kirby Wilson continued to lie in an induced coma in a Pittsburgh hospital after he was badly burned in a fire early on Jan. 6. Wilson, in his fifth season with the Steelers, may not be fully recovered in time for the 2012 season.

"He had surgery (Jan. 9), the first of many," running back Isaac Redman said. "Coach (Mike) Tomlin talked to us and said that he was strong enough to get through surgery. That's a good thing."

--Tale of the ACL: The Steelers sustained an inordinate number of ACL injuries that began in training camp with rookie running back Baron Batch, who went on injured reserve. The others: running back Rashard Mendenhall, offensive tackle Max Starks, nose tackle Casey Hampton.

"We dealt with them to the best of our abilities, and it is what it is," Tomlin said. "We feel like we are fully capable of playing winning football with the men that we had out there."

--All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey missed the playoff game, as he did two of the final three regular-season games, due to a high ankle sprain. He showed his frustration shortly after the loss in Denver by taking on some fans on Twitter.

Among his comments: "your a loser Rick! Get a life I hate people like u! Dont talk about my life dumb f...."

Tomlin was asked if he said anything to Pouncey, but the coach said he had not seen Pouncey since the incident.

--Pouncey underwent surgery on Thursday to repair the injured left ankle that forced him to miss the final two regular-season games and wild-card loss to Denver.

--G Doug Legursky, who replaced Pouncey when he was sidelined, was scheduled to undergo shoulder surgery on Friday.

--DT Casey Hampton will not require surgery on the torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in last weekend's wild-card loss to the Broncos. Hampton, at 33 and entering the final year of a three-year deal that will pay him nearly $5 million next season, will rehab the injury with treatment and rest.

With the Steelers expected to be close to $20 million over the projected salary cap for 2012, Hampton could be asked to restructure his contract entering his 12th season with the club in order to create some financial wiggle room and address an aging roster.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We looked at the road that we had to go through. We knew we would have to go to New England. We felt we had a great shot. We pretty much handled New England in the regular season. Unfortunately, we got Tebowed." -- Running back Isaac Redman.

The Steelers announced offensive coordinator Bruce Arians is retiring, but a report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette cited sources that said his hand was forced when was told his contract would not be renewed for 2012. That seemed to be proven valid amidst reports that Arians was the new offensive coordinator of the Colts just days later.

The decision to part with Arians was believed to have come from team president Art Rooney II, with coach Mike Tomlin telling Arians multiple times since the end of the season that he wanted him to return.

Arians, 59, spent the past five seasons with the Steelers and was working under a one-year contract.

"I appreciate his efforts over the past five years as the team's offensive coordinator and for helping lead our offense to new heights during his time with the Steelers," Tomlin said in a statement Friday. "I am grateful to Bruce for contributing to our success and wish him nothing but the best in his retirement."

The Steelers are likely to fill their vacant position from their own coaching ranks, as league sources have indicated the top two candidates are quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner and offensive line coach Sean Kugler.

Running backs coach Kirby Wilson is also a possibility, but his health, after sustaining serious burns to nearly half of his body in early January, leaves that up in the air.

Fichtner has coached the quarterbacks and receivers in two stints in Pittsburgh and has a familiarity with the spread offense after installing the system during his time at the University of Memphis.

Arians departure reportedly did not sit well with QB Ben Roethlisberger, who was close with Arians.

UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS

QUARTERBACK: Starter -- Ben Roethlisberger. Backups -- Byron Leftwich, Charlie Batch, Dennis Dixon.

Roethlisberger had another good season despite various injuries (sprained foot, broken right thumb, high ankle sprain). Leftwich, although an unrestricted free agent, will return to be No. 2, which he was going to be until a broken left arm in an exhibition game ended his season. Batch and Dixon, both unrestricted free agents, probably will not return.

RUNNING BACKS: Starters -- RB Rashard Mendenhall, FB/H-B David Johnson Backups -- Isaac Redman, Mewelde Moore, Jonathan Dwyer, John Clay. Injured reserve -- Baron Batch. Mendenhall tore his ACL in the final regular-season game after a subpar season. Redman, more of a power runner, deserves more carries. He finished strong. Moore likely will go, with two spots reserved for Dwyer/Clay/Batch, the latter a rookie who has Moore-like third-down abilities.

TIGHT ENDS: Starter -- Heath Miller. Backup -- Weslye Saunders.

Miller remains one of the most versatile tight ends in the game, and the Steelers use him to block as much as to catch. Saunders played a lot as an undrafted rookie. The team also uses FB David Johnson as a tight end.

WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters -- Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown. Backups -- Hines Ward, Jerricho Cotchery, Emmanuel Sanders, Arnaz Battle.

Wallace was spectacular in the first half of the season, a dud in the second when Brown came on so strong his teammates voted him MVP. Ward lost his starting job in November and became an afterthought. The Steelers may not bring him back. Sanders had injury problems but finished strong as the No. 3 receivers. Cotchery also had a good second half but is an unrestricted free agent and likely will leave. Battle is strictly a special-teamer.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters -- LT Max Starks, LG Doug Legursky, C Maurkice Pouncey, RG Ramon Foster, RT Marcus Gilbert. Backups -- G/C/T Trai Essex, G Chris Kemoeatu, T Jonathan Scott, T Jamon Meredith, T Willie Colon.

The only set spot is center. Starks is an unrestricted free agent, and he ended season with a torn ACL. Legursky beat out Kemoeatu near midseason, and Kemoeatu may not be back. Colon will come back, and he could return at right tackle with Gilbert moving to left tackle, where the team believes his future lies. Essex is an unrestricted free agent. Scott is a good backup. Meredith is a work in progress. The whole line could take on another look after fielding 10 separate starting lineups in 2011.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters -- DLE Ziggy Hood, NT Casey Hampton, RDE Brett Keisel. Backups -- DE Cameron Heyward, DE Al Woods, NT Steve McLendon. Injured reserve -- DE Aaron Smith, NT Chris Hoke.

Tough decisions coming here. Smith, done after four games because of a neck injury, likely will retire. Hampton ended the season with an ACL tear. He is supposed to make $8 million in 2012, so his job is in question. Keisel had another good year. Heyward is a future starter. Hoke had neck surgery and may be finished. The Steelers need a nose tackle. McLendon played a lot at the position after Hoke was hurt. Woods is a developmental player.

LINEBACKERS: Starters -- LOLB LaMarr Woodley, LILB James Farrior, RILB Lawrence Timmons, ROLB James Harrison. Backups -- ILB Larry Foote, OLB Jason Worilds, OLB Chris Carter, ILB Stevenson Sylvester, ILB Mortty Ivy.

Injuries took their toll. Woodley missed six of the final eight regular-season games with a hamstring injury after recording nine sacks through the first eight games. Harrison sat out four games with a broken eye socket and one to a NFL suspension. Worilds did OK in seven starts. Timmons started four games on the outside. Farrior turned 37 and alternated with Foote. Sylvester and Ivy played mostly on special teams. Carter was dogged by injuries.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters -- LCB William Gay, RCB Ike Taylor, SS Troy Polamalu, FS Ryan Clark. Backups -- CB Keenan Lewis, CB Bryant McFadden, CB Cortez Allen, S Ryan Mundy, S Will Allen, CB Anthony Madison, S Damon Cromartie-Smith, CB Curtis Brown.

Taylor was having his best year through three-quarter of the season, but it but fell apart at the end. Gay did a nice job in his return as a starter, a job he lost in 2010. Polamalu had another All-Pro season, and Clark had perhaps his best season. Lewis came on as the No. 3 cornerback and did a good job there. McFadden quickly lost his starting job, and he will be gone. Rookies Allen and Brown appear to have good futures. Madison and Cromartie-Smith were late additions because of injuries. Mundy and Allen are special-teamers but not sufficient to start.

SPECIAL TEAMS: K Shaun Suisham, P Jeremy Kapinos, KR/PR Antonio Brown, LS Greg Warren. Injured reserve -- P Daniel Sepulveda.

Suisham has done OK in his 1 1/2 seasons with the Steelers. The team will look for another kicker, but he'll probably be back. Kapinos punted effectively after Sepulveda was shelved with yet another injury, this one a meniscus. Pittsburgh might stick with Kapinos, although an outsider could be brought in. Brown earned a Pro Bowl berth as the AFC return man after a dynamic season. Warren is a reliable long snapper in his seventh season with the team.