The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t needed any reminding that
the past two seasons showcased an abysmal rushing game, but the team has never
been one to focus much on the past. During the offseason, the Steelers
made a concerted effort to get back to a more traditional ground-and-pound
style of rushing offense by finding players to compliment second-year running
back Le’Veon Bell, hiring Mike Munchak to coach a young offensive line and
returning to a physicality that has long been a dominant part of their reputation
for so long. Mired in mediocre in back to back seasons, the Steelers appeared
to have lost their edge on offense. Unable to use the rushing game to
open up the passing for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the team put too many
games squarely on the arm of ‘Big Ben’. Injuries, like the freak accident
involving center Maurkice Pouncey, were only exacerbated by a shortage of
offensive linemen who failed to not only keep Roethlisberger upright, but also
lacked an effective push to create enough holes for rushers to get downfield
and through the line. It made the Steelers’ offense rather
one-dimensional and opponents took advantage of it by focusing their pressure
on Roethlisberger and receivers. With the recent additions of hard-nosed
LeGarrette Blount in free agency and Dri Archer in the 2014 NFL Draft, the
Steelers have been using OTAs to push the running game to the next level.
While many have criticized offensive coordinator Todd Haley for the decline of
the run, the reality has been a lack of identity over the past two seasons that
appear to be correcting themselves with a sense of urgency in 2014.
Running backs coach James Saxon is doing a lot of guiding and communicating. Munchak,
arguably one of the best candidates to coach the offensive line, has been
increasingly pushing his squad to perform at the next level as well. Both
coaches recently commented on what they see as areas where the team can and is
improving, especially in relation to their blocking schemes. “Right now, Mike
(Munchak) and myself, being the two news guys…we’ve had a lot of great
discussions about what we want,” said Saxon. “The conversations that I’m
having with the guys in my room, I’ve said, ‘Look, we’re going to do the best
things in the running game for the five guys that are blocking up front.’
We have to be accountable in terms of where we put the football.” As for how
the outside-zone blocking scheme fits into that plan, both Saxon and Munchak
agree that not only will it be a part of the 2014 Steelers offense, but that
the running backs will need to follow what the offensive linemen provide.
“It’ll add to what we’ve done last year as an offense,” said Munchak.
“It’s something we’re very capable of doing with the type of offensive linemen
we have. That’s the nice thing about getting versatile guys who can
run…who can pull…my job as a line coach is to figure out what (each player
does) best. The outside-zone will easily be a part of that, part of the
equation. There’s a place for that scheme that will allow us to be more
productive.” Rashard Mendenhall was the last 1,000-yard rusher for the Steelers
and that was during the 2010 NFL Season. In 2013, the Steelers averaged
just 86.4 rushing yards per game and were tied with fellow AFC North Cleveland
(Browns) at 27th in the league. After missing the first three regular
season games dur to a foot injury, then rookie Le’Veon Bell wracked up 860
yards for eight touchdowns. It was a long 22 games for the Steelers gaining
less that 100 yards on the ground until Bell
broke the drought during Week 16. His play helped give the Steelers
offense a boost they’d been needing and put them in a position to make a wild
card spot in the playoffs if they could win. They didn’t and missed out
for the second year in a row, but the improvement on offense showed that the
trend was up for Pittsburgh.
The addition of Blount gives Pittsburgh
a potentially dangerous one-two punch and bring back an in-your-face running
game that the Steelers have traditionally used but were missing in 2012-13.
Archer adds another dimension as a potential weapon as well. The running game
will not improve without an intact and communicative offensive line, however. In
the past four years, the Steelers were forced to start more than 30 different
offensive linemen. With the health of Maurkice Pouncey looking to be
prime, his re-emergence to a Pro Bowl center is not only exciting but has the
potential to be the keystone to a fresher, younger front line. Remaining
healthy and working together will also be key to keeping the Steelers offense
on the field and not having to rely on a defense that slid as well – mainly due
to having to spend time trying to win games when the offense sputtered to a
stop. The Steelers have long been viewed as a bruising offense that would run
the ball up the gut until they wore down opposing defenses, but got away from
that image. Finding that identity again should allow Pittsburgh to bring back the ground and pound
in time to allow the younger receiving corps to find their identity as well and
open up an offense that got better and better as the 2013 season neared its end.
the end!
