Things are not going well for the B&G and most knowledgeable fans want The Chin out of �The Burgh. Since that is not going to happen this year no matter how bad most fans want it to I will not spend too much time bashing The Jaw. However, I hope he watched NE�s use of young players and the way they played press coverage when they blitzed. I was watching NFL network and they showed 2 blitzes, one by the Giants and one from the Patriots. When the Giants did an outside blitz, the corner on the opposite side was playing 8 yards off the ball. Donovan McNabb simply stepped back and threw to the WR who took 2 steps off the line, the play went for 8 yards. This play reminded me a lot of the Steelers blitz schemes. When the Patriots blitzed the Colts, both CB�s were playing press coverage and Peyton Manning was flushed from the pocket and threw incomplete. Hopefully, Dick LeBeau will convince Cowher that playing the CB�s 8 to 10 yards off the ball on every play is not a good idea.
I was one of the people who foolishly believed that because
I was not able to watch practice I could not evaluate Cowher in regards to in-season
player evaluation. Still Mill adroitly debunked that fallacy with four words:
Deshea Townsend, Mike Vrabel. Cowher is way to loyal to declining veterans and
has way too much power in personnel matters. The return of Dick LeBeau to lead
the defense is one of the best things that could of happened to the coaching
staff. He will attack and as long as he has a decent secondary to work with,
the �D� will improve. I am willing to give Whisenhunt a chance, Mularkey turned
out well though he was too enamored with trick plays this season, I think any
O-coordinator would have been screwed with the state of the o-line. However, if
Marvel Smith and Kendall Simmons come back healthy the B&G are a competent
RT away from having a good offensive line. Jeff Hartings held up well and I am
very optimistic about Chucky Okobi and Keydrick Vincent stepping in if Hartings
or Simmons go down. The real problem is quality depth at the tackle position,
though a healthy Mathias Nkwienti may provide a solid third OT.
If the B&G sign a quality RT then RB and CB are their
next 2 biggest immediate needs. I believe in the adage that nothing is as good
or as bad as it seems. The Steelers have many holes, but bad coaching and key
injuries can make the issues seem insurmountable. Most 6-10 teams are only a
few players away from being a 10-6 team and vice versa. I know I am looking at
this optimistically but imagine if the B&G replayed 2003 with Hope and
Polamula starting at the safety spots, Deshea Townsend at one corner and a top
flight corner at the other position. (This is a hypothetical situation with no
consideration to cap consequences) Then imagine Marvel Smith did not get hurt, Kendall
Simmons was healthy and we signed a better right tackle than Todd Fordham. No
way we would have been 6-10 even with the RB�s we had and Tommy Maddox would
have looked a lot better. Now that is a lot of what ifs but the point is that
is the best-case scenario for 2004 with two catches. One, we can add a better
RB in the draft and two the Jason Gildong can be sent packing with Clark Haggans
and Alonzo Jackson fighting it out for playing time.
The B&G need to cut Gildong, Oliver Ross, Burnt
Alexander, Dewayne Washington, Mark Bruener and ask Chad Scott to take a paycut
and play free safety or package CB. That leaves the Bus; I agree with Mill and
Bob Smizik that he should be sent on his way but I will accept him taking a
major paycut and a backup role behind a young feature back. In addition, the FO
could consider asking Jeff Hartings to accept a paycut. These cuts should leave
the B&G enough cap room to sign their rookies, tender their restricted free
agents and grab a CB or RT in free agency. I am no cap expert but I know that
we are not in a situation like the Ravens were in 2 years ago when they were
about $22 million over the salary cap. I believe we could cut all of these
players and NOT be any worse off talent wise. The offense looked really strong
in 2002 and then the line crumbles in 2003 and people tend to overreact and
think the QB is terrible. I agree that I would like Maddox to have more
mobility but with an improved o-line and backfield I believe he is more than
capable of leading the B&G deep into the playoffs.
I know many of the B&G faithful would like to take 2004
on the chin to the tune of a 4-12 season to hasten Cowher�s departure. I am
just trying to give an optimistic view of what the Stillers could do to improve
in 2004. Hopefully, the Rooneys had a little talk with Cowher and he realizes
that he must not micromanage his assistants nor have too much say in personnel
matters. The Jaw has only done well with a good offensive line and solid
coordinators. Dick LeBeau and Ken Whisenhunt should be capable of providing
solid game-plans and making in-game adjustments as long as they are given the
proper personnel. I like bringing in for Browns O-coordinator Bruce Arians to
work with the WR�s. In addition, bringing in a successful Division 1-AA head
coach to coach the QB�s is a good idea. I am always for hiring a guy like Mark
Whipple as a position coach. Here is a guy who has been successful as a head
coach and is getting his first crack coaching in the NFL. I like taking chances
like that because you are potentially bringing in an up and coming coaching
mind into your organization. Besides, Dick LeBeau on defense and Bruce Arians
and Dick Hoak on offense give Cowher plenty of NFL experience on his staff.
There is a nice mix of youth and experience on Cowher�s staff, hopefully he
will be able to utilize it. The best-case scenario for this year is that all of
Cowher�s favorite under-performing veterans are cut and he is forced to have
open competition in training camp. Should that happen and he does not
micromanage his assistants, the 2004 campaign may be a successful one. As an aside,
I have intentionally not written too much on the upcoming draft. I will give my
take on what I think the Stillers should do in the draft in an upcoming
article.