Steelers make roster moves -- belatedly

Improving special teams will help -- but the offense and defense needs to improve its play, too.  

Certainly can happen -- but the Steelers are reeling right now -- and a road game in Baltimore is the last thing they need.

I agreed with the conservative approach last week. Clearly, that wasn't enough. Do whatever it takes now. Nothing could be more disruptive than continuing to allow special teams touchdowns.

What about Failure of the Offense? When's it time to get hands on with that part of the game?

(You have a strange idea of Failure. -- Bob Smizik)

It is obvious that their kick coverage needs to improve, but I don't think you can pin any losses on it.  My point has always been, what's the difference how the other team scores, seven points is seven points.  You have to respond to it. Would you feel better if it was a pick-six or a long touchdown pass?  Besides, none of those kick off returns for touchdowns ended the game.  That's the beauty of football, a touchdown can be scored by either team on any play.

@JL58 -

I'd hardly call the 6th best overall offense (by yardage gained) a failure. Plus, they gave the team a touchdown lead with less than 10 minutes to go in a game that they spotted the other team a kickoff return touchdown right out of the gate.

Tweaking/cajoling/shuffling/yelling/reconfiguring....are all present - ing the PLAYERS a chance to rescue themselves prior to the end - ing of this particular year's opportunity to make the year end NFL tournament.

Many areas of this 2009 Steeler team are a bit inconsistent, a bit longer in the tooth, a bit miscalibrated.....some more than others.   With 6 games left the only change that will matter in the end is the change each PLAYER must make towards committ - ing themselves to another run at a title.

I think they can get in with 10 victories, 11 for sure .... that is 4 or 5 more wins down the stretch ..... very doable with their schedule.... if the the want - ing is in that locker room.

......then you fire the special teams coach the day after the season is over, he's proven his uselessness.

He can start by getting Stefan Logan off the kickoff coverage team, and putting K. Fox back on (if he removed Key...not 100%, but I do not think I have seen him out there this season).

Too many players are more interested in making a "hit" instead of a wrap up tackle.

Having your big "hit" appear on a sports show is more important for some players.

Again...How many points is yardage worth???

(You have a strange idea of Failure. -- Bob Smizik)

Excuse me Bob, but All Steelers Fans should hold our team to a higher standard.

Lets not settle for mediocrity.

Bob,

I like the move by Tomlin. I think it sends a message to the entire team that very few are 100% safe.

Let's call it a learning experience for the young coach and a MEMO to the entire team.

At last, Rocky Boimen and Corey Ivey. IDK what took us so long to fix the problems. We can all breath easy now. Two guys that were out of football are here!

But it's not the ST coach though. That's the thing. It was Tomlin all along!

Thank the lord we won't be watching any more TD retuens! Tomlin has fixed it. LOL

"At last, Rocky Boimen and Corey Ivey."

Thanks for the laugh out loud moment!

JL- If you could change that photo I will never say another bad thing about BA! Deal?

(PS- And I'll throw Smizik in to boot)

SteelerMark,

Re: avatar

Done deal. It now reflects how everybody see me, anyway. (You might have to clear out your browser's cache to see the update.)

Bob -

As some one else mentioned....how has special teams been addressed by adding 2 guys who are/were out of football?

Not to pile on ST's, but how about giving 17 a chance returning kicks?  I think Logan has had ample opportunity......

(You think it's possible, BFD, that Tomlin knows a little bit more about personnel than you do. What would you have him do? Stick with the same players? ---- Bob Smizik)

"the failure of this unit at this point in the season -- four kickoffs have been returned for touchdowns -- falls to Tomlin and not the special teams coaches."

Bob, I agree to a point but ...

1) the special teams coach is certainly accountable, Tomlin doesn't replace him as the dole blame, and

2) then why were you all over Walt Harris for the 'Swinging Gate' play when it only happened on one sequence ... and didn't take the special teams coach who brought that formation to the program?  Let' see ... what was is name?   Oh yea,  Bob Ligeshesky

(I was not at the ``swinging gate'' game. I don't recall if I wrote about it after the fact or not. This is the second time you have accused me of writing something I probably did not write. --  Bob Smizik

Chopping heads on special teams?

I think it's a bit of a desperate move....and it's a bit late.

I suppose it's better than doing nothing.

Though I do not condone the current "Fire Arians" bandwagon....I do believe that Bob Ligasheshky should have been sent packing in recent weeks.

I reiterate.....He has failed in two out of three years with the Steelers, and he did not have a good track record when he was with the Rams.

If he's not fired at the end of the year, it would signify a resistance by Mike Tomlin that would not look good.

I know head coaches like to protect their assistants, but in this case it's been over done.

Maybe Bob can explain how he went from approving of only a token personnel change for the special teams last week, to jumping all the way up to this now being Mike Tomlin's problem.  You seem to be intentionally glossing over Ligashesky's and Jones' fingerprints on this disaster.  Last week you cited their stellar 2008 special team rankings as evidence that the coaches did not get stupid over the offseason.  Now with 4 returns for TDs in 5 weeks, you are shielding them from blame by blaming the players and the head coach.  Are you poker buddies with these coaches or what?  What exactly, if anything, woud it take for you to actually hold the special team coaches accountable?

A few breakdowns you can maybe point the fingers at the players.  But this is a season-long crash.  After "the message" was sent last week, there should have been no questioning any player's desire against the Chiefs.  Yet there was another return for a TD.  Either the coverage schemes designed by Ligashesky and Jones are easily beaten, or else the players that THESE coaches broke camp with were subpar.  Either way, at this point of the season, the blame lies mostly on their shoulders.  Tomlin shares some of the blame because they are his hires, but the schematic of the special teams falls to the asst.coaches, and they are lacking.  Every head coach likes to proudly state that "individuals need to be held accountable".  Well Coach Tomlin, firing Ligashesky and/or Jones is the only way for this to mean something.

(You got me, Santo. I confess. I'm playing poker with the coaches.

--  Bob Smizik) 

Let me be first to say.  Mike Tomlin doesnt have a clue what he is doing.  Big Ben is a prima donna who hides when the game is on the line.  The special teams are just that!!!  I am suprised they dont ride the short bus to games.  Baltimore is going to kick our butts.  Our defense sucks without Smith and Palamalu.   Our offensive line is one of the worst in the league.   Thank god we signed them all to big contracts   Baltimore 28 Pgh 10

Aha!  I knew It!!!!

Forget it. Season over.

When the Steelers somehow lost to the Bears in Week Two, it was a sign of where their heads were this season. You don't see the Colts or Patriots lose to lousy teams twice (or more) in one season.

Let's go, Pens!

Everyone,

I'd rather have the Steelers deal with their adversity now and be ready for the post-season (which they will make).  New Orleans, the Colts, and the Pats are all 'flavors of the week' or in this case 'flavors of the past few months.'  They are good teams, but are beatable.  Just like the Colts were in 2005.  See everyone in the playoffs.  Yes the Stees have problems--in many facets--but on any given Sunday, they can take care of bizz-nezz if the motivation is there.  That to me, remains the question for this team.

The fair-weather types are showing their colors.

Hey WTpuck,

I think you posted on the wrong blog. This is not the Baltimore Sun Ravens page. Yep and when the Steelers get their grove back  starting Sunday you will be back on the band wagon.  Also I will take a know nothing SB winning coach any day over 99% of HC in the NFL. Please name me coaches you would rather have. Probably yourself because the leadership you provide as GM and HC of your undefeated fantasy team is awesomel Is MT perfect no but name me a HC that is. Baltimore is what 5-5 and was swept by the Bengals too.

I like Tomlin's demeanor as a head coach. But his decision-making flat out scares me. Two years ago, he couldn't figure out how to protect his QB and explained the Steelers lack of a pass rush on opponents' QBs using a short drop and quick release. Yet he didn't adopt that obvious solution for his own QB until the opening drive of the Jaguars playoff game.  It worked like a charm on that first drive-and was immediately abandoned. Then the bizaare 2-pt conversion attempt from the 12 yard line in that game. That failure forced them to go for 2 again on the next TD and those 2 missed XPs were the difference in that playoff loss. Looking back, he said he would do the same thing again. Incredible!!!

Now he's saying the same thing about the 3rd down call to Mewelde Moore. And he tells us his team wasn't ready to play the Chiefs. Beautiful. I wish he had told us that before we wasted 3 hours watching. The HC's job is to prepare his team to win; not to provide excuses like they lost because they weren't prepared. Great job, coach.

He tells us they will fix the disaster that is special teams coverage. His plan is to throw cast-offs at the problem. Last week it was Woods. I guess Tomlin's release of Woods this week suggests that he had no idea what he was doing when he "fixed" the problem last week.  But I'm sure the real solution is the addition of this weeks' cast-offs. Yeah, right.

Yes, I know he won the SB last year. He did it with the league's best defense that more than made up for problems on offense. This year, he doesn't have the luxury of any one dominating part of the team. This team needs a total effort from all parts.  And I don't think Tomlin is the guy to oversee such an effort.  

(Let's see:  Playoffs first year; Super Bowl champions second year; on pace to make playoffs third year.  Yeah, that's real reason to be scared.  --- Bob Smizik)

Bob,  all I'm saying was the Swinging Gate play and the Slide Play was brought up continually as "gameday gaffes made of legend" (you did write that) .. yet, the 2 point decision made by Tomlin a couple of years ago in a PLAYOFF game was forgotten about almost immediately.

(That's NOT what you were saying so please don't suggest otherwise.  I would hope that you would be decent enough to admit a mistake. Harris had a long list of game-day gaffes. If his list had ended at one, I doubt it would have been mentioned again. -- Bob Smizik)

Bob,  I say this with all honesty ... I do not remember a long list of game-day gaffes.  I think there was the impressions as such ... which in large part is the point I have been trying to make.

I acknowledge that stratgeic error of trying to use the spread in the 1st part of 2001 .. the failure of recruiting quality linemen, etc.  ... but I remember that Pitt won more close games than they lost .. and when they did lose it was because the other team was better .. especially along the lines.  

Note that Pitt beat both VA Tech and BC the last 3 times they played them, and I certainly don't believe it was due that Pitt has far more talent.

(Here are some of his memorable gaffes:

1. The swinging gate.

2. The day he put a young Rod Rutherford, who always ran, in to run a series in relief of Turman or Priestley and thought he'd cross up ND but passing.  The result: A crucial interception.

3. Vs. Iowa State in a bowl game when he had Barlow coming off a 265-yard game against the No. 95 or so rush defense in the country and he came out throwing, throwing and throwing.

4. Having Fitzgerald off the field in the closing seconds of a loss to Virginia in a bowl game.

5.  Benching Barlow in overtime vs. Syracuse for fumbling, losing in overtime and then admitting the fumble wasn't Barlow's fault.

Here's the bottom of a Ron Cook column that details some of the ones I mentioned above and adds one or two more:

``That was the "swinging-gate" game when the Panthers were called for not one, but two illegal shift penalties when they lined up to kick the extra point that should have pulled them within 14-7. Harris said his coaches tried to get the players lined up correctly for the second attempt, "but I don't know that we got all of the information in." On the third attempt, snapper Jonathan Sitter was late getting on the field. Kicker J.B. Gibboney had to rush his kick and pushed it to the right.

``That forced Pitt to go for a 2-point conversion after it closed to 14-12 with 2:02 remaining. Most teams practice a play all week for just that situation. Not the Panthers, apparently. "That play went haywire from the huddle," quarterback Rod Rutherford said. "We had a lot of guys running around. We weren't in the right formation."

``The topper came on the onside kick that followed. Pitt didn't recover, but it wouldn't have counted if it had because the Panthers were called for an illegal formation. Harris and his coaches might have known the rules, but their players surely didn't.

``You think the Palko slide is worse than all of that?

``And is it that much worse than Harris' bizarre juggling of his quarterbacks in a 24-7 loss at Notre Dame in 2001? David Priestley had completed five consecutive passes for 79 yards when Pitt took possession late in the third quarter with the outcome still in doubt. On first down, Priestley completed a 7-yard pass to Antonio Bryant. On second down, Rutherford came off the bench to run the option and tailback Raymond Kirkley lost 2 yards. On third down, Priestley came back in and threw 14 yards to tight end Kris Wilson for a first down.

``Do you think you might stick with Priestley at that point?

``Harris sent in Rutherford for the next play, thinking the Irish would be expecting another option play. "Watch the pass!," the Notre Dame coaches screamed to their players. Cornerback Shane Walton intercepted Rutherford's poorly thrown ball, ending Pitt's final chance.

``And you're surprised by the Palko slide?

``How about Harris' decision to bench star running back Kevan Barlow down the stretch and in the two overtimes of a 24-17 loss at Syracuse in 2000 because of a fumble? Harris apologized to Barlow after looking at the game tape and realizing that Barlow had both hands on the ball and lost it only because a tackler put his helmet squarely on the ball.

``And Harris' refusal to use Barlow more in the first half of the 37-29 loss to Iowa State in the Insight.com Bowl in 2000? Barlow had rushed for 272 yards against West Virginia in Pitt's previous game. Iowa State was ranked 95th in Division I-A -- out of 114 teams -- against the run. Yet, Barlow handled the ball just seven times in the first half. Quarterback John Turman threw it 12 times and scrambled six times off passing attempts.

``And Harris' stunning admission after burning three timeouts early in the third quarter of the 20-14 loss to Notre Dame last season? "It is difficult to call plays when you are not sure what is going to work."

``And Pitt's failure to score despite four tries from the Virginia 1 early in the 23-16 loss in the Continental Tire Bowl last season? It's bad enough that the great Larry Fitzgerald wasn't on the field for any of the plays to at least create the threat of a lob play. But then there was this postgame jewel from running back Brandon Miree about that sequence: "There were communication errors on the sideline and we didn't get the correct plays called that we wanted to."

I rest my case.

You might want to read this:

  http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05001/435761-194.stm

--  Bob Smizik

I'm thoroughly convinced that the Steelers will be watching the playoffs from their living rooms.  This is a team in disarray and injury issues.  You all realize that we are one play away from Dennis Dixon as the starting QB?  Ray Ray and his posse will be on a head hunting mission and they have a Swiss cheese offensive line between them and the woozy headed QB. Four concussions since 2006?  At that rate, Roethlisberger will be lucky to be still playing when he's 30.  Tomlin and Colbert better address the offensive line this off season, because it's directly affecting the health of their starting QB.

Ok Bob, you pointed out about a half dozen games at the most including a game that Pitt was beaten 24-7. But, in fairness, maybe you should go back and look at all the close games Pitt was in in his realm here and see just how many close games (5 pts or less) that Pitt won.

And speaking of the Slide play .. all I read and heard about from the local media was how that the turning point of the game and caused a drop in confidence of the players.  But, go back and look ... you will find that the slide play occurred late in the 2nd quarter, yet Pitt took its biggest lead late in the 3rd quarter ... so tell me how that was a turning point?

Harris is gone because of (1) his failure to recruit quality linemen, and (2) his lack of charisma and his naive honesty with the media when every other coach resorts to cliches to protect himself.  It was time for him to go .. and although he did well, he never seemed to build a program as opposed to piecing together a pretty representable team each year.

(You asked for list of his gaffes. I provided them.  The closeness of the game has nothing to do with it. -- Bob Smizik)

(Let's see:  Playoffs first year; Super Bowl champions second year; on pace to make playoffs third year.  Yeah, that's real reason to be scared.  --- Bob Smizik)

Let's not forget that Tomlin inherited a team that had been Super Bowl champions only two years earlier. So it's not exactly as if he built them into a championship calibre team himself.

Barry Switzer went to the playoffs his first year with Dallas and won the Super Bowl (with help from Neil O'Donnell) in his second year too. So I guess no one should question the coaching abilities of Tomlin or Switzer.

(Let's also not forget that Tomlin inherited a team that was 8-8 the year before and he inherited a team that no longer had Jeff Hartings and Alan Faneca. --  Bob Smizik)

Bob:

Is Dixon ready to come in and win if Ben gets his bell rung again?

With all the special team personnel moves, shouln't the Steelers bring in a veteran backup also?  I'm not suggesting that they bring back St. Pierre, but someone out there needs to be brought in.

when it comes to game-day gaffes,trhe closeness of the game has nothing to do with it??   C'mon, It has everything to do with it.  Who cares about a big slip-up in a blow-out?

I contend that Harris rarely lost as many games as many other coaches in games he should have won .... and more often than not, outcoached the other guy in close games.

• (I believe all of the gaffes I mentioned affected the outcome of the game.  --- Bob Smizik)

hey ..... put Palko out there on special teams .... that guy will make a tackle ! ......

.

Those offensive stats are very misleading to me for several reasons.  First the number of picks Ben has thrown that have been returned for a touchdown or a long distance leading to opposition points.  Secondly their ineffectiveness and lack of committment to running the ball.  Mendallhall has shown promise and there is no excuse for Ben continually throwing when the put up a lead over lowly Kansas City last week.  The number of dropped balls, goof ups, and missed routes by the Steeler receivers also is a grave concern.