hawaiiansteeler
08-01-2015, 12:42 AM
5 Questions Concerning the Pittsburgh Steelers Entering the 2015 Season
AthlonSports
By Marky Billson, 7/30/15
Mike Tomlin's defense will look much different following an offseason full of changes
The Pittsburgh Steelers are an enigma entering the 2015 NFL season. They would appear to be a team on the rise after an 11-5 regular season record and winning the toughest division in the league.
Yet questions on defense prevent them from being regarded as a primary contender in the AFC. Las Vegas puts Pittsburgh’s odds at winning the Super Bowl at 30-1, only the ninth-best odds among the 32 teams.
Here are five of the most pressing questions facing the Steelers as their 50th training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., is now in session.
Will Cortez Allen start or even make the team?
Will the real Cortez Allen please stand up? Whereas Allen only allowed one touchdown pass in his first two seasons with the Steelers, thus resulting in a lucrative contract and starting position, he all but disappeared in the second half of the 2014 season. Not only did he not make a tackle in Weeks 9-11, those also were the last games he played, as he missed Pittsburgh’s final six contests due to injury.
In the last game he DID make a tackle, Oct. 26 against Indianapolis, the Washington Post highlighted Allen's duel with Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton as the "NFL Matchup of the Week." Hilton torched Allen for 155 yards on six catches and a touchdown.
The Steelers were built last season to win 31-28 games. That isn't likely to change unless Allen lives up to the potential Pittsburgh saw in him when the team signed him last year to a four-year contract worth more than $31 million.
With Allen due to make $13 million over the next there seasons, it’s possible that he could find himself on the roster bubble. That is especially the case if he falters during training camp or Senquez Golson, the Steelers’ second-round draft pick, shows why he was a first-team All-American after collecting 10 interceptions for Ole Miss. In fact, if Golson shows he’s ready to be thrown into the fray right away, it could mean the end of Allen’s tenure in Pittsburgh.
What’s up with the front seven?
For the past several years, the Steelers have made a concentrated effort to rebuild their front seven.
The last three first-round draft choices have been either defensive linemen or linebackers. This trend extends to four of the last five first-round selections, five of the last seven, and six of the nine such picks the Steelers have had under head coach Mike Tomlin.
Unfortunately the results have been mixed. True, linebacker Lawrence Timmons, the Steelers' very first draft choice under Tomlin's tenure, made the Pro Bowl last season. It was perhaps the only highlight coming from the box last season though. Pittsburgh’s 4.4 yards allowed per rush and 33 sacks ranked just 25th and 26th in the NFL.
Linebacker Jarvis Jones, 2013's first-round pick, failed to make a tackle after Week 3 in 2014 and he has only three sacks in his first two injury-plagued seasons. Last year's first-rounder, Ryan Shazier, lost his starting position in Week 10. Free agent Arthur Moats also suffered through an injury-plagued campaign.
Pittsburgh was forced to ask James Harrison and Brett Keisel to turn back the clock, as both become starters. Keisel was released in March, but Harrison returns and will battle Jones for the right outside linebacker spot. Rookie first-round pick Bud Dupree is set to challenge Moats for the other starting outside linebacker job.
Cameron Heyward, the team’s first-round pick in 2011, may not be a Pro Bowler yet, but he is a serviceable player, as evidenced by his 7.5 sacks. He's flanked by Stephon Tuitt, a 2014 second-round choice, who also showed signs of impact and became a starter at the end of the season at left defensive tackle.
With the question marks in the secondary, the front seven must improve. There are enough options at outside linebacker and enough progression at the defensive tackle spots that productivity should go up this season. The biggest question comes in the middle, where Shazier is slated to start alongside Timmon, while journeymen Steve McClendon and Clifton Geathers man the nose tackle position. Keisel has become the new Charlie Batch; a popular veteran player whose skids have been greased by Tomlin to make way for a younger player, only to see the younger players aren't as good as the veteran.
What will be the impact of new defensive coordinator Keith Butler?
to read rest of article:
- See more at: http://athlonsports.com/nfl/5-questions-concerning-pittsburgh-steelers-entering-2015-season#sthash.p2TR9HLh.dpuf
AthlonSports
By Marky Billson, 7/30/15
Mike Tomlin's defense will look much different following an offseason full of changes
The Pittsburgh Steelers are an enigma entering the 2015 NFL season. They would appear to be a team on the rise after an 11-5 regular season record and winning the toughest division in the league.
Yet questions on defense prevent them from being regarded as a primary contender in the AFC. Las Vegas puts Pittsburgh’s odds at winning the Super Bowl at 30-1, only the ninth-best odds among the 32 teams.
Here are five of the most pressing questions facing the Steelers as their 50th training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., is now in session.
Will Cortez Allen start or even make the team?
Will the real Cortez Allen please stand up? Whereas Allen only allowed one touchdown pass in his first two seasons with the Steelers, thus resulting in a lucrative contract and starting position, he all but disappeared in the second half of the 2014 season. Not only did he not make a tackle in Weeks 9-11, those also were the last games he played, as he missed Pittsburgh’s final six contests due to injury.
In the last game he DID make a tackle, Oct. 26 against Indianapolis, the Washington Post highlighted Allen's duel with Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton as the "NFL Matchup of the Week." Hilton torched Allen for 155 yards on six catches and a touchdown.
The Steelers were built last season to win 31-28 games. That isn't likely to change unless Allen lives up to the potential Pittsburgh saw in him when the team signed him last year to a four-year contract worth more than $31 million.
With Allen due to make $13 million over the next there seasons, it’s possible that he could find himself on the roster bubble. That is especially the case if he falters during training camp or Senquez Golson, the Steelers’ second-round draft pick, shows why he was a first-team All-American after collecting 10 interceptions for Ole Miss. In fact, if Golson shows he’s ready to be thrown into the fray right away, it could mean the end of Allen’s tenure in Pittsburgh.
What’s up with the front seven?
For the past several years, the Steelers have made a concentrated effort to rebuild their front seven.
The last three first-round draft choices have been either defensive linemen or linebackers. This trend extends to four of the last five first-round selections, five of the last seven, and six of the nine such picks the Steelers have had under head coach Mike Tomlin.
Unfortunately the results have been mixed. True, linebacker Lawrence Timmons, the Steelers' very first draft choice under Tomlin's tenure, made the Pro Bowl last season. It was perhaps the only highlight coming from the box last season though. Pittsburgh’s 4.4 yards allowed per rush and 33 sacks ranked just 25th and 26th in the NFL.
Linebacker Jarvis Jones, 2013's first-round pick, failed to make a tackle after Week 3 in 2014 and he has only three sacks in his first two injury-plagued seasons. Last year's first-rounder, Ryan Shazier, lost his starting position in Week 10. Free agent Arthur Moats also suffered through an injury-plagued campaign.
Pittsburgh was forced to ask James Harrison and Brett Keisel to turn back the clock, as both become starters. Keisel was released in March, but Harrison returns and will battle Jones for the right outside linebacker spot. Rookie first-round pick Bud Dupree is set to challenge Moats for the other starting outside linebacker job.
Cameron Heyward, the team’s first-round pick in 2011, may not be a Pro Bowler yet, but he is a serviceable player, as evidenced by his 7.5 sacks. He's flanked by Stephon Tuitt, a 2014 second-round choice, who also showed signs of impact and became a starter at the end of the season at left defensive tackle.
With the question marks in the secondary, the front seven must improve. There are enough options at outside linebacker and enough progression at the defensive tackle spots that productivity should go up this season. The biggest question comes in the middle, where Shazier is slated to start alongside Timmon, while journeymen Steve McClendon and Clifton Geathers man the nose tackle position. Keisel has become the new Charlie Batch; a popular veteran player whose skids have been greased by Tomlin to make way for a younger player, only to see the younger players aren't as good as the veteran.
What will be the impact of new defensive coordinator Keith Butler?
to read rest of article:
- See more at: http://athlonsports.com/nfl/5-questions-concerning-pittsburgh-steelers-entering-2015-season#sthash.p2TR9HLh.dpuf