It's 2015. Meet the Bizarro Steelers

[hawaiiansteeler]

It's 2015. Meet the Bizarro Steelers

by Jason Reid, NFL



Renowned for their defense for what seems like decades, the Pittsburgh Steelers were much better on offense last season, and it appears a sea change has occurred. The Steelers -- led by a future Hall of Famer at quarterback and loaded with veteran superstars -- could be second to none in the NFL on offense in 2015. Meanwhile, a youth movement on defense will be in full swing.

All signs indicate the Steelers will need to rack up points in hopes of winning a playoff game for the first time since the 2010 season, and that's not how they're used to operating. It's as if the Steelers suddenly are in the Bizarro World, the comic book planet where everything is the opposite of what you'd expect. From the look of things, they could be there for a while.

"When you think of the Steelers, you think of defense first, and that's always the way it has been," former Steelers safety Ryan Clark, an ESPN analyst, said on the phone this week.

"So is this strange? Yeah. It's really strange."

No one understands that better than Clark. For eight of his 13 NFL seasons, Clark, who retired after playing for the Washington Redskins last fall, was a Steelers team leader. During that time, Pittsburgh won two AFC titles and one of its record six Lombardi trophies. "There's a culture on defense," Clark said. "There's a level of expectation that few teams have ever had."

No doubt.

When fans still revere a defensive line from the 1970s -- the "Steel Curtain" provided the foundation for four Super Bowl victories in six seasons -- there's no question about your franchise's identity.

Beginning with the 2005 season, which the Steelers capped with a Super Bowl win, they finished in the top 10 in total defense for eight straight seasons, including leading the league four times. On offense in that period, Pittsburgh ranked high among the league leaders only twice, finishing no better than seventh in total yards. There was nothing unusual there.

Then last season, it all flipped: Pittsburgh finished second in total yards.

Ben Roethlisberger topped the NFL and broke his team record with 4,952 yards passing. Roethlisberger's 32 touchdown passes matched his franchise mark. In running back Le'Veon Bell's second season, he emerged as the every-down monster the Steelers hoped he would become, leading the league in yards from scrimmage. (Bell faces a three-game suspension to start the season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.) Wideout Antonio Brown was a big-play artist. The offensive line took a step forward, and if there's a better center than Maurkice Pouncey, no one seems to know it. That group formed the core of the Steelers' strength.

Meanwhile, the defense struggled...

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[TeeTee]

It's not really that strange. It's all about timing and the trends of the day. You can n o longer use hits to intimidate your way to playing good D. The philosophy of LeBeau that reads, "A hard hit is better than a pick off" is old and antiquated. With the way flags are flying, you can't win with that mentality. And it's obvious the new guy/team is aware of this, looking at the draft and emphasis on getting guys who can pick the ball off. Dick's way is over. So, what do you do with a franchise QB and tons of weapons? You move the ball and hopefully score a bunch. The D will improve. They just needed to shed some old guys and fill the roster back up and develop defenders. They are. If they can get a top 10 D combined with this O, we will be a contender.

[st33lersguy]

A few young guys stepping up and breaking out will lead to less points being needed to be scored by the O.