Pittsburgh Steelers in line to repeat as AFC North champs

With a great offense and average defense the Pittsburgh Steelers won the AFC North in 2014. Repeating looks likely, but not without a defensive overhaul this offseason. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.

TODD:

I am aware of all of the following things:

The Baltimore Ravens looked like New England’s closest competition out of any AFC playoff team.

The Ravens took it to Pittsburgh in the playoffs.

The Ravens had the best point differential out of any AFC North team last season.

I am aware of all of these things, and yet, I like the Steelers to finish ahead of Baltimore in the 2015 season. They are better set up for dominance.

Forget even who Baltimore will need to replace and whether or not the Ravens will take a step back. This is about Pittsburgh.

The Steelers offense, which finished second in the NFL in 2014, will have everyone back: arguably the best wide receiver in the game, Antonio Brown; arguably the best running back in the game, Le’Veon Bell; one of the top quarterbacks in the game, Ben Roethlisberger; a trio of young wide receivers, a veteran, reliable tight end, and consistency across the offensive line. It’s all returning, every piece.

Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

On the defensive side, Pittsburgh will be settling into a new system with longtime coordinator Dick LeBeau moving out. Thus, the linebacking corps will need to be retooled, whether the old 3-4 is retained or not.

Brice McCain in the defensive backfield, he of the team-leading three interceptions, will also be a free agent.

This defense was an average unit last season and may take a step back, but it should be more than made up for with what could be the very best offense in the league next season.

Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Cincinnati have been trading division titles all decade long. The Steelers are in prime position to grab the yellow jersey. And yes, that’s a Tour de France reference; branch out a little bit!

DAN:

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Pittsburgh won the AFC North last season, so it’s no big revelation to predict their continued success. However, it’s no guarantee either. That being said, I’m completely on board with the Steelers dominating the North and taking a step forward next season.

There are two primary areas of concern that Pittsburgh must address, two areas of major weakness that ultimately was their undoing last year. The first is in the defensive backfield. The Steelers were awful against the pass last season and will never return to the Super Bowl without being able to stop a top ranked passing attack. When your team leader in interceptions only has three, you’re in trouble. William Gay also had three interceptions in 2014,tied with McCain, not that it made a difference. The team ranked 27th in interceptions overall.

Pittsburgh’s defense can not take a step back if this team is to improve on its 11-5 record. No matter how great the offense becomes, the Steelers are not going to outscore opponents to victory more than a handful of times. Name me more than one example of a team that consistently outscored opponents, with disregard for defense, and won. Only the Patriots with Randy Moss come to mind, and that defense was not poor by any means.

Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

I’d like to see the Steelers go after an established linebacker to compliment Jason Worilds and Cameron Heyward, who each put up 7.5 sacks last season. Only one other player on the team, James Harrison, was even close to those sack totals. This needs to improve in 2015. Get to the quarterback more and your passing defense improves by default. The Steelers were below average, ranked 17th in sacks, last season.

I like the Steelers to best Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Cleveland once again, but that does them little good if they can’t stop Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, and Peyton Manning in the playoffs. Big Ben can lead this team to a championship, but the defense needs to pull its weight.

Simply making the playoffs is not good enough for this team. Simply winning the AFC North is not a victory for Big Ben and the Black and Gold. I’m excited to see how dominant the Steelers’ offense can be, but improve on that shaky defense or regret it later.

Next: Steelers nab a Cornerback in latest NFL Mock Draft

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