Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 Keys To Success In 2015

Nov 30, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back

(23) is tackled by Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker

(94) during the second quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

4. The Steelers must be able to stop the run

Having one of the league’s worst pass defenses last season, many people saw the Steelers as a solid run defense. In fact, Pittsburgh was sixth in terms of yards allowed on the ground in 2014, which would point towards a very good run defense. That assumption would be incorrect.

It was clear that teams could pick up yards through the air against the Steelers, and so for good reason that is what they did. Regularly they relied on the passing game rather than the running game, skewing the stats.

Actually, the Steelers were the eighth worst team in the league at stopping opposing ball carriers, giving up 4.4 yards per carry. Luckily for them, teams only attempted 368 plays against Pittsburgh, good for the third fewest in the NFL. They gave up 1st downs on 24% of all rushing attempts, the same rate as the league’s worst defense, the Atlanta Falcons.

Many of the same players that will be asked to rush the quarterback will also be asked to bring down running backs, and so the inexperience and lack of production from the linebacker corps may be an issue in this aspect of the game.

Two of the team’s top-five tacklers from 2014 (Polamalu and Worilds) have departed the team, so clearly some other players will be forced to step up. With legendary defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau also gone, it’s possible there will be some growing pains for this changing Steelers defense.

Although new defensive coordinator Keith Butler has been with the team for awhile it is still unclear what changes he may make, and how successful he will be. Defensive end Cameron Hayward thinks that while the defense isn’t changing drastically, it will certainly look different this year:

"“I would think our defense will be pretty similar,” Heyward told MMQB’s Robert Klemko, “but there may be some conceptual changes, some more blitzes he wants to add.”"

Obviously any time there is a coaching change on a team there are some transitional issues, but Butler and his defense must try to keep these to a minimum this year. With so little experience on the team, forcing young players to learn a completely new system will only be a step backwards.

Pittsburgh needs to focus on developing the talent they have into a capable defense before they can worry about implementing the perfect defensive scheme. Many of the players they will be relying on this season have just recently gotten their heads around the previous defensive plan, and giving them a new one would take them back to square one.

It seems as though the coaching staff may understand this:

"“Like coach told us this morning, run stop and just hit,” Shamarko Thomas said, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, “The big dudes run around fast and the little dudes lay the lick. That’s the big thing.”"

‘Run stop and just hit’ seems like a very simple plan, and if the Steelers can manage that they should be in good shape.

Next: The Wide Receivers