Dri Archer: Snap judgment, flash impression

Dri Archer is tiny. This pick has "Todd Haley" written all over it.

Did Archer get over-drafted? Guys like Archer may have a role in an NFL offense, but it's going to be limited. There's only so much he can do.

He's a scatback. When you bring somebody like that onto the field you're telling the defense pretty much what you plan to do. We presume the Steelers won't be counting on him to do much pass-protect blocking. If they do, he'll get run over.

Joey Porter's hope the best for all the Steelers' picks. We hope all turn into Pro Bowlers and Hall of Famers.

Mike Munchak: A superb hiring

Icy rivers, but a warm reception
in Pittsburgh for Mike Munhcak

When the Tennessee Titans fired head coach Mike Munchak on Jan. 7th, it came as a surprise to 'most everybody. Munchak had middling success in Nashville, but the Hall of Fame offensive lineman is generally well-regarded and highly respected across the NFL.

His name came into play immediately as a job candidate for head coaching vacancies in Detroit and Cleveland, where he interviewed. Both franchises went with choices that must have left their fans underwhelmed: Jim Caldwell in Detroit and Mike Pettine, the former Bills and Jets defensive coordinator, in Cleveland.

When Munchak came available, some fans and bloggers in Pittsburgh immediately put forth his name as a potential offensive coordinator for the Steelers, never mind that Todd Haley already holds that job.

At the time, it seemed a stretch to think Munchak would actually agree to take on the lesser, more focused role of offensive line coach. Yet here he is: Munchak is now Pittsburgh's offensive line coach.

This can be only a good thing.  Before being promoted to head coach in Tennessee, Mike Munchak had exceptional success coaching the Titan's offensive line.

Some people have wondered aloud whether adding another former head coach to the staff, the team's third, would potentially have Mike Tomlin looking over his shoulder. That's not going to happen.

We'll be more interested to see how the relationship between Haley and Munchak unfolds, and to what extent they stay on the same page.

One thing for sure: Munchak is the most accomplished offensive line coach the Steelers have had in years, maybe ever. His presence can only help the woeful running game and pass protection schemes. How much he will help to develop some of the players remains to be seen, but that is up to them more so than him. If Marcus Gilbert and Mike Adams don't have the commitment or the talent to be effective offensive tackles in the NFL, this will be the year decisions on them will be made.

One other thing: Hopefully, Munchak will help the Steelers be better prepared to open the season than they have in recent years. His Titans beat the Steelers at Heinz Field to open the 2013 season. His team was ready to play and, clearly, the Steelers weren't anywhere near ready to play -- until nearly mid-October.

That's mainly on the head coach, however, and for now, all Munchak really has to do is improve the offensive line. It's a good bet he will.

The Running Blues

"Poor old Otis, dead and gone, 

Left me here to sing his song, 

Pretty little girl 
with the red dress on, 

Poor Old Otis dead and gone." 

— "Running Blues," by  Jim Morrison, presumably invoking Otis Redding

Three of the four teams playing in the NFL Conference Championship games this weekend ranked among the NFL's Top 10 for yardage gained running the ball. They are: San Francisco (No. 3), Seattle (No. 4) and New England (No. 9). The Broncos ranked 15th.

The Steelers ranked 27th.

Although the offensive line seemed to improve as the season progressed, the offensive line could never be counted upon to get a reliable push in the run game. That lack of push hampered the Steelers badly on third-down  attempts and in the red zone.

John Henry Johnson

As noted by by the Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac:
"The Steelers finished 27th in the league in rushing and averaged 3.5 yards per carry. Only the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars averaged fewer yards per carry. Last season, the Steelers were ranked 26th in rushing and averaged 3.7 yards per carry. The Steelers also allowed 43 sacks this season, six more than last season (2012), when Sean Kugler coached the offensive linemen."

And this all points back to an issue we hate to raise, but ... if Bruce Arians was fired and Todd Haley hired to help the Steelers get back to the run and protect Big Ben, those twin objectives have not been attained.

Didn't the Steelers used to win this sort of game?

The one that got away: Charles Clay scores the winning TD
after Troy Polamalu and Cortex Allen failed to bring him down. 

Missed tackles. Blah. Blocked punt. Blah. A Ben Roethlsiberger fumble that led to a Miami touchdown. Poor clock management. Nine penalties. Dropped catches, off-target throws, sloppy play all around.

The Steelers' defense surrendered their 11th play of 50 yards or more this season, and it couldn't have come at a worse time: late in the fourth quarter, when running back Daniel Thomas broke a run for 55 yards on the decisive winning drive where Miami drove 80 yards to score with about three minutes left.

This came after another ineffective punt from Mat McBriar, who bounced one into the end zone for a net of 28 yards. That meant the Dolphins started their drive on the 20-yard line instead of backed up against their goal line.

The Steelers have had punting problems all season, and today was no different. In the first half, Miami blocked a McBriar punt and went on to score a touchdown. The Dolphins won by six points.

Center Cody Wallace played reasonably well.

On the plus side, the offensive line played reasonably well, and that includes third-string center Cody Wallace, who made his first start six seasons into his NFL career, and tackle Mike Adams.

Antonio Brown played well, although he had a drop, and almost won the game at the end had his momentum not carried him out of bounds. That would have been a play for the ages. Emmanuel Sanders had a touchdown catch among his four receptions but had a drop, too.

On defense, Jason Worilds and Cameron Heyward played well.  Also on the plus side, Mike Tomlin stayed on the sidelines.

Who's Calling the Plays?
Le'Veon Bell carried the ball only 16 times (for 63 yards), and had just one carry in the second quarter after gaining 36 yards on nine carries in the first quarter. We could ask why the Steelers didn't try to run the ball more in classic wintry conditions, especially in the second half. In fact, the question was asked of a testy Ben Roethlisberger during his post-game meeting with the media, and his response was a terse "No idea. Coach Haley's over there. You can ask him."

It was a legitimate question, though, and we hope somebody asks Haley, or Tomlin, and actually gets a meaningful answer, but that's not going to happen. Roethlisberger's response, though, just invites more speculation that there may be, and probably is, tension between Roethlisberger and Haley and provides more evidence of a disconnect between the two.

Oh, by the way, Mike Wallace caught only two passes for 19 yards and was not much of a factor. We didn't expect him to be.