The First "Obviously" of the 2014-15 Campaign

"Obviously, we have some young people who are capable of infusing some speed into the unit, but we're not going to hang our hat on it, and we're going to talk too much about it."

-- Head Coach Mike Tomlin, at Steelers Training Camp in Latrobe

Singular Focus, Obviously

One question Joey Porter's Pit Bulls would like to hear Mike Tomlin address is this:

"What are the Steelers doing to avoid a repeat of an 0-4 and 2-6 start to the 2014 season?"

Looking back on it, there's no disputing the Steelers weren't ready for the 2013 season. They went 0-4 in the pre-season, 0-4 to start the regular season and closed out the first half at 2-6, capped in spectacular embarrassment by the exclamation mark of a 55-31 thrashing by the New England Patriots.

They simply weren't ready to start the season, and you could see they wouldn't be, even as the pre-season unfolded. It was inexcusable.

If they had been ready, there is no way they would have lost the home opener to Tennessee. Remember that?  There's no way they would have given up 40 points in a home loss to the Bears in Week 3. There's no way they would have lost to Minnesota at any location, including London, and maybe especially London.  Let alone the woeful Oakland Raiders, for crying out loud.

To their credit, the Steelers finished 6-2, but that 2-6 start dug them in such a hole that it's almost easy to overlook the fact that the Steelers had an easy schedule for the 2013 season, thanks to their lousy showing in 2012.

And that 6-2 finish was marred by one loss in particular: There's no way they should have lost to Miami. At home. In a snowstorm. Disgraceful. At least the Miami offensive line was well-fed.

What about the upcoming 2014 season? What will Mike Tomlin and his coaching staff do differently to ensure that a repeat of 0-4 and 2-6 does not happen?

“That (one game at a time approach is) something that stops a bad problem from becoming worse,” Tomlin said shortly after the season concluded.

“The No. 1 key to getting out of a hole is to stop digging, and I believe that’s what the singular focus allowed us to do. To stop digging. Not to worry about what we had done to get ourselves into the position we were in, but to look singularly forward at the challenge that’s in front of us. That’s what I’m talking about when I talk about having the ability to focus on this week’s challenge.”

It's been a long week since the end of the season.  We can only hope that "this week's challenge" has been, all offseason, to prepare for Week 1 of the 2014 season and get off to a fast start.

Obviously.

The O-Line Coach Conundrum

It's been nearly two weeks since the Steelers fired offensive line coach Jack Bicknell, Jr., and they still haven't named a successor. Offensive assistant Shaun Starrett has already interviewed for the position, according to the Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac, who also has reported that Sarrett basically assumed many of Bicknell's duties even before the season ended.

Bicknell said he was stunned by the move, but "obviously" Mike Tomlin had his reasons. Speculation abounds, and we may never know Tomlin's reasons, but it appears the Steelers are waiting for the playoffs to play out before announcing Bicknell's replacement.

Why was Bicknell let go? Considering the degree to which the patchwork offensive line improved during the season, one would have thought Bicknell's job might have been safe. The running game never really got any serious traction, however, even considering the last two games, when Le'Veon Bell put up decent numbers.

Still, as Dulac noted, the team's overall numbers for rushing yardage and sacks allowed in 2013 were not good:

"The Steelers regressed statistically in Bicknell's one season as the team's offensive line coach. They 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." 

It may be that the Steelers want to interview one of the coaches from one of the playoff teams still playing. For all the sentiment that the importance of the running game in the NFL has diminished, the 49ers, Seahawks and Patriots rely heavily on the run. On Sunday, New England racked up 234 yards rushing, as the Patriots' ran roughshod over the Indianpolis Colts, with LeGarrette Blount running for four touchdowns.

No matter who the Steelers name as their next offensive line coach, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls have to wonder if the Steelers will ditch the zone blocking scheme that never took hold last season -- and which Bicknell was supposedly hired to implement. For the players they have, the zone blocking scheme just may not work.

Singular Focus. Obviously.

One issue Joey Porter's Pit Bulls would like to hear Mike Tomlin address is this:

"What will the Steelers do differently in 2014 to be ready for the start of the season?"

There's no disputing the Steelers weren't ready for the 2013 season. They went 0-4 in the pre-season, 0-4 to start the regular season and closed out the first half at 2-6, capped in spectacular embarrassment by the exclamation mark of a 55-31 thrashing by the New England Patriots.

They simply weren't ready to start the season, and you could see they wouldn't be, even as the pre-season unfolded . It was inexcusable.

If they had been ready, there is no way they would have lost the home opener to Tennessee. There's no way they would have given up 40 points in a home loss to the Bears in Week 3. There's no way they would have lost to Minnesota at any location, including London.  Let alone Oakland.

At this point, it's almost easy to overlook the fact that the Steelers had an easy schedule for the 2013 season, thanks to their lousy showing in 2012.

What now?

“That (one game at a time approach is) something that stops a bad problem from becoming worse,” said Tomlin at his post-season news conference on Monday.

“The No. 1 key to getting out of a hole is to stop digging, and I believe that’s what the singular focus allowed us to do. To stop digging. Not to worry about what we had done to get ourselves into the position we were in, but to look singularly forward at the challenge that’s in front of us. That’s what I’m talking about when I talk about having the ability to focus on this week’s challenge.”

This week's challenge: Prepare now for Week 1 of the 2014 season.