Steelers Offense Is Dealing with A Lot, but Have the Primary Pieces to Be Better Than They Are
Offensive football has failed the Pittsburgh Steelers time and time against this season. Mason Rudolph continues to take the heat for his inability to lead scoring drives, but really, the entire offense has found themselves struggling throughout this season.
Head coach Mike Tomlin is fully aware of the difficulties his team has had. Each week, he walks into his Tuesday press conference and each week he has to answer to the questions circulating his offense's poor performance.
It's become sort of a revolving door for Tomlin. While the defense continues to keep games alive, and win more times than they've lost, they are no longer the topic of conversation. The expectations are for them to score touchdowns and dominate offenses. What people are wondering now is how far this team can go if their offense remains this bad.
Circumstances haven't help this team's situation. Tomlin didn't recall a season where he's dealt with so many injuries, and most fans can't either. It's never an easy task when your Hall of Fame quarterback leaves for the season and you're dealing with a beat up backfield and receiving core on top of it. But for Tomlin, his focus remains the same.
"You know, the bottom line is our job is to win games regardless of circumstance," Tomlin said. "So that’s our focus. I really don’t spend a lot of time crying over who’s available or who’s not available. It’s as much a part of the game as blocking and tackling, and if you’re a competitor like we as coaches are competitors, that fires you up. You want to smile in the face of adversity and deliver. So that’s our focus."
While Tomlin may be looking ahead instead of behind, the NFL has remained concerned with how inefficient his new quarterback has been behind center. Rudolph is coming off a four interception game against the Browns, but lost his top two receivers and starting running back by half time.
It wasn't ideal, but nothing has been this season. The Steelers have found themselves battling through every worst-case scenario imaginable and somehow sit with a .500 record.
Moving forward, Tomlin and his quarterback aren't changing anything. According to the coach, it isn't the lack of stardom on the field but rather the team's readiness. Something they have the control to fix on a weekly basis.
"We are not looking for excuses," Tomlin replied when asked if injuries have hindered Rudolph's play. "It is what it is. We are trying to win football games. We are presented with a set of circumstances or variables week in and week out, some of which we do not have control over. We do have control over our preparation and our readiness. Ultimately, the execution is those available to us and so that is our focus. I am not trying to paint with a broad brush or seek comfort or trying to assess anything from a global perspective. We just really need to be focused on our prep and ultimately our play this weekend in an AFC North matchup."
Pittsburgh does have something going for it on offense, though. Their offensive line has remained strong, even in the midst of dealing with their own set of injuries. The team has seen three players start at left guard this season because of a Ramon Foster concussion, and still held their own against some of the best defensive front sevens in football.
If the offense is going to find success anywhere it'll be behind their big men. Maurkice Pouncey is set to miss the next three games with a suspension, but Tomlin is positive this line can remain the strong unit it's been in the past.
"Obviously, in our offense line we don’t have a lot of people missing there," Tomlin highlighted the strength within his offense. "If [Maurkice] Pouncey is unavailable to us, that is a significant loss. For the most, we have had pretty good availability in our offensive line and even times we haven’t, we have solid veteran backups who bring in experience even when called upon. If B.J. Finney is our center in this football game, we won’t be worried about his ability to articulate the necessary things associated with the position and his ability to do the job."
Finney has been around this team long enough to understand the starting role at guard and center. A primary backup, Finney has started 10 games during his four-year career with Pittsburgh. This week, he's set to add another to his list and the Steelers are confident in his ability to handle the role.
"We have called on B.J. time and time again over the years and so we are completely comfortable there," Tomlin said.
It's been a bumpy road for Tomlin and the Steelers this season, but they're still sitting hopeful in the AFC playoff race. With six games remaining, there's plenty to look back and learn from. Injuries are difficult to overcome, but a necessary obstacle to climb to be successful in this league.
This team needs to give themselves a chance to win games their defense is putting them in position to win. Execution is key moving forward, and if this season has any life left - which it should - the offense needs to figure out how to overcome unfortunate situations like Week 11.
"On the offensive side of the ball, we need to do a better job of adjusting," Tomlin said. "People get hurt. It’s part of football. Several people went down during the course of the game, and we weren’t able to find our traction and get fluidity and move the ball with the type of fluidity that we needed to. We didn’t take care of the ball, and regardless of circumstance, that’s always a reasonable expectation, in terms of protection of the football. We played good special teams and defense, and they were punting the football. We got a chance in games. We didn’t give ourselves a chance in the game because we didn’t take care of the ball well enough. Coupled that with the fact of we weren’t getting turnovers, it produced the outcome that we’re all familiar with."
