Potential must manifest for a Steelers defense on the rise
It is no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense is expected to one of the best in the NFL in 2016, and rightfully so. Not only does Pittsburgh have one of the league’s best quarterbacks in Ben Roethlisberger, but they are plenty deep on offense at nearly every position – save tight end. But I am a firm believer that defense wins championships. The Denver Broncos proved this last year en route to their Super Bowl victory over Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers.
If the Steelers are going to make a deep playoff run, it will rest on not only the right arm and health of Big Ben – but also on the defense doing enough to win those games in which the offense inexplicably falters. With a laundry list of high draft picks, youth, and athleticism, Pittsburgh’s defense has loads of potential. But potential doesn’t win football games – results do.
Starting with a secondary that has been severely maligned over the past two years, there is literally no way this unit won’t improve from a passing yards allowed ranking of 30th in 2015. While they were opportunistic forcing turnovers, and did well tightening up in the red zone, the secondary still gave up far too many big plays and was inefficient on possession downs.
With a mix of William Gay, Ross Cockrell, Artie Burns, Justin Gilbert, Mike Mitchell, Robert Golden, and Sean Davis, the secondary is now loaded with speed and athleticism. It will be interesting to see the combination of moving parts within this group as the season moves on.
At linebacker, Bud Dupree was expected to make a big leap in 2016, but is now out up to eight weeks after surgery for a groin issue. Alas, the linebacking corps is still pretty deep and has a nice mix of young guys and veterans. Ryan Shazier has superstar written all over him, and he will be in the top three conversation at middle linebacker if he stays healthy. Lawrence Timmons, James Harrison, and Arthur Moats provide veteran leadership and quality snaps. If Jarvis Jones can finally have a breakout season and Anthony Chickillo can prove he belongs, the Steelers could eclipse 50 sacks, improving upon their 48 from last season.
The defensive line is the strength of the Pittsburgh defense. Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt may just be the best young defensive end tandem in football, while rookie Javon Hargrave has impressed all the way through and has earned the starting nose tackle job. I expect no issues with this group, they should continue to dominate upfront in the same fashion the vaulted the Steelers run defense to the top-tier last season.
Pittsburgh’s defense showed flashes last year. They added talent in trouble areas. They have several young guys ready to turn the corner and validate their draft status. Yes, the potential is there. Whether or not the Steelers are there in January will rest on said potential manifesting itself.
