Historically, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been the example of a franchise who chooses to stay the course, never overspend or panic when things don’t go right. But after the debacle of a season in 2018, the Steelers took a more aggressive approach in hopes of turning things around quickly.
The moves Pittsburgh made have all been to help the franchise focus on football and get more athletic. We already talked about three reasons to be a pessimist about the upcoming season but this one is all about optimism.
Ben Ben is still elite
If you have an elite, franchise quarterback you always have a chance. Ben Roethlisberger has proven over the course of his entire career he can elevate the play of his teammates. The Steelers are loaded with young skill players and there might not be a better quarterback in the league to make them better.
The run game can be dominant
Last season the coaches abandoned the run game in favor of a full air raid every week. In spite of this, James Conner still made the Pro Bowl. We saw what Jaylen Samuels can do in a starting role in one game last season and Benny Snell Jr. joins the team as one of the most productive rookies in the league. If the Steelers decide they want to just wear a defense down, this stable of backs with one of the two or three best offensive lines in the league can get it done.
The defense added closers
If you just look at the raw numbers, there are no real complaints about how the Steelers defense played last season. But when you put on the film you saw a defense that couldn’t close out games. Whether it was a blown coverage on third down or a missed tackle on a run that keeps a drive alive, the team was missing finishers. The addition of guys like Devin Bush, Mark Barron and Steven Nelson should really help this team close out games and protect leads.
