My Steelers mid term grades....... Coaches

Mike Tomlin: coach Tomlin has his detractors (in which I count myself among that number), and supporters.... My issues with him are many, starting with his preference for veterans at all cost approach, and continuing with his inability/refusal to make necessary changes if needed..... the veteran philosophy has had to change out of necessity with 4 rookies at the top of the depth chart to begin the season.... the 2nd part is alive and well with 2 of those rookies struggling mightily and pieces in place to make changes, or to incorporate others into the game plan.... Next would be his lack of in game adjustments, which seems to spread to his coordinators as well..... I also hate political speak, which he is an absolute master at...... Now for the glass half full... Athletes genuinely want to play for him, which is rare, and his teams are usually competitive... This season has been up and down, but with the recent win streak, it's been mostly up... For all of his faults, 4 wins in a row and a 5-3 record cannot be ignored..... He has been mostly adequate..... Now, as the 2nd half of the season starts, and with a stronger schedule, adequate may not cut it..
Grade: B-

Matt Canada: jet sweep, jet sweep, bubble screen... Punt.... Many times I wondered what the hell is going on, but it's painfully obvious..
The current offensive structure is hamstrung by the limitations at the QB position.... Until Ben retires, we have no way of knowing how the offense is meant to play out.... That said, his refusal to include players like Derick Watt on a regular basis in the offense is particularly confusing......against the bears, Watt was used as a lead blocker and his clear out block led to Najee Harris practically walking into the end zone..... And then we never saw Watt again????..... Not using what works has been infuriating to see, so while partially, he would deserve an INC, his other lack of adjustments are totally on him
Grade: C

Keith Butler: Since taking over the DC spot, Butler has done one thing right..... He unleashed the D-line.... I applaud his use of pressure using only 4 rushers, but still needs to utilize the blitz on more than just a few occasions... I also believe his usage of Minkah Fitzpatrick has totally undermined the defenses ability to create turnovers.... In short, I don't believe he actually knows how to utilize anyone beyond the front 7 and his own lack of in game adjustments makes me scratch my head at times.....
Grade: C

 

If Steelers beat the Lions on Sunday... then your B- grade is justified for Tomlin.

 

Danny Smith?

 

Thought about it.... He's the only other coach that should get a grade.... The others are INC.
But smith's grade is tempered by Ray Ray's struggles, which are not his fault.... The coverage units have been good, and boz and harvin's success has little to do with him

 

Tomlin shoudnt get a higher grade than E, for effort

 

We changed to a punter who is doing worse than what we had last year (at least so far). Shanking 30 yarders (i.e. putting Cleveland in excellent field position toward the end of the game) doesn't do any "flippin the field" jibberish that was all the rage during preseason. I think it was the last game the announcers were also being critical. Consistency is lacking and this area of ST seems to have regressed. This should get multiple red x's from the Harvin click. JMO>

 

Doesn't take a lot of effort to keep doing the same things over and over and over again. But with our current record, won't complain. My gut tells me his grade will really start coming into focus over the next 4 or 5 games. This period will most likely decide what we'll be watching week 19.

 

December will tell the story for sure

 

Keith Butler ruined Minkah.

 

Butler should have been fired years ago. Good position coach. Terrible coordinator.

 

Butler is the best in the league at getting his team to sack the QB, they have led the league in sacks 4 consecutive years.

 

You deserve an F for this post

 

Ok we get it. You dont like Tomlin...anything else you would like to add?? or is this most we can ever expect from you with your limited education and propensity to repeat the same thing over and over again like a rain man on crack??

 

I would start off with two position coaches that deserve an A.

Adrian Klemm and Karl Dunbar have done an outstanding job given the circumstances. I honestly believe these guys have made the most out of the very little they had to work with. The line on both sides of the ball could easily look like a disaster every week. But Dunbar and Klemm have these guys playing well enough to win. To me that's impressive.

As for all the other coaches. To me they all get a C.

Tomlin is what he is. He righted the ship and has the team focused on playing winning football. But some of his in game decisions completely defy football logic. Tomlin is what he is. He gets a C for his career if you ask me. He could be so much better than he is. His stubbornness and refusal to learn from his own mistakes keeps him from being as good of a coach as he could be.

Canada has done okay. He has been an improvement over Fichtner IMO. It's hard to give him anything more than a C based on how the offense is performing. I do think any OC is handcuffed by what Ben wants to do.

Butler is a good position coach but an average OC. It is hard to know who calls what percentage of the defense. I believe Tomlin has a big hand in making the defensive calls. D has been good, but we blitz to often for my taste and are slow to adjust once teams figure us out. C for Keith as well.

Danny Smith has the coverage teams playing well. I don't blame him for Harvin. But the design of his fakes, like I wrote earlier, lacks football logic. You can't run a guy in motion on a fake. It gives the play away. It is never going to work. Smith is a stubborn coach who doesn't learn from his past failures. He gets a C as well and honestly that is being kind.

 

Actually the Steelers aren't blitzing that much this season, they don't trust the secondary, in the Raiders game Norwood blitzed didn't get home resulting in a long Raiders TD.

 

The Steelers are blitzing a TON.

 

I'll put it as an incomplete.

In some ways being at 5-3 with this squad is pretty damn good. An aging QB unable or unwilling to throw downfield on a any type of consistent basis, a D that is playing very well despite key injuries, and an offensive line put together with bailing wire and duct tape. 5-3 is quite an accomplishment.

At the same time it may not be sustainable without marked improvement in the offense. They have the worst point differential of any team in the league with a winning record. They've also caught a few breaks in terms of the schedule to date. The last 5 games, including today, are the Broncos, the Russell Wilson-less Seahawks, a bye week before the Browns, Bears, and Lions. Nothing they can control clearly, you can only play who's on your schedule. Just saying this is the soft part of the schedule, they should be winning those, and things will get harder with the Titans, Chiefs, Chargers, Ravens twice coming up.

As always, it's a long season and by the beginning of January, our perceptions may change markedly and not necessarily because the coaches are doing a better or worse job, but just due to circumstances.

 

You're wrong, provide some proof then.

 

When did Berry have this many shanks in one season?

 

5-3-1....With the 1, being against the most pathetic team ( by far ) in the League...At Home!

 

Can’t blame Tomlin for Butler. That one is on the owners. Tomlin supposedly wanted him gone ages ago but ownership felt they owed him for all the years he spent under Lebeau.

 

I know. That's part of my point. This is just not a very good team so you can argue it either way. A) they suck because of the coaching or B) their record is better than it should be which is because of decent coaching. Guess you could have both be true. <shoulder shrug>

 

I've said all year they're not good ( smoke and mirrors ) now , It looks like they're gonna lose the best Defensive player in Football for a while...

This team will be lucky to win 2 more games! They're bad.... Horrendous O, and a Defense that gets gouged on the ground even by the ****tiest teams...And of course Tomlin!