With Arians' retirement, what's going to happen to the Steelers offense?

A few days ago, it was announced that Steelers' offensive coordinator Bruce Arians would be "retiring." Rumor has it that Arians didn't have much of a choice. No matter how the retirement came about, this will be the first major coaching change that head coach Mike Tomlin has had to deal with since he became the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He retained Dick Lebeau as defensive coordinator when he took over the job, and Lebeau has not decided to hang them up yet. He promoted Bruce Arians from wide receiver coach to offensive coordinator, and now he is without an offensive coordinator for the first time as a head coach.

Bruce Arians was a lightning rod when it came to discussion between Steelers fanatics. There was a faction that absolutely hated him, a faction that loved him, and then there were those in between.

The ones that absolutely hated him felt that the offense was too predictable, wished he would use a true fullback and run the ball more, and felt that the plays he called never worked and the only plays that ever worked were the ones that Ben Roethlisberger called.

The Arians lovers felt that the offense was moving in the right direction with the league becoming more and more pass happy with each season. They felt Arians was utilizing our best player, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. And they felt that when a play didn't work it was the sole fault of the players not executing the play that was called.

I am more of an in between guy. Did I feel that Arians' offense was at times too predictable? Yes, there were times where I knew what the play was going to be before the huddle was broken. However, with the way the NFL is going under the direction of Roger Goodell (and this is a whole other blog article in itself), that focusing more on the passing game is a good idea. However, I did wish that he would have utilized a true fullback, especially in short yardage and goal line situations. Yes, there were bad play calls, but hindsight is 20/20. If the play works and gets good yardage, it was a great call....but if it ends up in a loss of yards or worse a turnover, the fans say it was a horrible play call. And that goes for any play caller, not just Bruce Arians.

Steelers President Art Rooney II has reportedly said that he wants the old offense. He wants to go back to the blue collar identity that the Steelers have had in the past. This isn't the first time Art Rooney II has given an edict to his coaches since taking over as the shot caller in the Steelers ownership structure. Just the other year, he demanded that the offense put more of a focus on running the football.

The Rooney ownership has largely stood back and let the people they hire to run the football side of things do their job. That's the way they have operated throughout most of the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have had only three head coaches since 1969 (Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, Mike Tomlin). However, they have intervened at times when they have seen it necessary, it is their money that is being spent.

However, with Art II now having the final decision over everything, it looks like his input will be offered more often than that of his father Dan Rooney..and his grandfather, Steelers founder Art Rooney. I am fully expecting Art II to be involved in the search for a new offensive coordinator since he wants to go back to the blue collar identity that has been the Steelers in the past.

My main concern is, by old offense, does he mean the "Cowherball" days where the Steelers offense looked like this: run-run-pass-punt more often than not. Do I want more balance between the run and the pass? Yeah, I would prefer more of a 45% run to 55% pass, or something close to that. Running the ball keeps the defense honest, it doesn't allow them to totally sell out to protect against the pass...and throwing the ball slightly more doesn't allow the defense to totally sell out against stopping the run.

I am expecting whoever gets hired for the job to employ a true fullback into the offense, especially with Rashard Mendenhall being injured. Our starting running back will likely be Issac Redman, and he's a power runner. I think with Redman as our starter, using a true fullback would help tremendously since I don't see us running many edge plays. Just give him the ball up the gut, let a fullback make a hole, and then Redman can blow it open even more.

One thing I really liked about Bruce Arians is that he consulted with Ben Roethlisberger about the offense. They sat down and went through the playbook...they got rid of plays that Ben felt didn't work or he didn't like. And that was the right move. Roethlisberger is the franchise quarterback of the Steelers. He is the recipient of the largest contract handed out to a player in team history. He has won two Super Bowls and been to a third.

I just hope that the new offensive coordinator brings back some of that blue collar toughness that comes to mind when you think of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But with the league becoming more and more pass happy, I really hope that the new coordinator doesn't try to be too much of a "three yards and a cloud of dust" play caller. Just strike the appropriate balance of run/pass on offense. The Steelers have the type of players to finish in the top ten in most offensive categories every year. I am expecting whoever is hired to replace Arians to make this offense the best it can possibly be.

And yes, I am going to be sending my resume to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Why not?

Looking towards the draft and Free Agency

Well, I am now officially over the Steelers loss to the Broncos in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs. The Steelers were a MASH Unit in that game. Clark was held out due to his blood disorder, Hampton & Keisel were both lost in the game, LaMarr Woodley was in and out with his hamstring giving him trouble, Maurkice Pouncey was out with a knee injury, Rashard Mendenhall was out with a torn ACL, and Ben Roethlisberger was hobbled by a bum ankle.

So now it's time to look at the 2012 NFL Rookie Draft and Free Agency.

The Steelers are currently over the cap by the estimations of most. So they are going to make some cuts and have guys restructure their contracts to be able to sign their draft picks and their own free agents.

I think we will see the following players cut and/or retire:

• Chris Kemoeatu, G - He was benched twice this season. He's got the potential to be a very good guard, but he can't keep himself from making dumb penalties at the worst possible moments. I think Mike Tomlin has tired of him and he will be released.
• Chris Hoke, NT - He suffered a neck injury and is expected to retire. 
• James Farrior, ILB - For as great of a player as he's been for the Steelers, he is not the same player he was even a season ago. His play fell off a lot this season, and I can see him being a surprise cut to clear cap space.
• Daniel Sepluveda, P - This is his second stint on IR with the Steelers, I expect him to be released and Jeremy Kapinos retained.
• Jonathon Scott, T - He was horrible in the few games he played at tackle this season, I don't expect to see him on the roster past training camp.
• Byron Leftwich, QB - He's too fragile, can't make it through the preseason. I am not expecting him to be kept.
• Willie Colon, T - He was signed to a big contract and then was on IR before the season even started. This was his second straight season on IR and I don't expect the Steelers to keep him with them needing to get under the cap.

The Steelers' biggest priority on the free agent front is resigning Mike Wallace. Yes, he is a restricted free agent, and I do expect the Steelers to give him the highest possible tender so if he did go somewhere else the Steelers would acquire first and third round draft picks. But the Steelers would like to keep him, because with Antonio Brown they make a very dynamic wide receiver duo.

Now onto the NFL Draft, and I think the following are the biggest needs for the Pittsburgh Steelers:

•  Offensive Line - For years the Steelers have been using a patchwork offensive line. Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has taken a lot of sacks over the years, and with him turning 30 this year, he's not going to keep bouncing back from the hits. Yes, he's always going to play a brand of backyard football running around and holding onto the ball longer than he should, but the Steelers need to build an offensive line in front of him that can protect him better. Also, this has been one of the worst seasons I have ever seen the Steelers have running the football. An improved offensive line could help the run game too. The Steelers have taken one offensive lineman in the first round of the draft since 1998, and that was our current center Maurkice Pouncey. If there is an offensive lineman worth the pick at #24, or if we have to trade up a couple spots to nab Cordy Glenn (guard from Georgia), I think we should pull the trigger. 
• Nose Tackle - In the past three years the Steelers have taken Cam Heyward (2011) and Ziggy Hood (2009) to play defensive end in the Steelers' 3-4 defensive scheme. Now they need to find their future nose tackle. With Casey Hampton going down with a torn ACL and Chris Hoke likely retiring after a neck injury, we are thin at the position. While I don't have Hampton on my cuts list, it's a possibility with his age and injury, and if he isn't cut he won't be ready for the start of the season.
• Cornerback - Yes, the Steelers did have the top pass defense in  the NFL last season...and then they were shredded by Tim Tebow in their lone playoff game. Ike Taylor chose to have that game as his worst game of the season, but he is still a top notch corner in my opinion. William Gay has a very good season, but I still wouldn't mind seeing the Steelers take a corner in the first four rounds, hopefully a guy who's a freakish athlete they they can develop. 
• Running Back - Rashard Mendenhall tore his ACL in the season finale against Cleveland. Mewelde Moore is a free agent and isn't expected to return. That leaves Issac Redman as the starter (which I am fine with), but not much behind him. I can see the Steelers taking a speed back to compliment Redman's power running style. 
• Quarterback - Ben Roethlisberger is no doubt the starter. However, behind him there isn't a ton of talent. Nobody is expecting the Steelers to retain the fragile Byron Leftwich. Then you have Charlie Batch who was lucky to play against a hapless St. Louis Ram's pass rush in his only game of the season. And then you have Dennis Dixon who will be a free agent and likely not resigned. The Steelers need a young quarterback who can be a reliable option behind Ben for when/if he goes down with an injury. Right now that quarterback isn't on the team.

Later this offseason I will be doing a mock draft for just the Steelers, and then closer to the draft I will be doing a complete first round mock draft.