There is something behind the Pittsburgh Steelers’
long-term success. Something we like to call, “The Playbook.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers typically draft late because of
their continuing success year in and year out which means, talent, scheme and
communication have become a few of the pillars that have contributed to the
overall Black n Gold lasting achievements.
When you are viewed as one of the most stable, successful
and well respected National Football League franchises; others around the
league wonder what attributes to the team’s long-term success. Good drafting?
Good Coaching? Good Organization? Yes, yes, and yes. But it’s really the
Steelers Playbook. Not a playbook with the “X” and “O”s per se, but the
combination of the talent (scouting department), schemes (the coaching staff)
and the communications (both on and off the field) that make the real difference.
SCOUTING – THE
PLAYERS
Dating back to the late sixties and early seventies when the
teams scouting department was limited in resources as well as in its reach; the
team had to be creative in finding the talent that could change the desperate
plight of losing that the team had endured for over thirty plus years.
Getting film on anyone was somewhat of an exclusive because
the film was never shared with their contemporaries. The hiring of Bill Nun Jr.
from the Pittsburgh Courier as the first African American appointed to a front
office position proved to be a step in the right direction.
Bill Nunn had a great reputation for knowing football talent
and was instrumental in shaping the early championship teams. He would scour
the small African American schools for players that were often overlooked by
most teams. The headliners that he brought to the team are some of the who’s
who of the organization beginning with Mean Joe Green, L.C. Greenwood, Mel
Blount, John Stallworth and Donnie Shell just to name a few.
Those scouting departments set the tone for player
evaluation for future scouting by using the draft as the primary vehicle in
acquiring talent. Today’s scouting is much more advanced obviously as a
result of electronics, analytics and larger staffs which are capable of leaving
no stone unturned nor any player undiscovered.
Even with a more defined selection process, for every Rod
Woodson there is an Antwon Blake or for every Greg Lloyd, there is a Jarvis
Jones. However, the draft is a part of the Playbook and a pillar from which the
team talent is built upon!
SCHEMES – THE
COACHING
CHUCK NOLL
The organization first struck gold with the hiring of Coach
Chuck Noll even if they did consider Coach Joe Paterno from Penn State
initially. Coach Noll came in with a no-nonsense approach yet, more as a
teacher, but it took the team three years to realize a winning record under his
regime. But he knew how to build a team, man did he ever, from his first pick
of Mean Joe Green in 1969, Terry Bradshaw and Mel Blount in1970, Jack Ham
in1971 to Franco Harris in 1972 (We don’t have to mention the 1974 draft class
that was legendary in its own right). All Hall of Famers.
The Coaching Staff was just as legendary under Coach Noll
with names like Bud Carson and George Perle’s defense, Dan Radakovich and
Rollie Dotsch offensive line, Dick Walker and Tony Dungy with the DB’s and
Lionel Taylor WR Coach. The Steel Curtain Defense ran a 4-3 scheme (four down
linemen and three linebackers) with Joe Green lining up in the “gap” between the
guard and center on an angle. This made him almost impossible to block as Ernie
“Fats Holmes helped push the middle of the offense while allowing “ends” L.C.
Greenwood and Dwight “Mad Dog” White “set the edge” or to constantly have a
path to the quarterback
The Linebackers of Ham, Lambert and Russell had free reign
to either rush or drop into coverage. Blount, Wagner, Edwards and Thomas shut
down passing games with regularity.
Coach Nolls basic offense was powered by Franco and Rocky
through a limited amount of plays in which they ran to perfection. “The Trap –
Draw”. They would pull either guard catching a lineman coming through the line
and block him which permitted the running backs to go right through the hole he
left open that was as wide as a tunnel. Occasionally, Randy Grossman, the T.E.
would catch a pass to keep the defense honest, but after the 1974 draft, the
team’s aerial connections to Swann and Stallworth fueled most of the offensive
attacks. They out-schemed their opponents with the coaching and talent
assembled under the Steelers playbook. Winning four Super Bowl Rings to prove
it.
BILL COWHER
As stoic and reserved as Coach Noll was, his replacement was
even fierier. Bill Cowher brought “Cowher Power” on the scene following in the
tradition of the mean, nasty and intimidating defenses with fierce sets of
linebackers named Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene, Chad Brown, Joey Porter, James
Harrison, James Farrior, Jason Gildan and Levon Kirkland.
That was the strength of Coach Cowher’s defenses over the years
with a strong cast in the secondary lead by Rod Woodson, Carnell Lake and Troy
Polamalu who were the mainstays in those Defensive Backfields. Dermontti Dawson
and Alan Faneca anchored the offensive lines and “Fast” Willie Parker and
Jerome Bettis made the “Bus” go round and round.
Hines Ward, Plaxico Burress, Santonio Holmes and Heath
Miller roamed and controlled the airways. Ben Roethlisberger was acquired
through the draft on Coach Cowhers watch from a Mid- American School, not a
traditional powerhouse conference.
Cowher ran power football with a lot of exotic offensive
sets which often caught the defenses off-guard. But it was his 3 – 4 (three
down linemen and four linebackers) defenses that set the tone for his teams
throughout the years. They played a lot of winning football and reached the
pinnacle of greatness once for the thumb.
With the drafting of some of the most talented players in
team history combined with a top-level coaching staff, the Steelers Playbook
was in full effect during Coach Cowhers tenure.
MIKE TOMLIN
The baton was passed to Coach Mike Tomlin who ushered in an
era of hi-tech football with the same attention to draft details towards
building winning football. Of the most notable draft picks in NFL history,
Antonio Brown, the sixth-round pick is a prime example of the talent evaluation
that still exists today within the team’s structure. Although a lot of players
at the beginning of Coach Tomlin’s tenure were carryovers from the previous
regime, the draft has not proven yet to be the bonanza that the other two
coaches enjoyed.
Players such as Cameron Heywood, LeVeon Bell, Maurkice
Pouncey, Dave DeCastro, LaMarr Woodley, Ryan Shazier, Chris Boswell, Artie
Burns, Sean Davis, Lawrence Timmons, T.J. Watt, Stephon Tuitt, and Javon Hargrave
were the products of Coach Tomlin’s drafting over the years.
Even though the 2008 season saw the team have the number one
defense in the league that lead to Coach Tomlin’s first Super bowl win, Dick
LeBeau kept the 3-4 defense in the top ten in the league with exotic blitzes
and zone coverage while the offense was beginning to power up.
Four wideout sets became in vogue in a single back formation
with an offensive line coached by Mike Munchak that paved the way for a unique
running game. Ray Horton, Bruce Arians, Todd Haley were some of the
coaches on staff. With the lack of overall Pro Bowl players and possible Hall
of Fame players selected through the draft, in addition with the highest
turnover of assistant coaches in the league, Coach Tomlin still has never had a
losing season.
This is a testament to his reputation as a player’s coach
who is able to effectively communicate with all types of players while
establishing a winning culture. That too is a part of the Steelers Playbook.
COMMUNICATION –
THE ORGANIZATION
On field communications are key to the success of any team
and the Black n Gold is no different. Coaches must have their signals ready,
in-game adjustments conveyed and players in the correct position to execute the
game plans. The players on the field have to communicate with each other to
ensure assignments are carried out to avoid botched plays.
Above all, is the message from the top of the Organization
that truly dictates the culture of the team. The “Chief” established that
culture over a half century ago and the Rooney’s have kept that intact to this
day. Family values and love for the community as well as players character make
up the final Chapter to the Steelers Playbook.
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