In the National Football League, many people underscore how important coaching can be to a team. Some suggest because these athletes are so gifted, and most at the top of their craft, coaching in today’s NFL doesn’t really matter.
I couldn’t disagree more.
The 2016 Pittsburgh Steelers are an inconsistent team after 11 weeks of NFL action, but the one thing which can change, and ultimately propel the team to bigger and better things, is the coaching.
Harshly criticized, and rightfully so, for the majority of the season, Mike Tomlin and his staff did a wonderful job against the Cleveland Browns in Week 11. Yes, the Browns haven’t won a game yet, but this is more about the Steelers than who they were lined up against.
In the latest episode of the Steelers Connection I dive head-first into this topic and outline 4 main reasons why the Steelers coaching staff didn’t just do a great job against the Browns, but how they also can impact the team in a positive way moving forward.
First, the staff is putting players on the field who are simply making plays, and that includes rookies like Sean Davis, Javon Hargrave and Artie Burns, but it goes beyond the first year players. Cobi Hamilton is another example of the team putting their best product available on the field.
The other aspect of coaching which has been impressive is the staff putting players in position to succeed. Whether it was Lawrence Timmons rushing off the edge, or the team moving Stephon Tuitt around in Cameron Heyward’s absence, the changes paid off.
Scheme is something which has been criticized a lot in recent weeks, and the offensive and defensive schemes, like deploying Chris Hubbard as a blocking tight end to help get the ground game moving, was a bright spot for the coaching staff moving forward.
Lastly, the coaches seem to be trusting the players. No longer is Keith Butler holding back blitzes, but he is letting the dogs loose, so to speak. All of this could be signs of brighter days ahead.
Take a listen to the latest episode in the player above.
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