Welcome back to your weekly Pittsburgh Steelers mailbag. As always, we’re here for the next hour to answer whatever is on your mind.
To your questions!
Dr. Bacon: Has there been mention that Tomlin still has full control of the defense? It was understandable for him to do it when Butler was here, but i wasnt sure if he STILL called all the plays as Butler once implied.
Alex: I’m not sure if there’s been a recent example of someone confirming/mentioning that. At this point, it just seems more or less understood. I don’t think that’s changed under Teryl Austin. We still don’t know the exact level of control Tomlin has with the defense but it’s fair and safe to say he’s in charge and runs that side of the ball.
Chris Carey: ontract question – When players like Watt, or Porter, or anyone win national ‘Player of the Year’ type awards, or even Pro Bowl births – do you think these come into play during contract negotiations? Awards like the probowl are so popularity driven – but could they earn players larger contracts (meaning we don’t want steelers players to go to the pro bowl because they’ll be asking for more money, thus harder to afford?)
Alex: Well they can play a role in things like the PPE – the Proven Performance Escalator. For young players, that will boost their base salary. But generally, no, I don’t think that matters a whole lot besides the obvious that if you’re receiving those accolades, you’re probably a good player contributing for your team. That makes you valuable and gets you paid.
That might be part of someone’s resume but I don’t think anyone leads with that, at least not in Pittsburgh. What matters is the market. What can you get paid relative to your talent and your position. And so much of the deals are tripped up by the details, the guaranteed portion, the payout, the overall structure of the deal. I don’t think Pittsburgh gets upset when they send players to the Pro Bowl.
Peter-Petersen:
Hey Alex,
I was browsing other teams’ coaching staffs for potential future coaches and I came along Shane Day, Senior offensive from the Texans. So I wondered how far up the ladder such an assistant is? If the Steelers wanted to attract him would it be enough to make him a positional coach or would they need to make him passing game coordinator? What do you think are the odds that the Steelers would actually get a passing game coordinator since the duo at OC worked pretty well?
Alex: It’s a good question. I’m not sure exactly what the role entails. It would just depend on his responsibility in Pittsburgh and his paycheck that would determine if he were to leave. If they lose Slowik, we’ll see if someone like Ray will be considered in replacing him as OC. Probably puts someone like that in a holding pattern.
Good question on the pass game coordinator. I would tend to doubt it because the OC in Pittsburgh is basically that while the o-line coach is the unofficial run game coordinator. But we’ll see. Obviously they had a dual role of sorts in replacing Canada. I don’t think that’s going to be the same setup they’ll roll with for 2024 but I can’t rule any approach out.
Matt Manzo: Happy Thursday, Alex!!!
Are we expecting Holcomb, Alexander and Roberts to all be back next year?
If so, does that free us up to focus on CB, SS and DL for the Defense? Or is ILB still a high need?
Alex: Holcomb and Roberts are under contract so yes, expect them back. Alexander…he’s 30 with two Achilles tears. Maybe he signs with the team in camp like 2023 and they see how he looks. But there’s a lot of recovery time and I expect the Steelers to wait and see how he rehabs. Mark Robinson is in his third year and can hopefully gain some more trust. It was Teryl Austin who said before the year that Robinson was a year away.
While I’d like to draft the position long-term, I think it’s passable short-term given how well Roberts played and hopefully getting more from Robinson in his third year. And assuming Holcomb fully recovers, though how he looks after shredding his knee is a fair question and concern. With so many other needs, ILB is lower on my priority list.
Wreckless:
Hey Alex. How do you see the team handling the Safety position? Free Safety is obvious, but for the Strong Safety and Big Nickel do you see them just keeping Kazee at one spot then resigning Rowe?
If so, do you think that’s a good enough strategy or do you think that they should try to find a real answer at the position?
Alex: Good question. I’m not sure. Kazee and Neal are under contract. I’d like to find a younger and faster option. I’d like to get an every down kind of guy as opposed to the rotation they were using. But I hadn’t pulled up a list of names or strength of the draft class to see what their options are. This secondary has to get younger and faster. Peterson is about to turn 34, Eric Rowe is 31, Kazee turns 31 in June, Levi Wallace (a pending FA) is 29 this summer. There is more youth at corner, Porter/Trice/Rush but at safety, it’s an old group. I’d inject some youth in there.
SoCal now Central PA Steeler: Hey Alex, Assuming the Steelers aren’t going to draft a QB early do you have any favorites among the 2nd or 3rd tier guys yet? Milton seems pretty intriguing to me, maybe with one of the 4th round picks but I could definitely see him moving up the ladder when he Wows! the combine. Your thoughts?
Alex: Not yet. I view it as a later Day Three pick, one of their sixth or seventh round selections. And I haven’t done the homework yet. Milton has a huge arm but I don’t know what he offers outside of that. I’ll have to watch him some more. You’re right that arm will look good on those go-routes at Indy.
Dan Blocker: Alex – -If you’re a Steelers offensive assistant coach, do you know where you stand with the organization as of today? Example, is Mike Sullivan going to work, and interviewing for jobs?
Alex: Probably not. They gotta hire the OC and go from there. There may be some uncertainty about if the OC wants to bring anyone in. He’s not going to have full authority with that but if there’s a guy he really wants, it’s possible. They gotta hire him and see if there’s a domino effect from there. And of course, someone like Sullivan, if he gets an OC offer, he’d be a fool not to take it.
UmpRay: Alex,
What are your thoughts on how many of the offensive coaches will be retained when a new OC is hired? How much control will the organization give the new OC to pick his staff? Asking since if they limit control it could deter good candidates from accepting an offer.
Alex: Depends on the hire. His experience, if he has anyone he can pull from somewhere else. I think it’s a bit overstated about a new OC getting to hire out a coaching staff. It’s not like a head coach or GM. There isn’t as much control, especially if the team has people under contract (the Steelers typically “part ways” instead of firing and being on the hook for money). When Canada was promoted, he brought over a Quality Control Assistant in Matt Tomsho. It wasn’t like he changed up the whole staff. I don’t think Haley brought anyone over when he became OC in 2012.
So it’s not as big a deal as people make it out to be. Maybe the QB Coach, especially if Sullivan leaves and there’s an opening. But it’s not going to be a massive turnover.
