Another year, another disappointing end to the season. The Pittsburgh Steelers again made the playoffs but failed to record a postseason win. After the season-ending loss to the Baltimore Ravens, head coach Mike Tomlin said there could be multiple changes coming for the organization.
Most people assumed that would mean changes to Tomlin’s coaching staff. Frequent targets for fans’ ire included defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and offensive line coach Pat Meyer. But should the team’s analytics department be part of the overhaul? When ESPN’s Seth Walder conducted a survey early in the 2024 NFL season, the Steelers received the second-most votes for the least analytically advanced team in the league.
There are those who believe the Steelers have had an analytics issue. Former Steelers G Ramon Foster is certainly open to the idea, especially when compared to the rest of the league.
“There are some, I say respectfully, there are some nerds out here that would love to walk inside of 3400 South Water Street and tell you you probably shouldn’t do that,” said Foster when he joined Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger on Tuesday’s episode. “You tell me the analytics of, and maybe they, I hadn’t been in the building to be upstairs to know how big the analytical department is, but that’s a huge part of the game. That’s Andy Reid, that is Sean McVay, that is Sean Payton. That is these young gurus, Ben Johnson that you spoke about recently or we spoke about earlier. There are facets of the game that doing two-a-days probably might not help.”
Foster questioned the size of the Steelers’ analytics staff, and it turns out he has good reason to. On the Steelers’ Front Office page, there are only three people whose job title includes references to analytics. Those names are Tosin Kazeem, Football Analytics Coordinator; Donovan Moore, Football Analyst; and Jake Clancy, Football Analytics Intern.
For comparison, the Ravens do not have a person with the specific title of “Football Analytics Coordinator” listed on their front office page. But they have a Football Administration/Salary Cap Analyst, a Quantitative Analyst, a Pro Scout & Salary Cap Analyst, and a Coaching/Scouting Analyst. So the Ravens, the team who won the AFC North and knocked the Steelers out of the playoffs, have analysts with distinct areas of focus.
Will beefing up the analytics department under general manager Omar Khan suddenly change the direction of the Steelers’ franchise? No, not on its own. But there are moments in almost every game where one decision can disproportionately impact the outcome.
And that’s where having a well-versed analyst who studies that part of the game can make a difference. There are multiple examples of mid-game decisions going against the analytics from this season alone. One of the biggest came back at the start of the Steelers’ five-game losing streak against the Philadelphia Eagles when the Steelers punted facing 4th and 7 from the Eagles’ 46-yard line.
The analytics said go for it. Tomlin elected to punt, and despite punting with more than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Steelers never saw the ball again.
Would the Steelers have won if they had gone for it? Based on the string of results to end the season, probably not. But I think the point is that the process is flawed, not just the results. Foster and countless others would like the Steelers to embrace a deeper understanding of football’s data. Having a good decision-making process will ensure that you make the right decision more often than not.
And making better decisions thanks to analytics should translate to better success on and off the field for the Steelers. That is if Mike Tomlin is willing to listen.
