2005-06 Stillers Coaching Staff Grades

GRADING THE COACHES FROM START TO FINISH, 2005-06
By Still Diesel    

DL Coach John Mitchell: The D-line played well all season and was a force in the playoffs. I still remember Brett Keisel stripping Jake Plummer to seal the deal in the AFCC. Keisel was a former 7^th rounder and has been developed well. In the SB Hampton had a huge sack and all in all the D-line was very disruptive and made plays all year. In a 3-4 alignment the D-line does the dirty work so the LB�s can shine. Mission accomplished. Reg Season: B+; AFC Playoffs: A; SB: A

RB Coach Dick Hoak: This guy has been the RB�s coach for all 5 SB rings and I hope he wears them proudly. The right side of his offensive line was new and he was working with an unproven Parker, an aging Bus and a Duece Coup that was in the garage most of the year. Well, he managed the RB rotation beautifully and a star was born in FWP. I even liked how he took a risk inserting Duce Staley as the 3^rd down back. (though we found out Verron Haynes is more suited for the role) Some will say it was a mistake having Bettis over Staley on the depth chart. However, Bettis finishing his career in Detroit was a huge motivational force for the team. Reg Season: A; AFC Playoffs: A+; SB: A

LB Coach Keith Butler: Keith did a solid job with what he had to work with. He lost Clark Haggans (the most consistent LB in �05) for a few games and the LB�s stilled played at a fairly high level. I think James Harrison would be an improvement over Larry Foote but Foote is still a fairly good player. (nice INT in the AFCC) Porter has never been the same after the gunshot wound but he really came on late in the season and the playoffs. Haggans continued his high level of play and Farrior slowed a bit but was still effective. All in all a solid effort from the line backing crew in �05. Reg Season: B; AFC playoffs: A; SB: A

WR Coach Bruce Arians: The B&G became the 1^st team to win three road games by basically passing to grab big 1^st half leads. (not so much in the wild card game) Coach Arians had a #1 WR and basically 2 #3 receivers in ARE and Ced Wilson. Wilson complained about not getting the ball enough in the middle of the season which was understandable considering the injuries at QB. However, Coach Jackson was able to manage this situation and Wilson was very productive in the playoffs. In addition, the gadget plays involving ARE were a thing of beauty. (though Whiz get most of the credit for those plays) Reg Season: B- AFC playoffs: A SB: A-

DB Coaches Darren Perry/Ray Horton: The DB�s were toasted at times. (the Tom Brady shredding comes to mine) However, Ike Taylor and Bryant McFadden made huge strides in �05. Taylor shut down Marvin Harrison and Chad Johnson in the playoffs and improved more and more as the season went along. McFadden really came on strong and had a season saving pass break-up against Reggie Wayne in the AFC playoffs. Troy Polamalu has simply become the best strong safety in the game. Reg. Season: B; AFC Playoffs: A; SB: A-

 TE Coach James Daniel: With Heath Miller the TE no longer stood for tackle eligible. Miller was at his best in the 1^st half of the Indy playoff game grabbing a long reception and a TD. Under Coach Daniel�s tutelage Miller developed as a blocker and the B&G finally have a weapon across the middle of the field. Big Ben and Miller should build an even better rapport in the coming years. Reg Season: A; AFC Playoffs: A; SB: B

 QB Coach Mark Whipple: After a terrible �04 AFC playoffs and a lackluster pre-season Big Ben came on like gangbusters to start the season. Ben was hampered with injuries all season yet Coach Whipple had him prepared. Big Ben played terribly in the SB but who can blame him for being nervous and skittish at 23 y/o. The improvement we saw in Ben from the �04 to �05 AFC playoffs is emblematic of what we�ll see in Ben�s next SB appearance. Ben Roethlisberger became the youngest QB to win a SB and the 1^st QB in 20 years to win 3 straight road games in the playoffs. Amazingly, he did all this with an injured thumb on his throwing hand!!! Much of this is a credit to Big Ben�s level of talent but much credit must also be lavished upon his position coach Mark Whipple. Reg Season: B+; AFC Playoffs A+; SB: B

 OC Ken Whisenhunt: The Whiz had Big Ben and the offense geared up and ready to go from the 1^st game. The play calling in the NE game was too conservative considering the state of their secondary. However, Whiz knew just when to call gadget plays. His 2 TD calls in the Bengals playoff game and the SB was a thing of beauty. He also called a very aggressive gameplan in the playoffs against the Broncos and Colts. He and Coach Whipple won three straight road games with a 23 y/o QB with an injured thumb on his throwing hand. I just can�t emphasize this point enough. He should have implored Cowher to pull Maddox for Batch in the 2^nd half of the Jax game. All in the Whiz had a stellar year. Reg. Season: B; AFC Playoffs: A+; SB: B

 DC Dick LeBeau: LeBeau defense had a few lapses like the NE game and the 2^nd Bengals game. However, his superior play calling flustered Peyton Manning and the Indy Colts. (widely considered the best team most of the year) His defense caused havoc in the AFCC game and kept the Stillers in the SB with their offense sputtering most of the 1^st half. Under his tutelage the defense held a #4 ranking and played solid during 3 straight road playoff games and the SB. Troy Polamalu has become the premier SS in football under his watch and late round draft picks and UDFA�s continue to blossom under his guidance. As a defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is equaled by only a handful of coaches. Reg. Season: B+; AFC Playoffs: A; SB: A-

 ST Coach Kevin Spencer: Spencer�s special teams were solid all year. Some highlights were the TD return in the Jax game and the long FG made in the AFCC. (though most of the credit for that goes to Jeff Reed) One blemish was the return in the 2^nd Bengals game that sucked all the air out of the Stillers� comeback hopes. The point is the fanbase was not COMPLAINING about the ST�s which like the OL is a good thing. (see 2001 AFCC) The infusion of Willie Reid and SanAntonio Holmes into the return games could make things even more explosive. In addition, the punting game consistently pinned teams inside the 20 during the AFC playoffs and SB. Reg. Season: B; AFC Playoffs: A; SB: A

 Head Coach Bill Cowher: William Laird Cowher finally got the monkey off his back and brought the city of Pittsburgh a 5^th Lombardi trophy. Still Mill thinks he had a relatively weak regular season followed by a strong AFC playoffs and weak SB. Mill�s SB grade is a �C.� I respect Mill�s opinion based on the amount of film he watches but here is my take. Coach Cowher lost a legitimate threat to stretch the field in Plexico Burress after the �04 season. In addition, the Stillers lost the ENTIRE right side of the offensive line after the �04 season. Led by a 2^nd year QB with an injured thumb on his THROWING HAND the Stillers became the 1^st team to win 3 road playoff games and then hoist the Lombardi. This accomplishment can not be diminished despite referee calls that went for and against us. (Colts game and SB) The one constant during these playoffs was not the refereeing but the fact the Stillers were victorious regardless of which ways the calls went.

 The Chin scrapped his ultra conservative gameplan of years past and went with a more dynamic balanced attack on offense. I always wondered how Cowher would do in the playoffs if he had a big-time QB that was not a rookie. This year the results were super. Cowher�s game plan in the SB was not as good as the AFC playoffs. However, his QB was not as good either and almost gave away the game on a hideous INT in the 3^rd quarter. This was Ben�s 1^st SB and he was the 2^nd youngest to ever play in it. He was very nervous (he admitted as much afterward) and it showed. IMO Cowher could not bury the �Hawks early like he did the Colts and Broncos because his 23 y/o QB was overwhelmed by the magnitude of this game. If you disagree with me than watch the improvement you see in Ben the next time the Stillers are in the SB. (which I predict will be in the next 2 years)

 As for the calls in the Super Bowl I thought most of them were correct. The offensive PI call against Jackson was ticky-tacky but the correct call. You have to remember how biased the rules are against the DEFENSE. You can�t even sneeze on a WR past 5 yards. It is only fair that if you extend your arm and push off at all then you should be called. Hope was on Jackson�s right and Jackson pushed off with his right hand and caught the ball going to his left. The holding call against Haggans appeared to be a phantom call (especially after listening to Madden) until you watch the NFL films replay. Once you watch it from that angle you can see that Haggans beat the RT. You can also see that Locklear (the RT) used his right arm to hook Haggans on the right breast plate of his shoulder pads. You see Haggans slowing down kind of unnaturally a step or two before he gets to Hassleback. Also, some of the Stillers defenders had said that Locklear was being warned about hooking on several plays before that. When judging a call you must 1^st determine if the call is correct. If it is correct but ticky-tacky is this an infraction that the player cited had been warned about previously. If a ref warns you repeatedly about something than expect a ticky-tacky call if you continue to do it. Also, no one complains about the ticky-tacky offensive PI call against Heath Miller. That is because Big Ben did not throw a terrible INT a few plays later. He had the moxie to complete an improbable 3^rd & 27.

 In the NFL Films highlighted version of the Super Bowl you can see Cowher telling Whiz that �we have to let them play and not put the handcuffs on them.� A few plays later Whiz and Cowher called a gadget play that sealed the deal for the B&G. At that point in the game there were 8 and � minutes left and the game was not over. However, DeShea blitzed on another great call by LeBeau that ended a Seahawk drive and Big Ben ran for a crucial 1^st down that put the final nail in the �Hawks SB coffin. I have always said (even before Big Ben) that Cowher was not a great coach but a very good coach that needed a great QB to get over the hump. The events of the �05 playoffs only confirmed that belief. Reg. Season: B+; AFC Playoffs: A; SB: B+

 Finally ONE FOR THE THUMB!!!! Go Stillers!!!!