Steelers Season Grades, Tomlin Quiet, Ike Ready for Whatever

Steelers season never truly ends here at Still Curtain. While the Pittsburgh Steelers are closing the book on the 2014 season we’ll be busy looking for mentions of your Black & Gold so we’ve got you covered. Here’s your Steelers Morning Huddle for Thursday, Jan. 8^th.

Steelers 2014 Report Card

As he has done after each game this season, ESPN’s Scott Brown handed out grades for the overall 2014 Steelers season. He gives the team an overall B with the offense getting a B+ and defense grading a C. He agrees with the team’s choice for MVP in Le’Veon Bell, adding that his absence was difficult for the Steelers to overcome in their 30-17 Wild Card loss to Baltimore. I’d tend to agree but can you imagine if it was Ben Roethlisberger who wasn’t playing in that game instead of Le’Veon Bell? Would you have given the Steelers a shot to win it then?

He gives the best moment of the season was Ben’s first of two consecutive six-touchdown performance games against the Indianapolis Colts. He lists the worst moment as the loss to the Jets. Hard to disagree there. The Steelers went into that game with arguably the hottest offense in the league and started out with a flat, conservative game plan and add that to three turnovers and you have yourself the stinker of the season.

Brown says the outlook for the Steelers in 2015 is, to use a Tomlinism, arrow pointed up. The tricky part of the offseason among other things will be how to transition the defense into a younger but more effective group while not messing too much with an offense that was for the most part on fire this season.

Tomlin quiet on LeBeau’s future

When Tomlin held his season-ending press conference, he apologized in advance for not being willing or able to answer questions on the futures of certain players and even his coaching staff. Ed Bouchette of the PPG thinks Steelers DC Dick LeBeau would like to return to coach, but Tomlin said he hadn’t talked to the 77-year-old and wouldn’t elaborate on his future with the team. He wouldn’t confirm that either of his assistants will be back next season. Perhaps learning from the Bruce Arians debacle when he confirmed his coaching staff would stay intact during his season-ending presser and then Arians was “retired” shortly thereafter.

"“I’m just not in position to talk at a great length about anyone in regard to how we move forward at this point. I think it’s appropriate that I do that with them exclusively, first and foremost. I will with everybody – players and coaches.” – Mike Tomlin"

Ike wants to be a Steeler even if he isn’t playing

Mark Kaboly of the Trib caught up with Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor during his radio show on Tuesday evening and Taylor was candid about whether he thinks he’s played his last game. Taylor suffered a broken forearm early in the season but came back after a few months. He was pulled in the game against Cincinnati and remained a healthy scratch from the lineup from that point on. Taylor wants to remain with the Pittsburgh Steelers, even if it’s not as a player.

"“I am very cool with this being my last year. As far as putting the cleats up, I have years left. I have a lot of years left. I am not ready to make that final decision, but I am cool hanging my cleats up if it comes to it. As far as the Steelers organization, it doesn’t have to be with the cleats anymore. I can be in the office. I can be at the bottom and work my way up. I can be an assistant. I don’t mind working my way from the bottom up.” – Ike Taylor"

Next: Steelers 2015 Offseason Preview: Offsense

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