Steelers’ OC Todd Haley Focused on “Red Area”

In 2014, the Steelers’ offense was just about the best we’ve seen. With bona fide superstars at multiple positions, there were matchup nightmares all over the field.

Todd Haley talked with Steelers fans on a live fan forum call with Steelers Nation Unite. Haley stated that he was happy with the performance of the offense in 2014, and that he wanted to continue some of the success that the team experienced on that side of the ball.

One potential shortcoming of the offense was capitalizing on scoring opportunities. Haley elaborated that the “red area” was an aspect of the game that the Steelers can improve on in 2015:

"I think an area that we can make improvement which should help us put more points on the board is in the red area. In the NFL, as you get closer to the end zone, it gets a lot tougher to move the football against NFL defenses. We feel like if we can improve in that area, both run and pass, that it will help us score more points. If we do that we’ll be in good shape."

Heath Miller, typically a red zone favorite of Ben Roethlisberger, has had a couple of down years as far as scores go. The 6’4” Martavis Bryant has offset some of that, but also makes his money as a deep ball threat. For all the size that those two offer, the Steelers should be able to force some matchup issues in the red zone.

Especially when you add in the versatility of Antonio Brown and the pass-catching skills of Le’Veon Bell, it’s a wonder why the Steelers don’t have more success.

Part of it can be attributed to Miller being on the decline and Bryant transitioning to the NFL and only playing half a season–he also needs to be more aggressive with his size, and contest jump balls.

While the Steelers really need to focus on their defensive woes this offseason, beginning to look for a replacement tight end for Heath Miller wouldn’t be a bad idea. We might have a stop gap in Matt Spaeth, but a concerted effort needs to be made to find Miller’s replacement, especially since recent tight end prospects haven’t panned out.

The Steelers have all of the tools to give defenses fits inside the twenty yard line. Improvements from young players as well as a focus on that aspect of the game should help in 2015. Also look for some tight ends to come in and compete for a spot on the team.

Next: Does Off-Field Conduct Matter?

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