Suspect Steelers in unusual position

By Ashley Fox | ESPN.com

In Ozzie they trust.

That's the mantra in Baltimore. Players come and players go, but Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome has proved he can evaluate, pinpoint and draft talent. It is why the Ravens aren't panicking over the mass exodus from their Super Bowl team.

They will miss Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and the other defensive starters who left, but the truth is, Baltimore's defense actually might be better this season than it was a year ago, not worse.

That's because of Ozzie.

For a long time, a similar thing was going on in Pittsburgh. The Steelers always had the next guy ready. There was always an answer, particularly on defense. It was as though Pittsburgh treated the lower half of its roster like a minor league farm system. Then when time, they would call up the next guy, and then the next, with no drop-off in talent or production. There was always a suitable replacement waiting in the wings.

But at some point between drafting Ben Roethlisberger and Jarvis Jones, the Steelers' first-round pick in April, Pittsburgh slipped. The Ravens saw it and came to believe that because of a superior scouting department and because of Ozzie, they could draft better than the Steelers and thus have better results.

And the Ravens were right.

This is a pivotal year for the Steelers, who fell apart last season after Roethlisberger suffered a scary rib injury and finished third in the AFC North with an 8-8 record. Gone are wide receiver Mike Wallace, outside linebacker James Harrison, nose tackle Casey Hampton, running back Rashard Mendenhall and offensive tackle Max Starks, among others.

The Steelers have gotten younger, at least on offense, but have they gotten better?

READ MORE: http://espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp13/story/_/id/9498459/nfl-suspect-steelers-unusual-position

Quote :

Steelers losing ground in the NFL draft

By Jamison Hensley | ESPN.com

ESPN's Ashley Fox wrote a column Monday on how the Pittsburgh Steelers are no longer the pacesetters of the AFC North. They face the unusual position of trailing the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals as far as talent level.

Fox points out that the Steelers have been losing ground in the draft:

"(A)t some point between drafting Ben Roethlisberger and Jarvis Jones, the Steelers' first-round pick in April, Pittsburgh slipped. The Ravens saw it and came to believe that because of a superior scouting department and because of Ozzie (Newsome), they could draft better than the Steelers and thus have better results. And the Ravens were right."

The Steelers' drafts from 2008 to 2011 have taken a toll on the team's depth and ability to promote quality players into starting spots when losing key members in free agency. During that time, the Steelers have drafted 33 players and the only player who has gone to multiple Pro Bowls is center Maurkice Pouncey.

The Steelers have drafted four players who have been the primary starter for more than one season (running back Rashard Mendenhall, wide receiver Mike Wallace, defensive end Ziggy Hood and Pouncey) and eight players who played fewer than nine career games. Pittsburgh has missed on wide receiver Limas Sweed (2008 second round), offensive tackle Kraig Urbik (2009 third round) and linebacker Jason Worilds (2010 second round). Last year, the Steelers' draft class made headlines for injuries and off-the-field incidents (nose tackle Alameda Ta'amu and running back Chris Rainey).

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/72268/steelers-losing-ground-in-the-nfl-draft

Sorry, but I don't buy the argument that the Steelers' front office suddenly doesn't know what it's doing.

I believe it might have to do with other organizationa starting to utilize the Steelers' methods of drafting and therefore it's limiting the ground work that the Steelers use to be able to lay down. Now, with other teams doing working the same ideology, the Steelers are also limited on the available talent.

Just my opinion.