Feb 11, 2022 5 min read

There seems to be a feeling among some fans that the Steelers’ way of doing business somehow no longer works.

After all, it’s been 11 whole years since they last played in the Super Bowl.

Never mind the fact they have been to eight Super Bowls using the same business model.

Never mind the fact the team’s record since 2000 is second only to that team in New England.

Never mind the fact the Steelers haven’t had a losing season since 2003.

So, when the Steelers make a hire from within, it’s crushed in some circles as being “uninspired or lazy.” Never mind the fact the Steelers have long hired assistant coaches and later elevated them to coordinator positions with great success.

Dick LeBeau was secondary coach before being elevated to defensive coordinator. Bruce Arians, Ken Whisenhunt, Mike Mularkey and so many others got their jobs as coordinators in that same way.

The only time the Steelers have stepped outside the organization for a coordinator and it worked out to a certain degree was when Mike Tomlin hired Todd Haley in 2012.

Outside of that, hires such as Ray Sherman and Jim Haslett haven’t worked out.

So, when Tomlin elevated Teryl Austin earlier this week to defensive coordinator, despite some peoples ripping the move, it was the right one to make.

He’s been with the Steelers for three seasons. He knows their personnel. He knows the scheme which, by the way, still works. He knows how the Steelers operate.

And, oh, by the way, for those saying the Steelers need to hire coaches from the outside to “inject new ideas,” there hasn’t been a coach the team has hired in the entire time I’ve covered them that hasn’t coached somewhere else. They don’t grow these guys on a coaching tree somewhere on the North Shore. They’ve all been outside hires at one point or another.

• While at the Senior Bowl last week, I noted an older couple sitting in the stands watching the National Team practices.

It was noteworthy since everyone else there was obviously a reporter of some type.

But I didn’t think much of it until they were leaving and I noticed that the couple was Langeloth native and former Wisconsin football coach and athletic director Barry Alvarez and his wife, Cindy.

They were on hand to watch Wisconsin tight end Jake Ferguson and others working out with the National Team.

It’s understandable Alvarez and his wife would have a special interest in Ferguson. He’s their grandson.

Ferguson had a solid week of practice and then led all receivers in the game with 62 yards on three catches with a touchdown.

Ferguson really helped his draft stock last week.

• T.J. Watt’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year award marked the eighth time a Steelers player has won it.

No other franchise has had more than four winners.

Of the Steelers’ seven winners – Joe Greene won it twice – the only ones not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame are Watt and James Harrison. Neither are eligible just yet.

Super Bowl pick

Rams (minus 4) vs. Bengals: The opening line came out at four points and it’s stayed there the entire time.

If we’re looking at the two teams on their own, the Rams are the better team. They have an edge on both sides of the line of scrimmage. And for as long as there has been the game of football, the team that wins the line of scrimmage usually wins.

But Joe Burrow does negate some of that. He was sacked nine times in a playoff win over the Titans. Nine times.

As mentioned, however, that was against the Titans, who don’t exactly have a dynamic offense.

The Rams, on the other hand, do.

Burrow’s confidence level will only take him so far when his offensive line can’t block Aaron Donald and company.

Cincinnati’s defensive front will be tasked with rushing Matthew Stafford. The stats show it’s not a good idea to blitz Stafford. Stafford completed 70 percent of his passes this season when blitzed. He had a 138.4 passer rating in those situations.

So, that will mean not using nickel cornerback Mike Hilton to the best of his ability. Instead, he’ll be tasked with trying to stick with the Rams’ Cooper Kupp. Good luck with that.

The way this season has gone, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the underdog Bengals keep this close and cover. It’s been the biggest trend of this season.

But I don’t think so in this game.

Take the Rams, 27-17

Season: 42-59-1 ATS; 62-41 straight up.