December 4, 2011; Pittsburgh,PA, USA: Pittsburgh Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert (left) talks with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin (right) on the field before playing against the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 35-7. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE

Yesterday, Kevin Colbert met a small group of better known and respected Steelers’ beat writers in Pittsburgh. The results, as show via Twitter, are a blaring red flag for any Steelers’ fan who owns the jersey of a current player.

The moral of the story: 8-8 is not good enough and requires change. Colbert admitted it was probably the 12-4 season that held back previous changes but the current roster isn’t good enough. Thus, no one is safe.

The cap situation is manageable, but that doesn’t mean players with an outside chance of sticking around will. Rashard Mendenhall is probably gone. The running back position as a whole was a disappointment. This could mean new blood going into 2013. All other unrestricted free agents will get to test the water. Don’t expect a franchise tag to keep anyone either, Colbert feels no one is deserving.

Even Ben Roethlisberger may need to worry a bit. While Colbert isn’t worried with the relationship between Todd Haley and Ben, He did say that anything was on the table to improve the team including drafting a quarterback with a decent pick.

From the top down, the organization is not happy with how 2012 ended. Some are speculating more changes to the coaching staff could be coming. If anything, this shows to me that no one is safe. Unless a guy is willing to sign for cheap, there is no way the Steelers are bringing back anyone the team feels has already maxed out their potential.

Changes are a coming Steelers fan. There is no more doubt about that.

December 30, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) runs in the end zone after a pass reception for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Pittsburgh Steelers won 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

As we mull and ponder the moves Kevin Colbert and Omar Kahn will make over the next few months to keep the Steelers’ competitive, we must remember that the Steelers are far away from just a one year fix. At face value, this team is good. The offense will still have weapons without Mike Wallace, the running back situation without Mendenhall will still be adequate and Ben can sling the ball with the best of them. The defense was number one in the league and that leads man to see that the Steelers have a plethora of talent.

But look at the teams in the playoffs, specifically the Championship games and you see where the Steelers lack the edge to just flip a switch on an easy 2013 run.

The Steelers are going to lack playmakers next season aside from a healthy Troy Polamalu, which is in itself a risk. By playmakers, I mean guys who force opposition to fundamentally shift the way they approach the game. The Ravens have Ray Rice and Ed Reed, two players you can key on but will produce. Reed and Ray Lewis are arguably on their last legs but the Ravens production thus far shows their impact.

The Patriots biggest playmaker their offensive system, designed by a coach who has one of the top three quarterbacks of all time to throw the ball. You can’t hold the Patriots to under 20 points unless you play a 4-3 defense with four great pass rushers, aka why only the Giants and occasionally the Jets have their number in recent memory.

The 49er’s now have Collin Kapernick and on defense, Patrick Willis is arguably the best linebacker in the league. The 49′ers are the 2009 Steelers all over again: Dominant defense with almost every player playing in their prime, playmaking quarterback with fantastic weapons forcing a defense to take risks every down.

The only team I see like the Steelers are the Atlanta Falcons, a solid overall team that doesn’t possess playmakers, but as a team is just superior at almost every position. The Steelers though don’t have the talent Atlanta does and this is why the Steelers are at home and the Falcons are the number one team in the NFC.

I am not saying the Steelers are doomed. The NFL is all about health and “Any Given Sunday” which is why no one goes undefeated and the Giants at 9-7 can win the Super Bowl. But the Giants got lucky in games and played 110% in the last weeks of the season. Honestly, that is what the Steelers need if they wish to win another Super Bowl with the current team in place.

The draft will yield talented players, however aside from Ben Roethlisberger no Steelers’ rookie has truly been a game changer in year one. The Steelers are entering a new era of transition, not rebuilding. The team will be competitive and playoff worthy. But Super Bowl

December 23, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd haley (left) talks with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) on the sidelines against the Cincinnati Bengals during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Cincinnati Bengals won 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

I’m not sure what position is worse to have right now in Pittsburgh: Pirates General Manager or Steelers Offensive Coordinator. The Steelers’ granted permission to current OC Todd Haley to interview with Arizona for their current head coaching vacancy and needless to say, opinion is torn about whether Steeler Nation wants Haley to stay or go for the betterment of the team. I’m here to say with both professional insight and personal bias that the Steelers will be off if Todd Haley is returns to the desert.

First and foremost is the lack of chemistry with Ben Roethlisberger. Haley’s system is perfect for Antonio Brown, Heath Miller and Emmanuel Sanders who should all remain Ben’s primary weapons. The problem is that if Ben isn’t into the system, then it doesn’t matter who is catching passes. Even in a system that protects Ben with quick passes, he finds ways to get hurt. As this medical perspective shows, if Ben keeps sustaining strains in his shoulder, his performance is going to keep dropping.

Moral of the story: Ben has a limited amount of time left and just lost another season. The team cannot afford to have him potentially spend the next couple of years feeling out a system he isn’t giving 100% to. I do think Roethlisberger is a professional who won’t sabotage winning for a personal stance but it was evident that miscommunication cost the Steelers wins.

Secondly, the handling of the running backs from Haley/Tomlin is enough of a reason to see him go to Arizona without complaint. Remember, he was brought in because his predecessor didn’t run the ball enough, failed in the redzone and had issues in short yardage situations.

Did that significantly change this year? In reality, rushing yardage and efficiency was down this year (1,903 yards 4.4/carry to 1,537 3.7/carry) while TD Red Zone efficiency, which was 18th last season at 50.9%, marginally increased to 55% and 14th in the league.

While Haley and the Steelers were handed a poor hand with injuries, the same could be said of last year’s team. The offensive line is always banged up and the running back rotation led to predictability with the offense. By the way, the success Ariens is having in Indianapolis only makes all of this even more difficult to handle at times.

Thus, I say that Haley gets brushed out on a plane and dons the Cardinals garb again and the Steelers promote Randy Fichtner to Offensive Coordinator. Fitchner is Ben’s quarterbacks coach and works closely with the wide receivers. All of these positions have seen progression under his watch. Furthermore, his experience with schemes goes back to when he was one of the first coaches at the college level to utilize a balanced spread offense.

I have a source close to Fichtner who has told me several times before that he wants the coordinator job very badly. It would be a great internal hire who would fix a lot of issues Haley is leaving. Kirby Wilson is another likely candidate and probably the favorite if Haley leaves which I’m fine with as well.

Bottom line: The Steelers under Haley failed to do anything but make the team worse in some areas and create issues with the one guy on the field the Steelers need to perform consistently. Let’s see if anything happens.

Dec 23, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace (17) catches a pass during warm-ups before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

One of the more intriguing positions that the Steelers will the opportunity to upgrade this offseason is the wide out. Essentially, with a quarterback like Ben, you want weapons on the edges more than anything before his window closes. Ben began his career with a trio of wide outs in Hines Ward, Plaxico Burress and a young Antwon Randle El that were probably the best Ben’s had. This then morphed into being Hines, Santonio Holmes and Nate Washington to the trio he had this past season in Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders.

The above goes to illustrate a hint towards how this offseason may be approached. First and foremost, the Steelers are fine letting wide outs walk. Randle El was the classic example has his Super Bowl heroics led to a massive overpay in Washington. Plax moved on (until now) while Hines, who was the most consistent of the bunch signed a long term deal and stuck around. Based on this history, it’s a safe bet Mike Wallace won’t return. The guy had hands like stone this season and held out for unreasonable money but’s he’s big and he’s fast. A team will sign him for more money than the Steelers can offer.

But the Steelers have always reloaded and they’ve done so in the draft. The thing is, Wallace, when healthy, as always been a 1B option and not a definitive No. 2 guy. Sanders fits the mold of a No. 3 receiver while Brown is the new Ward in the slot. Essentially, the Steelers need that bigger bodied deep threat Plax was or an insanely good all around talent like Holmes was. Those two guys? Both first round draft picks. I know people will point to Wallace’s third round draft selection but that’s still a selection where you have reasonable hope of a players success.

Moral of the story: do the Steelers use a high pick on a wide receiver in an offseason that looks like almost every position has some sort of depth need if not greater? These are the kinds of questions I’m curious to see Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin address. The draft only gives you seven players and of those seven, you can only reasonably expect 3 or 4 guys to have an impact in their first year. Can you think of just 3 positions on the Steelers that need depth/upgrade?

Exactly.

For that reason, I see the Steelers keeping Plax around through camp to see what he has left and to appease Ben and the Steelers make a WR their fifth round pick and hope for the best.

December 30, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reacts on the sidelines against the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It’s ironic that I wrote this post before knowing about the Ray Lewis news. For as long as I can remember watching football, Ray Lewis has been as much a part of the Ravens as the Terrible Towel is a part of the Steelers. Next season will definitively feel and look different with these two rivals. But this is a Steelers blog and a Ravens one so let’s focus on the Black and Gold.

After Sunday’s game, I went into the Steelers’ locker room, saying it was a funeral atmosphere would be too harsh, but the modd wasn’t much better. Players were constantly asked about next year with almost all having the same answer of “I wish we could bring everyone back,” and “it’s just part of the business.” Both of the Rooney executives came into the locker room to greet players on their way out. Players were quick to leave after they talked to the media. It wasn’t the Steelers we are used to seeing on week 17 of the NFL season.

And thus, changes will be made. In fact, changes have to be made with as many free agents as the Steelers possess. I’m not going to break ALL of the moves (that comes later on by a lot of people both here and among other sites on the internet) but I can almost guarantee that Mike Wallace and Rashard Mendenhall won’t be back. That right there opens two relatively big holes on an underperforming offense. Defensively, Brett Keisel will probably not return, Casey Hampton is a 50/50 chance to return and James Harrison needs to restructure his contract if he wants future security in Pittsburgh. Larry Foote is leaning towards retirement and Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu are both on the way out within a few years.

That right there is a long list of significant contributors that could all be no longer in Black and Gold by 2014.

The Steelers were building a dynasty ever since Heinz Field opened for the most part, since the drafting of Ben in 2004, the Steelers have been one of the top 5 teams in the NFL. But all Dynasties have endings and begin anew. Mike Tomlin was given a fairly talented team when he took the reins but now he has to remake the Steelers.

Rumors swirl that the Steelers may morph into a 4-3 Cover 2 team like Tomlin coached in Minnesota and Tampa Bay. Maybe Todd Hailey is gone after the tensions with Ben Roethlisberger. I don’t know exactly what will happen but I know that this Steelers franchise is moving in a new direction than the one we’ve all been accustomed to seeing.

Since their Super Bowl loss to the Packers, the Steelers have been on the decline. Usually, once the Steelers get a semi decent pick in the draft, changes get made and the team returns to the upswing. Let’s hope this trend continues as 8-8 is just not up to Pittsburgh standards.