Steelers owner wants "soft" run defense repaired

Team president Art Rooney II said fixing a run defense that went south without linebacker Ryan Shazier must be an offseason priority for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Rooney took part in a Q & A session at a Steelers Nation Unite event and didn't mince words regarding his take on the Pittsburgh defense.

"We need to be more consistent on both sides of the ball," Rooney said. "Last year there were some games where we were kind of soft against the run, and that's not Steelers football. We have to get stronger against the run so we can put our defense in position to get after the quarterback."

For 12 weeks with Shazier patrolling the field, the Steelers were one of the best in the NFL against the run, allowing 96 yards per game. When Shazier suffered a spinal cord injury against the Cincinnati Bengals on "Monday Night Football," the Steelers were easily victimized against the run to the tune of 133.5 yards per game.

Rooney also shed light on the decision to allow offensive coordinator Todd Haley to walk at the end of the postseason.

Haley said this week it had become evident it was time to move on, and it appears that was clear to the Steelers, too.

Haley's offense was 22nd in the NFL with a 50.8 touchdown percentage in the red zone, which Rooney pointed to as a key reason the team promoted Randy Fichtner to replace Haley. The Cleveland Browns hired Haley as offensive coordinator.

"We need to become better in the red zone," Haley said. "We have a new offensive coordinator, and we'll make a few changes to affect that. If we stay healthy we'll be difficult to defend. We have the ability to run the ball with Le'Veon and throw the ball. We do need to get better there and hopefully we will be."

--Field Level Media