continue against the Chiefs While there will be more than enough column inches devoted to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ issues on defense in the coming days Heath Miller Jersey , their problems on special teams are clearly deserving of some attention too. Short punts, penalties and poor coverage cost Pittsburgh field position once again and two missed kicks kept four points off of the board in a game the Steelers lost by five. The struggles of Jordan Berry have been evident to anyone paying attention to his play ever since he entered the league. But it feels as if his steady, annual regression is more obvious in 2018. His preseason wasn’t impressive, earning him some criticism from Mike Tomlin after the game against the Green Bay Packers, and the needle has been pointing downward ever since. Five punts for a gross average of 46.4 yards might not seem horrible on the face of it, but the 31.6-yard net average they yielded absolutely is. When you consider Berry had one great punt on the day for 59 yards with no return that rolled out on the Chiefs 1-yard line, it highlights just how bad the rest of his kicks really were.As much as Berry has had his supporters on social media using flawed logic to defend his errant punts, many in the crowd at Heinz Field were quite vocal in their displeasure after each poor kick.In reality, Berry was far from doing what the coaching staff had told him to do. More likely, his deficiencies as a punter have become so obvious to other teams that they are scheming to take advantage of his mistakes. Former Indianapolis Colts All-Pro and Pro Bowl punter Pat McAfee provided an excellent analysis of the problems Berry is creating for the Steelers with his wayward style, explaining some of the issues perfectly.Warning, in typical McAfee style John Stallworth Jersey , this is not safe for family viewing and contains some profanity. Speaking to the media after the game, Tomlin made a point of calling out both of his kickers, but it remains to be seen what changes are made in the coming weeks.The coaching staff had a chance to replace Berry in the preseason, but opted to stick with the incumbent and watch Matt Wile sign the Minnesota Vikings the second he was released instead. This despite Wile outperforming Berry in the few opportunities he was given during preseason. It would be fair to note, however, that Wile has hardly set the world on fire with the Vikings, registering net punts of 36 yards in Week 1 and 36.8 yards in Week 2, compared to Berry’s 37.1 and 31.6 net in respective weeks. For Chris Boswell, a solution to the problem is not so straightforward, and it would be reasonable to question how much of an issue he really has. As consistent as ever throughout the preseason, Boswell has only missed two field goals and an extra point to date in 2018, That being said Jack Butler Jersey , those three errant kicks have all proven to be rather significant.A 42-yard field goal in the rain against Cleveland was no gimme, but game-winning kicks are something Steelers Nation became used to with Boswell in 2017. After going nine out of 10 on kicks between 40-49 yards last year and making 35 of 38 field-goal attempts, being anything besides automatic has some fans overreacting.While this is obviously an absurd take for a man one year removed from a Pro Bowl season, Boswell could have won the game in overtime in Week 1, and the kicks he missed against Kansas City effectively changed the complexion of the game in the fourth quarter as the Steelers chased the Chiefs on the scoreboard. Hoping to “kick my way through this,” Boswell at least did his best to address questions from the media after the game, unlike some of his teammates.When the kickers weren’t letting the special teams unit down, the coverage and return teams were. Penalties negated some positive returns, including one by Antonio Brown to near mid-field and a 24-yard kick return by Ryan Switzer. Two drives were forced to start inside the Steelers own 11-yard line thanks to penalties and Tyler Matakevich was personally responsible in one of those instances. But that wasn’t his biggest mistake on the day, which occurred on the final play of the game when a roughing-the-punter penalty cost Pittsburgh a chance to get the ball back with 12 seconds to play. Although no one is suggesting the Steelers would have thrown a Hail Mary to win the game if given the opportunity, it would have been nice to at least have had the chance to try. The coaching staff may consider they’ve got so many issues to work on this week that the concerns about the special teams must take a backseat to the problems on defense, but if these problems persist Joe Greene Jersey , changes will need to be made. PITTSBURGH (AP) — There’s a certain kind of joyful mundaneness to Terrell Edmunds‘ first job out of college.The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie safety is typically up before dawn and at the team’s training facility by 7 a.m., where he spends the 11 or so hours watching film, lifting weights, attending meetings and practicing.It’s much the same when the first-round pick gets back home. Edmunds will place his legs inside a pair of compression sleeves designed to help his muscles recover quickly, flip on his iPad and look at more tape. Typically, Edmunds lets the video run at normal speed. No need to slow it down.“I just let it play,” Edmunds said. “Sometimes I don’t look into detail. I’ll see what pops up more than once and think ‘Oh I saw this before. Who are they throwing it to the most?’ Things like that.”Edmunds is a quick study. Thrown immediately into the mix thanks to a preseason injury to free agent signee Morgan Burnett, Edmunds has been a bright spot for an uneven secondary.Steady if not yet spectacular, Edmunds has earned the trust of defensive backs coach Tom Bradley and head coach Mike Tomlin for his conscientious approach to his work.“He’s gotten better each and every game,” Bradley said Tuesday. “The thing that got him three games ago doesn’t get him now. Each week there’s something he picks up that becomes easier in his repertoire as we progress in this thing.”Edmunds really hasn’t had much choice. He was supposed to spend his first season learning behind Burnett. It hasn’t quite turned out that way.The Steelers (3-2-1) signed the former Green Bay Packer to a three-year deal in the offseason, hopeful Burnett could provide leadership and sure tackling, both things in short supply for a group in transition.Instead Ernie Stautner Jersey , Burnett has spent most of his time in Pittsburgh watching from the sideline thanks to a steady stream of injuries, the latest a groin issue that’s forced him to miss each of the past four games.There is no timetable for when Burnett might be able to return and given Edmunds’ rapid development, it’s uncertain what role Burnett might fill whenever he is healthy enough to play.Burnett’s status is one of a handful Bradley has been forced to face in his first year on the job. The careful offseason plan he and Tomlin put together to revitalize Pittsburgh’s secondary makeover is in tatters. Burnett can’t stay on the field.Cornerback Artie Burns is struggling and Coty Sensabaugh and Cam Sutton — the two most likely candidates to replace the erratic Burns — can’t put together enough good stretches to provide a compelling reason to sit Burns down and let him regroup.“We’ve got to make a lot of adjustments just based on injuries and the guys that have been able to play,” Bradley said. “The things we worked on in preseason practice, we’ve been unable to play because of the different people playing different positions.”Pittsburgh enters its bye week ranked 27th in passing yards and 29th in passing touchdowns allowed. Not exactly the step forward the organization had in mind when defensive backs coach Carnell Lake stepped away in the aftermath of a playoff loss to Jacksonville in January and veterans Mike Mitchell, Rob Golden and William Gay were released in March .Bradley is quick to place the blame on his shoulders. He’s confident Burns — a standout as a rookie in 2016 — will get his swagger back.“Artie has to play more consistently, he knows that,” Bradley said. “We’ve got to make sure we concentrate on every play, to get everything right, all the little things.”And maybe the big things too. Burns was beaten badly by Cincinnati’s Tyler Boyd in Pittsburgh’s 28-21 victory last Sunday, standing several steps behind Boyd as Boyd hauled in a remarkably easy 14-yard touchdown reception. Burns was replaced for a spell in the third quarter, but any long-term solution for the Steelers relies on Burns returning to form.“I think he’ll be fine L.C. Greenwood Jersey ,” Bradley said. “He’s got confidence in his ability and things he can do.”If Burns needs inspiration, he doesn’t need to look far. Pittsburgh finds itself in the thick of the AFC North race despite its uneven play on defense thanks in large part to veteran cornerback Joe Haden. The 29-year-old kept Atlanta’s Julio Jones in check in a 41-17 victory two weeks ago and kept Bengals star A.J. Green out of the end zone.“Joe’s athletic ability is still pretty sharp,” Bradley said. “But mentally he gets better as time goes on and I think he understands what people are trying to get done.”It’s a path the rest of the secondary is trying to follow. Work — lots of work in some cases — needs to be done, but Bradley believes the communication problems and injury concerns that have hampered his group will level off going forward.“Playing defense is a lot like driving a car,” Bradley said. “When you start out, we’re all (hands at) 10 (o’clock) and 2 (o’clock), staring constantly. Then as you start to drive more … you still see everything but you’re able to look around, talk to people and do different things. Now, as time goes on, we’ll start to play faster.”