So, do we really need to rehash the Steelers 31-17 loss to Buffalo in the opening round of the NFL Playoffs this past Monday afternoon? A loss that was exemplified by Bills' QB Josh Allen's 52 yard run through the Steelers's defense?
I think not, but I do have a thought to offer on that Allen TD scamper.
Remember the ACC Championship game of a few years back when Pitt's Kenny Pickett scored a similar touchdown run through the Wake Forest defense? During the course of that run, Pickett faked a slide, which caused the defenders to pull up, which enabled Pickett to run into the end zone. It was an act, the fake slide, that was considered so heinous that the Lords of Football outlawed it almost immediately. Does that rule apply only to college football or is it applicable in the pros as well, because I could have sworn that Allen faked a slide on his run by executing a deke that would have made Sydney Crosby envious.
And how about that Bills receiver picking up a Gatorade bottle on the Steelers sideline and taking a drink from it? If that doesn't fit into the definition of "taunting" and "unsportsmanlike conduct", it should. No flag was thrown on that one either.
Not that it matters, because the Bills were and are clearly a better team than the Steelers. They are also a team that is easy to like, and I believe that my rooting interest will attach itself to the Buff Bills throughout the balance of the Playoffs.
As for the Steelers, one topic seemed to be cleared up fairly quickly after the loss when Mike Tomlin said that he plans to return to coach the Steelers in 2024. A lot of the sportswriters in the area as well as the talk radio hot take artists have just been itching to fire Tomlin as this season went on. Many seemed disappointed that that the team rallied to win their final three games and make the Playoffs, as it weakened their case against HCMT.
As for me, I am glad that Tomlin isn't going anywhere. He's a good coach, if not a great one. Who currently coaching in the NFL is better? Bill Belichick for sure, and maybe Andy Reid, and a few up-and-comers (John McVey, Kyle Shanahan) may get to that level someday, but it's not a long list. And remember this: when you hire a new head coach, you are far more likely to end up with a Nathaniel Hackett or an Arthur Smith than you are a Chuck Noll or a Bill Cowher or a Mike Tomlin.
Oh, and one person who has not chimed in Tomlin's status is the guy whose thought matters the most: Art Rooney II. We'll wait and see how that plays out.
One thing that Tomlin faces in 2024 is an up-in-the-air quarterback situation. The same scribes and on-air gasbags who want Tomlin fired are also ready to cut loose Kenny Pickett. "He's failed; he hasn't shown us anything" say the critics of Pickett's now 25 game career.
Back in November, I wrote THIS PIECE on Pickett that pretty much said that it is way too soon to pull the plug on Pickett. Those same pundits who wanted Mason Rudolph run out of town a few seasons back are now calling for him to replace Pickett as the Number One guy.
My thought is that Pickett needs to remain as number one, but that a guy like Rudolph (if he's still here; he's a free agent who made himself look attractive in the final weeks of the season) maybe deserves a better chance to compete for the job at St. Vincent's next summer. I also think that a first round draft pick like Pickett deserves a shot to be the first among equals at camp, and I most certainly want to see how he plays under the guidance of an Offensive Coordinator who is not Matt Canada.
As for the remainder of the Playoffs, I was positively delighted to see that two of the professional sports teams that I just plain do not like and could not bring myself to root for, the Cleve Brownies and the Dallas Cryboys both got absolutely throttled in their opening round playoff games. Those games were fun to watch.
What remains are eight teams that are all teams that I could find a reason to cheer for. I think that I will start off by rooting for the Bills. They have a history of Super Bowl heartbreak, they have Josh Allen, who sure if fun to watch, and they have Damar Hamlin, and here are other reasons to root for the remaining teams:
- Baltimore: A Super Bowl win will only add more juice to what is already the best rivalry in the NFL, Steelers-Ravens
- San Francisco: Christian McCaffrey
- Detroit: How can you not pull for a team that hasn't won anything since the Eisenhower Administration?
- Kansas City: Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. And Andy Reid's mustache.
- Green Bay: Who needs Aaron Rodgers, plus they spanked the Cowboys.
- Houston: The CJ Stroud story is a great one
- Tampa Bay: The resurrection of Baker Mayfield
With all that said, I leave you with the Grandstander Power Rankings as we head into the Divisional Playoff Round this weekend.
- Ravens
- 49ers
- Lions
- Bills
- Chiefs
- packers
- Texans
- Bucs
No comments:
Post a Comment