Steelers Requiem

Let the record show that I am writing this monograph a little over eleven hours after the debacle in Baltimore last night, and I have not read any news accounts or columns regarding the game, either (mainly because our local so-called newspaper that was delivered to my door this morning did not have any accounts of the game because it ended "late", but that's another topic entirely).  Neither have I listened to any talk radio or television bloviators, local or national, so these thoughts are my own immediate ponderings regarding the state of our favorite NFL team.

On the night of December 1, the Steelers were 10-3, had a two game lead in the AFC North, and had a shot, albeit a long and outside one, at the overall #1 seed in the AFC.  What followed was a collapse of Pirates-like proportions: four straight regular season losses and a humiliating 28-14 loss to the Ravens in the Wild Card Playoff round last night.  Don't let that final score fool you.  If you watched that first half, you know that this was way, way, WAY worse that a two score defeat.

My immediate thought is that somebody has to be held accountable for this down-the-stretch failure.  

The rabble is screaming for Mike Tomlin to be fired.  That is not going to happen, nor should it, in my opinion.  Why?  Well, Tomlin does win games (you may have heard that he has never had a losing season 😏), and despite what we have seen this December and January, that does count for something.   Also, hiring a coach is not a sure thing in the NFL.  The Steelers were either good or lucky or both in their last three hires (Noll, Cowher, Tomlin), but there is no guarantee that the next guy will be better that Mike Tomlin.  In fact, the odds are greater that the Next Guy will turn out to be a Matt Eberflus or Robert Saleh than he will be a Bill Belichick, Andy Reid, or.....Mike Tomlin.   Plus, players seem to like and respect Tomlin and want to play for him, and that should count for something, too.

All that said, some serious evaluation of the coaching staff needs to take place.  In the end, the Arthur Smith offense wasn't all that more effective than was the Matt Canada Offense, and Teryl Austin's Defense, the highest paid in the NFL, proved inadequate too, as Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry showed us all too well last night.  I'm not smart enough to comment on the performance of other assistants, but the top two lieutenants on the staff should be feeling very warm seats today.

Other off-the-top-of-my-head thoughts.....

Quarterback.  Russell Wilson started strong when he recovered from a camp injury and won six of seven games off the bat, but in the end he looked like what he is - a Hall of Fame bound QB who is 36 years old and past his prime.  Like a crafty veteran once great baseball pitcher, he can occasionally find greatness, but his best days are behind him.  Justin Fields went 4-2 in his four starts, but I'm not sure - and, again, what do I know? - that he's a long term solution.  Both guys are free agents after this season, so some big decisions need to be made by Omar Kahn and the rest of the Brain Trust in regard to the most important position on the field.  Playing in a division with Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, this is a grim picture for the Steelers.

George Pickens.  His talent is off the charts.  Every game he plays he seems to make at least one play that makes your jaw drop.  He did it last night on the Steelers second touchdown. Then there are the off the field diva issues, and on the field bonehead plays.  He did one of those last night as well when he was called for offensive pass interference that nullified one of those spectacular catches and runs of his in the first half, a play that might have led to a score at a point in the game when it might have made a difference.

Add Pickens' name to a list that includes Mike Wallace, Martavis Bryant, Antonio Brown, Chase Claypool, and Dionte Johnson.  All good to very good receivers who were all knuckleheads to one degree or another.  Are there no guys like Hines Ward out there anymore?   In fact, Ward is currently coaching wide receivers at Arizona State.  Maybe the Steelers should bring him back to coach these guys and show them how to act.

I think that we have seen the last of Najee Harris as a Steeler.  He is a free agent, and given how fungible running backs seem to be in the modern NFL, I can't see that Steelers signing him to another deal.  He's been a solid guy at the position over the years, but he has never performed in the NFL at the same relative level that he did in college at Alabama.   To compare him to another Crimson Tide RB, he never became Derrick Henry.

There is a lot more that can be said, but I'm going to leave it at that for now.  I'm sure that I'll have more to say as the off-season for Rooney U unfolds.  Let me leave you though with these depressing thoughts that will wrap up 2024 for us Pittsburgh Sports Fans.

• At the trade deadline the Pirates were thick in the chase for a playoff spot.  There then followed a ten game losing streak in early August that led to a collapse that was awful even by the low standards that the Bucs have established for themselves in this century.
• Pitt football got off to a 7-0 start and the proceeded to lose their last five regular season games and a minor league bowl game to finish the season at 7-6
• The Penguins failed to make the NHL Playoffs last season and seem to be on their way to repeating this non-accomplishment in 2025.
• The collapse of the Steelers has been documented above.

HELP!!