As the Steelers look around the league, they have suddenly become one big pile of mistakes, giving up the ball at an alarming rate, and not getting any turnovers in return.
With that, the 2013 season already looks like a lost cause.
You can put the blame on the coaching staff all you want, and while I will agree that both Mike Tomlin and OC Todd Haley deserve their share of credit for mistakes, they also cannot be held responsible for mistakes when players put the ball on the ground or throw interceptions.
Sunday night the mistakes were bigger than a play call. They were bigger than who may have been on the field. The bottom line is for the first time in some time, the team simply isn’t very good.
Ben Roethlisberger looks like he is trying too hard, and the offensive line going through rotation after rotation just isn’t all that good. Mike Adams is a turnstile, and without Maurkice Pouncey, Roethlisberger is running for his life on nearly half the plays he’s on the field.
The blame for that? You can throw it on GM Kevin Colbert for the draft picks, but let’s face it, guys like Adams and even David DeCastro had high hopes upon being drafted.
As for the so-called ‘playmakers’ on offense, there’s simply too much in the way of ego getting in the way of playing a complete game. I don’t know about you, but even Antonio Brown, who has been a ghost up until last night, shouldn’t be out there dancing when catching a touchdown when the team is still down 1-2 scores.
Emmanuel Sanders is nowhere to be found after many felt he would have a big season, and rookie Markus Wheaton is an afterthought in this offense.
Sure, go ahead and call for the heads of Tomlin and Haley – but they are not going anywhere, and in the case of last night – it wasn’t there fault as to what happened on the field vs the Bears.
So what’s the answer? That’s the million dollar question.
I don’t know about everyone else, but last night was a joke, they gave that game away, and the mistakes, if this team wants to win has to stop.
Now.
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Bob
September 23, 2013 at 9:05 pm
Unacceptable is an under statement. Tomlin is responsible for the teams demise. He is involved in drafting players, hiring new offensive coordinator, getting rid of veteran team leaders, and now having to start rookies. The Rooney rule is flawed and until Tomlin is gone this team will be the laughing stock of the league!
james
September 23, 2013 at 9:51 pm
This writer is the most ignorant person everything is the coaches fault why they pick up a runningback from Dallas that was let go for most fumbles and why do we have a young offensive line o yea cause we let go of all the veterans this writer must not be a diehard Steelers fan
Bob
September 23, 2013 at 10:25 pm
Hey moron, take your beer goggles off so you can see the picture clearer. The head coach has to be responsible for the whole team! Who brought him in dip! Tomlin was surprised when he showed up one day???????? Maybe you should buy another 12 pack and sleep it off, idiot!
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Kov
September 24, 2013 at 6:29 am
Quick fixes for now
1.Get C.Batch now as a QB coach
2.fake hand offs throw the slant.
3.draw plays
4.Get Wheaton involved now.
5.Bell will help.All ends deep Heath over t the middle or in the flats to Bell.
5.You win by building up the mentality of players not by knocking them down like a bully.They will play out of sink under the stress.This may work with morons but not with a person with half a brain.
Fixes for the future
1.Draft big and fast not small and fast
2.Enough for now
DrGeorge
September 24, 2013 at 6:37 pm
Matt, you got it right this time on all counts.
But while we’re talking about “playmakers” who aren’t making plays, we have to talk about Ben R. who is missing receivers badly, even when his protection is good and they are wide open; who sulks when he is forced to run Haley’s offense and then comes to life when the no-huddle becomes a necessity and he gets to be a come-back hero (when he isn’t fumbling the ball). Add to that the antics of Brown, and you get a general impression that the Steelers lack discipline. And discipline does begin at the top.
Our O-line is playing poorly, as everyone now acknowledges, but not just because they are inexperienced; they are simply not developing as fast as they should. Adams and Gilbert are very big men with poor technique who get driven back into the QB because smaller defenders get leverage on them; nor can they move their feet to stay in front of a speed rushing LB. (Consider the effectiveness of the rookie offensive linemen for Chicago, by comparison.) A fistful of #1 and #2 draft picks appear to have been wasted on mediocre offensive talent. Colbert, Tomlin, and the offensive coaches share responsibility for this outcome.
Meanwhile, LeBeau, with lower draft picks (Jones excepted) has been quietly rebuilding his defense into something respectable, if still flawed. Replace Hood with a dominant player who can stop the run, continue to develop Williams, Thomas, Wilson, and Jones, and you’ve got the makings of a good defensive unit for next year.
So, what’s to be done, you ask? Most fans want to fire Haley and\or Tomlin, forgetting about their past successes. But the better solution might be to trade Ben and his salary for draft picks, veteran offensive tackles, and a QB to backup Gradkowski. Bruce G. is disciplined; he will run Haley’s offense without sulking; he has a big-enough arm; and he takes care of the ball. Next, bench those who prima donnas who put themselves ahead of the team. Get Redman and Wheaton into the game. Change those components, and the Steelers still might not win many games in 2013 — but they would at least stop beating themselves.
Matt Loede
September 24, 2013 at 7:38 pm
Thanks DrGeorge, I like where the defense is, the offense is a total train wreck, agree with Ben, he has to play better, but my issue is since the two tackles are awful, it seems to me like 4 out of every 5 plays he’s running for his life.
Let’s see what happens, I’m not totally giving up, but I’m totally on the ledge right now.