Bringing back a series Steelers Depot has done throughout the rest of the offseason. We’re not going all Embrace Debate on you, but Jayson Lillie and I have teamed up to debate a Steelers topic we have genuine, good-faith disagreement over. Let us know who made the better argument and what side of the debate you come in on in the comments below.
Today’s topic is:
ARE YOU OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE STEELERS OR IS THEIR RECORD A MIRAGE?
SCOTT — Call me crazy but call me an optimist.
The Pittsburgh Steelers sit atop the AFC North. Great. Block off Fifth Avenue for the parade.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-2. Terrific. A record built on a black-and-purple pile of botched catches and held together by duct tape.
Does such thinking capture the prevailing mood among Steeler Nation? I’m guessing yes, and I get it. It is inexcusable that in today’s NFL, the Steelers’ offense puts up numbers worthy of an abacus.
Does that mean pack in the season, save for the transfixion the national media seem to have with Mike Tomlin’s streak of non-losing seasons (a.k.a. the new “Standard”)?
Absolutely not.
Look, the Steelers should be 1-5. Last rites to 2023 should have already been administered, unless you really do care that Tomlin has never had a losing season as a head coach.
Got it, you don’t.
Fact is that the Steelers sit atop one of the NFL’s toughest divisions in spite of themselves, which is a minor miracle. The way they have been winning is not sustainable, but they will play better.
Much better.
And with some house money in their pocket.
Let’s start with the defense.
Save for some T.J. Watt/Alex Highsmith-led spectacular stretches, the defense has largely been average. There is more on that bone, even if you count whatever Cameron Heyward contributes after returning from a groin injury as gravy.
Minkah Fitzpatrick has yet to play his best football. Rookies like Joey Porter Jr. and Keanu Benton have already shown the NFL is not too big for them, and they will only get better.
The inside linebackers won’t be an albatross like past seasons even if they will never be mistaken for James Farrior, Larry Foote, and Lawrence Timmons.
The defense will be fine. It has to be 2008 dominant if…well let’s talk about the offense.
It has been bad. Day-old French fries bad. No getting around it. Here is why it will get better:
— The left side of the offensive line has serious potential with Broderick Jones and Isaac Seumalo.
— Pat Freiermuth is too good to keep putting up Matt Spaeth numbers.
— Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren give the Steelers the flexibility of rolling with who is hot in the backfield.
— Diontae Johnson’s imminent return will have a ripple effect on the offense.
Johnson will make everyone better simply by doing what he does best: get open Assuming his hamstring injury isn’t a nagging one, Johnson is the key to unlocking this offense – and QB Kenny Pickett.
Not everything the rest of the way hinges on Pickett, but it’s close. That’s reality in the NFL. Am I sold he is the worthy heir to Ben Roethlisberger? Not yet. But you don’t lead as many fourth-quarter comebacks as Pickett has this early in his career, if something isn’t there. Besides, the way the Steelers are constructed, they don’t need him to be Josh Allen at this point of his career.
Derek Carr (with the clutch gene) will do.
Assuming Pickett can be that, the Steelers will finish 11-6, win the division and enter the postseason as a tough out.
JAYSON — Hate to say it but, yes, the Steelers’ 3-2 record is a mirage.
If you were a Steelers fan coming out of a coma that you had been in since August and the nurse told you that the Steelers were in first place in the division and already had wins in their pocket against the Browns and Ravens, you’d be thrilled with the news. You’d also be one of the luckiest Steelers fans since you didn’t have to watch their offense the first five weeks.
It has also been in a coma.
It’s hard to figure this team out and get a read on who the Steelers really are and what fans can expect moving forward. I do think the Steelers got to the bye week with smoke and mirrors and that their prognosis for the remainder of the season is bleak at best. Yeah, someone had to say it.
Unless you think it’s plausible that the defense can score twice a game, like it did against the Browns, or that other teams will continue to “drop” games in the Steelers’ lap like the Ravens did, I don’t see how one can garner much hope for this team moving forward. The stats do not lie and sooner or later the Steelers’ glaring deficiencies are going to cost them.
Let’s get real: the offense stinks. The Steelers have set NFL offensive football back 30 years. You can call for Matt Canada’s head at a Penguins game all you want but he isn’t going anywhere. And here’s the facts, Jack. This is where the offense ranks in the NFL:
-Yards per game: 268.2 (30th)
-Passing: 187.8 (27th)
-Rushing: 80.4 (30th)
-Points: 15.8 (30th)
-Touchdowns: 5 (32nd)
Those numbers are woeful. What is more disheartening is that the powers that be (i.e. Mike Tomlin and Canada), don’t think there is anything wrong with the Steelers’ offensive philosophy. They just think they need to execute it better!
Maybe Tomlin can pull another rabbit out of his hat like last year after the bye week when the Steelers went on a run to finish the season 9-8 after starting 2-6. But I would caution the beloved Black and Gold faithful not to expect it this year. They faced some awful quarterbacks last year after the bye week and got T.J. Watt back from injury. I simply can’t see lightning striking twice.
This team needs a major overhaul in the offensive coaching staff and offensive philosophy in general. The Steelers play a brand of football that went out of style around the Reagan era. Their young quarterback isn’t inspiring visions of the next Big Ben. They still have to play the entire division on the road. And Watt, who has a history of missing time with injuries, is nursing a badly dislocated finger.
Hey, I hope I’m wrong. But I don’t see a fairy tale ending to this campaign. The absolute best-case scenario in my mind is unfortunately another “Tomlin special” of 9-8 and taking comfort in a non-losing season but with no playoff wins.
The new “Standard.”
