It seems at times that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ issues on offense are innumerable. About once a month they wake up for half a game or so in a manner that doesn’t require the defense to play beyond what could be reasonably expected, but other than that, it’s hard to find a worse offensive unit in football right now.
One thing that the offense does not lack is people willing to take the blame for what’s going on. Whether it’s the quarterbacks, the running backs, the receivers, the line, the offensive coordinator, or any other number of coaches, everyone has raised his hand when asked what’s wrong.
Unfortunately, that’s not enough, as head coach Mike Tomlin, one of the many who share blame for the mess, acknowledged on Tuesday. Asked during his weekly press conference if he is seeing enough responsibility being taken on the field, he said, “I am, but responsibility doesn’t get it done”, via the team’s website.
“We don’t have a responsibility problem”, he added. “We’ve got to make plays”.
Remember, of course, that admitting you have a problem is only the first step along the way. You can only get started overcoming the task at hand once you identify the problem. The Steelers are at the stage at which they know what is wrong. They just have to get to the point where they figure out what they need to do to fix it.
I’m not exactly holding my breath. Things are worse than they were in the second half of last season. QB Kenny Pickett is worse than he was last season. The offensive line is worse than it was in the second half of the year in 2022. What’s going to change at this point?
The only thing they really have to look forward to is getting back TE Pat Freiermuth, who had all of eight receptions before injuring his hamstring. And his absence hasn’t led the team to using rookie TE Darnell Washington in his place.
One big disappointment on the year has been the running game, taken as a whole. As above, there is plenty of blame to go around, and more than enough volunteers to accept it, but at the end of the day, that doesn’t make the run game any better.
Even G Isaac Seumalo admitted after Sunday’s loss that the offense sucks right now, and I don’t think anybody in that building is in a position to put up a counterargument. C Mason Cole told reporters yesterday that they are essentially letting the defense down and not holding up their end of the bargain.
It’s easy to throw up your hands and say I have to do better. But there’s a reason they say actions speak louder than words. We’ve gotten encyclopedias worth of words about what’s wrong with this team and who’s willing to own up to it, but until it actually leads to better play, it doesn’t amount to much.
