It’s turnover madness this week for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they head out of town to face the Cincinnati Bengals in a critically important game for both sides.
The Steelers lead the league in turnover differential with a +11 (tied with the San Francisco 49ers) and the Bengals are close behind them in advanced thievery with a +10.
Whoever is able to stickum the ball the best will probably end up with a much-needed victory in the ultra-congested AFC North division.
The Steelers dropped to third in the division after their disappointing loss against the Cleveland Browns and their backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who is still underwhelming enough for the Browns to revive Joe Flacco’s career to replace him.
After this loss, mostly because of yet another highly offensive offensive performance, more turnover resulted as Steelers Nation’s chief persona non grata, Matt Canada, was finally told his services would no longer be required.
So…with all this turnover how is everything going to turn out? Let’s give it a Spin.
Yaters Gonna Yate
Recently on his Fantasy Focus Football Show, Field Yates declared he had come to a “revelation” that the way the national media views Coach Mike Tomlin is decidedly different than the way Steelers fans and the team’s local media perceive his performance.
This “revelation” is the substance of what probably irks most Steelers fans when they hear so-called “expert analysis” like when Bucky Brooks proclaimed Tomlin to be a leading NFL Coach of The Year candidate because of his ability to “coax victories from a flawed roster.”
This echoes a prevailing sentiment from NFL talking heads when asked the question, “How can the Steelers have such a bad offense and defense and still have a winning record?”
After a pause…they all say the same thing. “They’re being coached so well by Mike Tomlin.”
It seems a required prequel whenever I talk about Tomlin in the Spin for me to restate emphatically how much I enjoy having him as the team’s head coach. He’s created an incredibly positive environment for players in Pittsburgh that is the envy of other franchises, and he always models class and excellence for the franchise. We’re blessed to have him as our head coach.
It’s also accurate to say it’s not a “flawed roster” that is most to blame for the Steelers being incapable of deep runs in the playoffs for more than a decade.
It can all be traced to Tomlin and his major decisions.
The worst of these in his career have been the choice of his past two offensive coordinators beginning with Randy Fichtner who then passed the baton of underwhelmingness to Matt Canada.
This means since January 18, 2018 the Steelers have had clearly overmatched offensive coordinators.
This reflects 100 percent on Tomlin’s overall capabilities as a head coach. This IS Tomlin’s offense.
The real question is, “How good would this team have been with world-class offensive leadership the past couple of years?”
The Steelers are 29th ranked in offense and 27th in defense this year. As Steelers fans, we endure this through every play of the season. This is why we’re not impressed when casual national observers want to sweep in and give Tomlin trophies with a shake of an ignorant wand.
Can things be turned around? Let’s all hope so.
However, let’s hold off on any frivolous “Coach of The Year” discussions short of the Steelers claiming a Super Bowl victory this season.
Paper Thin Analysis
All eyes are going to be on the Steelers’ offense for the next few weeks. Was the firing of Matt Canada justified? Was the real problem him or quarterback Kenny Pickett?
This is going to be the most “skating on thin ice” analysis there could possibly be for the team this year. But grab your skates sports fans, it’s coming.
Certainly, an offensive unit feeling the shackles of incompetence is going to experience a bit of an adrenaline rush once freed and might very well experience an ephemeral burst of productivity in the next few games as a result.
Equally possible is that the team will continue to struggle, and its quarterback could look worse than ever.
Neither result will prove anything. This is because the ultimate fate of this offense was determined as soon as Tomlin decided not to replace Canada last year (or even the year prior as so many fan choirs were singing for that to be so).
Following years of offensive scheme design, and months and months of offseason training and installation, this remains Canada’s offense through the rest of the year, even if he isn’t there with a headset.
You can’t suddenly turn a pumpkin pie into a pecan pie. It’s already baked. No matter how you slice it.
Changing play callers or temporary coordinators at this point of the season is smoke and mirrors and angry mob appeasing. Perhaps it’s a shade of team psychology. But mostly it’s public relations.
This is exactly why you can credit the decision to remove Canada to Art Rooney II and the team’s marketing department.
Warranting Attention
The main problem with being an undrafted free agent is that no one in power gets the credit if you succeed. This is part of the reason why it’s so hard to earn the chances you deserve.
The front office and coaching staff get bonuses and raises for drafting a T.J. Watt, a Health Miller or a Troy Polamalu with their number one picks.
They don’t get much applause for bringing on an undrafted superstar like James Harrison. It’s the nature of the beast.
Which is why it’s taken the team so long to finally admit the obvious. Jaylen Warren is the most formidable running back on the Steelers roster. It’s really not close.
At this point, he should only come off the field when the Steelers have the ball if he needs some oxygen or a sip of Gatorade. He can run, he can pass block, and he can pass catch. He’s a true, high-level NFL three-down player.
This really isn’t a knock on first-round draft pick Najee Harris who is a fine player in his own right.
It’s just that Warren has emerged not only as one of the most explosive players on the Steelers team, but potentially one of the most dynamic in the NFL.
Do the Steelers have the league’s next great young running back on their team? It’s time to give Warren the touches required each game to properly answer that question.
Calling Signals
Of course, the rumors are already flying about potential replacements at offensive coordinator for the Steelers.
One of the best ones is that they might have a former Steelers quarterback take over the offensive reins.
This is an excellent idea.
What? Which quarterback? No…most definitely not Ben Roethlisberger. That’s just fanboy silliness.
Ben was an extraordinary physical talent at the position. One of the best in his ability to throw the ball with velocity, and through strength and elusiveness get himself out of just about any bad situation. He was elite at his position in this regard.
But he was not a rocket scientist quarterback. He wasn’t a master chess player merely because he threw in some successful audibles now and then.
He also wasn’t a Winston Churchill-type leader. He had a hard enough time earning teamwide respect when he was playing. That just wasn’t a significant part of his skill kit. Sorry, Big Ben fans. Thems the facts.
If the Steelers chose Big Ben as their next offensive coordinator based on their enjoyment of his podcast episodes, it would be the same level of ridiculousness that landed Jeff Saturday a very temporary and ill-fated run as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts last year.
Now, on the other hand, if you’re recommending former Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich as the successor to Matt Canada, then you are spot on with your suggestion.
Leftwich’s playing career was highlighted by his shrewdness, toughness, and willingness to work hard on and off the field. He earned his coaching chops as a protégé of former Steelers coach Bruce Arians, and the two of them ended up winning a Super Bowl together, with Leftwich serving in the role of offensive coordinator.
Giving Leftwich the offensive clipboard would end up being a perfect fit for the organization in terms of his deep Steelers connection as well as his boasting of the kind of resume of excellence and proven success the team should be seeking.
Bengalicious
One thing as Steelers fans we can be grateful for during this season of Thanksgiving is that it seems as if every game Pittsburgh plays really matters.
This is an exceptionally valuable benefit of having Coach Mike Tomlin as the leader of your organization. Because of his remarkable consistency through the years in keeping his teams above the water level all the way up to postseason play, virtually every game he leads is full of significance and thrills.
The Bengals game will certainly be no exception as both teams are desperate to show their stripes in this contest. Cincinnati has essentially suffered through a full season of bad luck with Joe Burrow’s health and their fortunes have ebbed and flowed with that continual saga.
If they are going to have any chance of staying NFL relevant this year, they are going to have to hope their replacement quarterback Jake Browning can perform under pressure. The Bengals coaching staff are going to lengths to assure their fans that Browning won’t be short of confidence.
The ability to wipe confidence off the faces of young quarterbacks is something the Steelers haven’t been able to do well since the true master of that art Dick LeBeau coached the defense years ago.
Still, there will be plenty to watch and witness as the Steelers begin a new Post-Canada chapter of their legendary story.
The pundits are correct in saying this is a “flawed roster” when compared to some of the league’s best, and it would be an understatement to say this is a team in flux at the coaching ranks.
Yet, there is a sufficient amount of overall talent on this team and Tomlin is among the best at pulling rabbits out of hats, so the intrigue remains at peak levels.
So, what does the Spin say about Pittsburgh’s chances this year?
There’s steel something there.
