The Steelers are now back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, facing down a long regular season that looks a lot more promising given how things have gone leading up to it. Finishing just above .500 last year, they anticipate being able to compete with any team in the league this season with second-year QB Kenny Pickett leading the way.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year. The results have been positive so far.
Even well into the regular season and beyond, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered. When will the core rookies get to play, or even start? Is the depth sufficient where they upgraded? Can they stand toe-to-toe with the Bengals and the other top teams in the league? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: What is “The Steelers Way”, and does it matter anymore?
There has been a lot of talk about “The Steelers Way” recently, unsurprising really given their recent failures, but like the hip-drop tackle, it’s apparently a lot easier to complain about than it is to actually define.
It tends to be the former players who speak on it most of all, whether its Ryan Clark or Chris Hoke, two relatively prominent members of the media, or basically any other former player who is ever asked to comment on the current state of the team.
But what IS “The Steelers Way”, exactly? What does it mean, and how important is it? Do the Steelers need to follow the Way in order to be successful, or is it just of many ways, an antiquated notion half a century after their greatest period of success that can’t be duplicated?
Feel free to chime in with what you believe the “Steelers Way” is supposed to be. I assume it has something to do with internal accountability and a commitment to doing whatever it takes to win, to play for one another, to play with pride for the tradition of the team, and all that fun stuff.
But is that what it takes to win? Is the “Steelers Way” in some way different from what other successful teams do? What is unique about the Steelers’ history that makes it worthy of preserving as a particular model for winning?
Or is the “Steelers Way” ultimately just doing whatever it takes to win? Would we be talking about the “Steelers Way” and its degeneration if they were winning on the field and playing better as a whole? Are attacks on the “Steelers Way” simply a means of venting frustrations over the current state of the team, in whole or in part?
