For Ryan Clark, the proud Pittsburgh Steelers’ franchise can’t just look at the shine from their six Lombardi trophies and expect that to carry them through each season. While Clark isn’t throwing in the towel on the Steelers’ hopes, he knows they have big problems Mike Tomlin and company must fix.
Appearing on the CW’s Inside The NFL, Clark and company sat down to discuss the state of the Steelers coming off an upset loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
“The problem for me is when Mike Tomlin says he’s going to fix a problem, I expect him to fix a problem,” Clark told the panel. “If the offense was going to be the issue, that means you were supposed to execute everywhere else. You were supposed to execute in the linebacker position. Minkah Fitzpatrick comes back, I expect you to take a step up defensively.
But simple things like quarterback exchanges. Being able to snap the ball from center to Mitchell Trubisky. You’re already playing with a backup. What are you going to do as a team to execute and play complementary football that allows you to win.”
Sunday, everything was an issue. Sloppy is too kind of a word to call the product they put out on the field. From bad snaps via center Mason Cole resulting in failed third downs and turnovers to a pair of illegal formation penalties to having 12 men defensively to two crucial special teams penalties, Pittsburgh couldn’t get the fundamentals right in a December game. Injuries strained their group but the 2-10 Cardinals, who have their own set of problems, didn’t have the same issue.
For Clark, the Steelers have to get back to basics and assume they’ll find a way to make it work, even if they have in most other years.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers have to accept that they’re no longer the organization that can live off the fact that there’s six Lombardi trophies in the staircase.”
In action, it’s hard to know exactly what Clark is advocating for. Most in the Steelers’ building haven’t won at that level. Mike Tomlin has a Super Bowl ring, OG Isaac Seumalo has won from Philadelphia. LB Elandon Roberts won two in New England, but the offense is young and has hardly played in the playoffs, let alone made a Super Bowl run.
Defensively, Cam Heyward has one career win in postseason games he’s suited up for while T.J. Watt, drafted in 2017, is still searching for his first taste of victory. Ditto for FS Minkah Fitzpatrick, drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 2018 and traded to Pittsburgh the following summer. Those aren’t three guys sitting on their laurels.
But Clark is right the Steelers have a fundamental issue they must fix. Doing so starts Thursday night against the 2-10 New England Patriots. While it may look like a favorable matchup given their records, the Pats have the league’s top run defense. If Pittsburgh can’t run the ball, they could be in for a long day. Another close game that comes down to the wire. In that instance, throw the records out. And if Pittsburgh loses, they’ll sit at home during a long weekend to watch the rest of the AFC pass them by.
