We’re making a lot of noise.
Noise is the word to describe the consolidated voice of Steelers Nation by Coach Mike Tomlin when things aren’t going the team’s way.
“Just block out the noise,” Tomlin will tell his players and coaches privately in their meetings.
Steelers Nation goes from being the greatest asset a sports franchise could ever dream of by making nearly every road game a home game into Enemy Number One in a flip of a switch.
In many ways, he’s right. The Steelers dropped a game they should have won against the staggering, nearly punch-drunk Cleveland Browns, and we lose our collective minds.
Instead of “Here We Go!” we audible to “Here We Go Again!”.
Tomlin drops a loss against another lousy team. Here we go again.
No player is immune from the collective angst.
T.J. Watt. Minkah Fitzpatrick. Bums!
Of course, any unfortunate coach bearing the uniquely Pittsburgh-loathing title of “Offensive Coordinator” is earning their wages as a rabbit at a bloodhounds convention. There is no rest from the howling and barking from Steelers fans.
Arthur Smith is just the latest poor guy to wear the official Steelers dunce cap.
Hordes want Tomlin fired or at least removed from typical head coaching duties, such as calling timeouts or tossing red flags for challenges.
Sadly for Coach Tomlin, there is mounting evidence that he should be relieved of his red hankie and stopwatch.
But just as an aging quarterbacking sage once said to the entire city he represented, the same needs to be whispered lovingly in the ears of all of Steelers Nation.
Relax.
Or, in this case, try some of this Tiger Balm. There…doesn’t that feel better?
That’s what this away game with the Cincinnati Bengals offers to the Pittsburgh Steelers—instant relief from the painful setback against the Cleveland Browns.
Win the road game this Sunday against the powerful offense of the Striped Ones, led by Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, and everything will be better. Our defense will reclaim its misplaced mojo, and our offense will be good enough to get by.
Is this much-needed pain relief in sight? Let’s give it a Spin.
We Are What We Is
The National Football League Draft is a time for dreaming for all teams. It’s the great “What can we be?” moment of the year.
Alternatively, the preseason offers the field-tested flashing of promise and potential as brand-new players blend in with old warriors, bringing hope to this year’s vintage.
The season opener is when the ship hits the water, and aspirations either start to get ground away like barnacles on the bottom of a sinking vessel or instead grow in depth and expectation. At this point in the year, there is still time for adjustments, and several more chutes or ladders are available in the NFL’s annual competition.
By the time the Bye Week hits and the trade deadline closes, it’s as if the NFL bartender is ringing the bell and shouting out, “Last call!” when it comes to making any significant changes to a squad.
So now December is just about upon us, and it’s time to wander out of the bar and head home. Contrary to what one head coach once claimed, this is not the time for Hell to be unleashed. Instead, it’s the time of the year when reality either bites or claims its chance at greatness.
We are at that time of the year, Steelers Nation.
We are what we is.
The starters are firmly in place. The rookies are either providing team enhancement, or they are mostly learning from the sidelines. The offenses and defenses are in place with only mild variations of a theme depending on the opponent faced.
Essentially, almost all the cards have been dealt with, just another one or two to be flipped. Some teams are rich with aces and kings in their hands, and others will have to make do with shrewd playing with the limited low pairs and inside straight possibilities they are offered.
What about the Steelers? It’s a decent enough hand to be competitive through the rest of the year and perhaps into the next.
By now, we know that Russell Wilson doesn’t wear a cape, but he has a strong command of the offense and can make key plays when necessary.
Our running game can be above average with the proper play calling and offensive line play to create large enough holes for Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren to exploit.
Yet, no other team in the league is biting their fingernails and saying, “How are we ever going to stop them from running us over?” It’s not that kind of running game.
The same is true with the passing offense. Calvin Austin III is the only receiver on Pittsburgh’s roster capable of creating meaningful separation against cornerbacks and safeties, and his appearances in the spotlight have been spotty at best.
George Pickens is the big offensive weapon, but mostly through gimmicky sideline moonball plays that are more flip-of-a-coin in execution than schemed probability. So far, Mike Williams is a one-catch wonder who arrived at the cost of a rather pricey fifth-round pick.
Our tight ends show promise but are not prolific by any stretch. They remain head-scratchingly incapable of fixing the Steelers’ poor Red Zone performance to date.
Our defense? Certainly one of the strong points of the team. Boasting a world-class defensive line (when including our edge rushing linebackers) with depth, an on-the-rise middle linebacking corps, and a more than capable secondary.
As strong as they are for the first three-quarters of battle, have they proved capable of taking the “air out of the football” with leads as have the great Steelers defenses of the past?
Not yet. Not really.
This leads us to the Steelers Special Teams. They have lived up to their title of being special, and could arguably be considered among the league’s best.
Can you count on Special Teams to win every game as you move through the playoffs? That’s not really sound football, but it might need to be the lucky wildcard Pittsburgh requires to make this hand look more attractive.
Lastly…we look at the coaching. Most of the yearlong coaching cards have already been dealt when it comes to team formation, training, and scheme development. We’re mostly past the part of being able to sell the vision, bring the team together, or lead them to overcome adversity…all of those traits are among Tomlin’s standout qualities.
That’s past performance. It’s now at the coaching hour of being able to win at the green felt table. It’s about using whatever cards you’re dealt at this point and, in high-pressure game situations, being able to outread, outwit, and outplay your opponent.
How will Tomlin and his coaching staff play these cards? Hopefully, they will do a lot better than they did against Cleveland and at least as well as they did against the Baltimore Ravens.
There is no future, no reinforcements on the way, just the now. What we have is what is in our hands.
Because we are what we is.
The good news is we’ve got a firm seat at the table. We’re in the game. And that’s worth celebrating.
Watts Happening?
Few games have had more impact on a Defensive Player of the Year competition than the one the Steelers played against the Browns.
Heck…forget about DPOY, what about Hall of Fame qualification?
Myles Garrett managed to manhandle Dan Moore, Jr. significantly enough to record three sacks by the end of the first half of the Brown’s 24-19 win over the Steelers.
Garrett was angry, feeling disrespected, and amped on by the Cleveland crowd, and as a result, he enjoyed one of the best…and perhaps most satisfying…performances of his career.
T.J. Watt, on the other hand, had a rather quiet night when it came to statistics.
There is no question. This boxing match went to Garrett. It was his night.
But please. Let’s pump the brakes on giving Garrett the season. Or the career. That’s just nonsense.
In the 2017 NFL Draft, Myles Garrett was chosen as the number one overall pick. T.J. Watt became available to the Steelers with the 30th selection of the first round.
With all that has been experienced and learned in retrospect with these two players’ careers, how would general managers redraft the two defensive stars if given a second chance?
Not one would choose Garrett over Watt. Not one.
Watt is the full package in talent, desire, team play, and character. Garrett isn’t even visible in the rear-view mirror, where he would be seen gasping for air, trying to get caught up to Watt.
Garrett had a better game last week. Let’s leave it at that.
Playoffs? Playoffs?
The Cincinnati Bengals are playing at home with their playoff hopes dangling from a cat’s whisker. They will be desperate for a win and have enough of an offensive arsenal to reward that desperation with a much-needed victory.
According to the NFL’s own playoff statistics, the Bengals, at 4-7, will only have a 5-percent chance of making the playoffs if they lose this game. They are slight favorites in their home matchup, and if they pull off a win, their odds of making the playoffs leap to a 25 percent chance, which isn’t bad for what would be a 5-7 team.
The Steelers will still have a 90-percent chance of making the playoffs even if they fall short against Cincinnati. If they win, there is a 99-percent chance they’ll be in the postseason dance party.
Psychologically, the edge goes to the Bengals, as they are most certainly in a must-win scenario. Their fans will reinforce that point in every play in full, blasting Dolby surround sound.
This doesn’t mean that Pittsburgh will show up in “whatever” mode.
This critical division win would be essential to keep the Ravens from pecking away at their backs. Beating the Bengals would strengthen their aspirations of winning the AFC North and keep them within striking range of earning some significant home-field advantage in the playoffs.
This is why this game will have a playoff feel to it. It’s not one loss, and you’re done. But it is certainly one to be won.
Still hurting some from that Browns loss? Hopefully, this game will provide the perfect Tiger Balm for all of us.
