In one of the Grinchiest Christmas seasons for their fans in recent history, the Pittsburgh Steelers continued to plummet in the National Football League’s version of Chutes and Ladders.
That chute is long, and they are sliding down fast.
After such a promising start to the year, the Steelers have lost three games in a row and four of their last six.
Not too long ago, Mike Tomlin’s squad was being touted as a dark horse pick for this year’s Super Bowl winner, and he was high atop everyone’s Coach of the Year prospective winner list.
But that was before reindeer made hoof prints on snowy rooftops and Netflix spiked Pittsburgh fans’ eggnog with 120-proof bottles of live-streamed football misery.
How many freshly unwrapped big-screen televisions across Steelers Nation will be returned to the stores because they allegedly had bricks embedded in them?
Watching Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs dismantle the Steelers some-time-ago top-ranked defense as easily as if they were yanking out Jenga blocks was as sad as a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.
In addition, the internal blame shifting between players is as toxic as it’s ever been on a Tomlin-coached Steelers team.
Who is that notorious eleventh man on defense anyway?
Is there time to tape up this shattering dream, or are we heading for another one-and-you’re-done playoff disappointment? There is undoubtedly a “here we go again” sentiment lurking in the air, so let’s give it a Spin.
Brotherly Love
Apparently, Steelers fans don’t like NFL football commentators. I’ve heard complaints about Cris Collinsworth and Tony Romo, and the latest favorite to thrash is Tom Brady.
Personally, I don’t get it. Although I’m old enough to dislike Collinsworth as a Cincinnati Bengals player when he played against the Steelers, I am impressed with his insights in the game and his ability to articulate them professionally.
The same is true for Romo. I appreciate how he dissects plays and explains concepts with unique takes. Is he always on top of his game? No, but who is?
Brady has surprised me, I must say. Of course, we all resent the man because of what he was able to uniquely do to Dick LeBeau defenses, but I’ve enjoyed his takes on how to read defenses. I think he’s doing a fine job (although I’m grateful I don’t have to write his paychecks).
Therefore, I wasn’t surprised when Netflix’s team of announcers was getting grief from Steelers fans.
I’m partial to Nate Burleson, a high-character individual who starred for our local team at the University of Nevada, Reno, before bringing his talents to the NFL.
I appreciated his enthusiasm at the beginning of the broadcast as he shared how blessed he was to announce a National Football League game. Analysts don’t often express that kind of gratitude.
Ian Eagle is a decent enough play-by-play announcer, and I believe he handled the task for their launch broadcast well enough.
But what was hysterical for me was having J.J. Watt in the booth providing commentary during his little brother T.J. Watt’s game.
Despite an awkward explanation early on of how he could be neutral during the game, he struggled mightily throughout the broadcast to remain impartial.
When Russell Wilson was sacked and fumbled in his first series, you could hear Watt inadvertently gasp and groan. These kinds of “homer” reactions happened throughout the entire game, and for me, they were literally the only form of comic relief (or minimal joy) I was able to experience during the game.
My favorite moment from his commentary was when the discussion turned to Tomlin’s “remarkable run of non-losing seasons.”
Clearly, as someone in the know, he aptly explained why Tomlin’s streak brings more moans back in Pittsburgh than accolades because being barely above average is far below the “standard” of long-time Steelers fans.
It was my first time hearing this properly explained in a national broadcast booth. Usually, they just express bafflement at how anyone could ever question Tomlin’s perfection and greatness.
It was refreshing. It was about the only refreshment served the entire game.
Puff Pieces
HBO’s Hard Knocks approach to feature an entire division this year has been most welcome. Typically, you don’t want your team on the show because, in the past, that means you had a flop of a season the year before.
So, I was excited about getting “inside the doors” of the Pittsburgh Steelers as they were featured in the Hard Knocks: AFC North. I thought it would provide some deep insights into life within the well-guarded walls of the building.
But now after watching several episodes, I’ve got to say it’s been Much Ado About Nothing. It’s been a paper-thin and plotless Shakespearian play.
Personally, I was looking forward to seeing “how the sausage was made,” but instead, it played out more like an overly polished movie trailer for the NFL.
Pretty much every episode for the featured franchises begins with the coach in front of the team trying to come up with the most clever, rah-rah way to say, “How about we win the game this week?”
As far as a profound insiders-only glance into gameday preparation, the Steelers coaches will warn their players, “We can’t lose sight of Miles Garrett.”
Then it will flash to the Cleveland coaching staff, and they are saying, “We better keep our eyes on T.J. Watt.”
Wow…those were deep strategic insights. Thanks HBO.
The tipoff on why this is all superficial playacting is that no one is arguing…or fighting…or disagreeing…or refusing to participate…or pointing blame…or showing up to the meetings late.
C’mon fellers. There is this thing called conflict in movie making.
I was hoping for more like what that famous director Antonio Brown produced when he decided to share the raw version of Mike Tomlin giving a postgame locker room speech.
That was action. That was character development. That was high drama. It was more of a real story.
That was the Hard Knocks I was hoping to watch.
Debate Club
When it comes to the number of minds being changed regarding the Russell Wilson vs. Justin Fields saga, there probably aren’t too many.
If you thought that plugging Wilson into the starting role was a triumphant act of courage and genius for Mike Tomlin, then you’re most likely going to still defend that position despite diminishing statistical evidence.
Fields was 4-2 when he was relieved of starting duties, just off a dynamic win against the Las Vegas Raiders by the score of 32-13.
Wilson is now 6-4 as a starter. And, yes, the last three losses were against tough competition, but his first two wins were against the New York Jets and the New York Giants. There was a good chance those two wins could have been easily added to Fields’ win-loss column, which would have provided him with a 6-2 start.
They are almost equal in terms of pass completion percentage, but Fields’ touchdowns to interceptions ratio is superior. There is no comparison when it comes to his advantage as a ball runner.
You’re getting more yards passing in total and splashier plays with Wilson. But is it possible that the more “run-focus” offense under Fields was healthier for the Steelers defense? Statistics would support that thesis rather significantly.
It must be said that I’ve enjoyed Russell Wilson’s time in a Steelers uniform. He brings great leadership to the offense and, on occasion, makes some excellent throws. His poise and experience have added value to the team.
However, what I shared the first week when he took over as quarterback (when the decision was being embraced with euphoria) remains the same today:
If Russell Wilson stays at the helm and carries the Steelers to a Super Bowl victory…or at the least very deep into the playoffs (say the AFC Championship), then football historians will have to credit it as an act of brilliance.
That won’t be the case if the season falls anywhere short of those aspirations. For instance, if the team makes it to the playoffs…and then loses in the first round again, then it will be a failure.
Regardless of how well Wilson plays, having him at 35 years of age take away precious playing time and development from 25-year-old Justin Fields would be a foolish mortgaging of the future.
If the Ol’ Wilson Switcheroo falls short of full fields of glory, then pulling Fields off the field while he was growing into the role…would be another wasted season.
We do know that if the Steelers end up keeping Wilson in the offseason, he’ll be 37 at this time next year, and he’ll most likely be costing the team $30 million a year to call Pittsburgh home.
What do we know about Justin Fields at this point? Not enough. We discontinued that experiment abruptly when Wilson took over.
Could he have matured into being the quarterback everyone thought he could be?
Well…we won’t know this year, sadly. And, if Wilson can’t turn things around promptly and lead this team on a deep run in the postseason, it will be another squandered season to seek out our next long-term franchise quarterback.
Quirky Enough
I think we’ve learned in the past three weeks that this year’s version of the Steelers isn’t strong enough to line up against the elite teams of the NFL and merely impose their will.
If they are playing the Kansas City Chiefs, the Philadelphia Eagles, and even the Baltimore Ravens…and if those teams are playing at the top of their game, then Pittsburgh is no match.
The Steelers are out of the top ten in defensive rankings and their offense charts at the 18th spot. In other words, they are mushy pie and not championship grade.
But before we conclude today’s session with nothing but bummers layered on top of bummers, there is something positive to note in this team.
They might just be quirky enough to steal a game or two in the playoffs.
Special teams and the defense continue to create turnovers, which can always tip the scales against competitors.
Wilson, with his moon balls and a little luck, also has the potential to tilt the pinball machine in Pittsburgh’s favor on any given Sunday.
In other words, this team is quirky enough to pull off an upset or two. It’s not a great hand, but at least there is a wild card or two in the deck.
Having a wildcard may come in handy, as this team is probably a wildcard entry in the playoffs.
Here we go…again.
