Over the past five years, each season for the Pittsburgh Steelers has finished in an eerily similar fashion. They’ve all had some high moments and some low ones as well. Four of those five years have ended in an early exit in the Wild Card round. That represents the state of purgatory the franchise is currently in. That’s something Mike Tomlin, the Rooney family, and the Steelers organization are well aware of.
The quarterback position is the most important in football. It’s no coincidence that the Steelers’ lack of playoff success in recent years is partly due to their inability to find consistency at that position. It’s nice that Pittsburgh hasn’t had a losing season in forever. Yet, there’s a reward for being bad sometimes, and it’s the chance to land a talented quarterback through the draft. Jim Rooney, the brother of the Steelers’ current owner, Art Rooney II, is aware of that. He also acknowledged that a losing season of that sort hasn’t been in the team’s DNA.
“They’ll [Steelers fans] burn the city down if we go 3-13 for three years in a row,” Rooney said, appearing on the Ross Tucker Football Podcast on Tuesday. “But that’s generally how you get one of those top guys.”
A 3-13 season isn’t possible anymore, but Rooney’s sentiment is clear. It’s been a long time since Pittsburgh has had a three-win season. The last time the Steelers finished a season with three wins or less was 1969 when they went 1-13. It’s safe to say Pittsburgh fans aren’t used to losing. A year like that could land a potential franchise quarterback. Still, Rooney acknowledges that it’s not something to be excited about.
However, it’s much harder to find a quarterback like that when you’re picking in the later half of the draft every year, which Rooney mentions.
“Occasionally, you get lucky,” Rooney said. “Occasionally, you make the right trade decision, but there’s more examples of not getting lucky and not making the right trade. I don’t want to be making excuses, but it’s an interesting dilemma.”
It’s an ‘interesting dilemma’ indeed, but it’s one Steelers fans are eager to get out of. Rooney knows that, but looking ahead to this offseason, it seems like Pittsburgh will miss out on the chance to land a top quarterback in the first round again. There are options, but the Steelers will need to look elsewhere to try and improve the position this spring.
