The Truth!!

[Dee Dub]

This just isn't a very good football team. And it starts from the top. The decision to bring in Haley as the coordinator, and ask Ben to fit what he does into Haley's system, was a huge mistake. I said it when Haley was hired...his lack of never playing any football at any level was going to be what it is. A major disconnect with the players he is coaching. The management of the Steelers made a huge mistake asking their franchise QB to change his style and fit what Haley runs. It was suppose to keep Ben healthy. To protect him. To get rid of the ball quicker. Well it hasn't worked. Ben is being hit just as much as he ever has. Then to think that this team could run the football behind a line that isn’t built to run the football is another mistake this management has made. Look at the line. They have 4 guys who are generally smaller than the guys they are trying to block. David DeCastro is getting abused. The only O-lineman with some size, is Foster. Adams, Gilbert, DeCastro, and even Pouncey are all built to pass block more so than run block. And they don’t even do that well.

Then to put all your marbles into a 2nd round RB (Bell), as if he is going to save your team is ridiculous.

This team has two play makers on the entire team. Troy Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger. To get rid of Ben’s only playmaker ( Mike Wallace), was a mistake regardless of what Steeler fans thought of him. Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders are decent receivers at best. Neither one of them are play makers. Neither one of them can find the end zone. And to continue to try and stretch the field with these two, when neither of them can get separation, is ridiculous. Why do they insist on throwing the deep pass to Antonio Brown? He cannot get the needed separation for that. Makes no sense.

Who’s idea was it for Cameron Heyward to lose weight? We get on players all the time for them showing up out of shape, why does Cameron Heyward get a break? He is not suppose to be a pass rusher. He is suppose to be a run stuffer/gap plugger. Now at his current weight, he isnt going to stuff anything. But it isn’t his fault. It is managements fault because their defensive coordinator has gotten so far away from the 3-4 zone blitz. LeBeau was quoted as saying he wanted more of a pass rush from his D-line this year. Why? That goes completely away from the whole 3-4 zone blitz scheme. He now wants a pass rush from the front 3 and his OLB drop into coverage more than they go after the QB. Look at last night’s game. Hardly any pass rush what so ever on Andy Dalton. And they couldn’t stop the run either. LeBeau, as great as he’s been, as fallen in love with trying to be creative and as a result he has gotten away from what his 3-4 zone blitz is suppose to be. It is sad. This isn’t working the way he is running this defense. He is now allowing opposing teams to dictate what he runs. Can you imagine Aaron Smith showing up to camp 15-20lbs lighter, and being ask to go get the QB? Makes no sense. Standing up Heyward or Keisel and even having them stand up outside of the tackles is mind boggling. Once in a while as a wrinkle is one thing but to change the scope of your 3-4 defense is ridiculous. Plain and simple, LeBeau is allowing teams ( and the league), to dictate what he does on defense. He is no longer running a 3-4 zone blitz at it's core.

This team has gone as far as it can under Mike Tomlin. Not being a good football team is one thing but to also lose its toughness is hard to swallow. This would have never happened under Bill Cohwer. The Steelers need to get him back as their head coach. He will regain the identity of this franchise. Whenever his teams were bad, he guaranteed in his press conference’s that he would get it right. And every time he did.

If this team is headed for a re-building ( and I see no way they aren’t), then trading Ben in the offseason is something that has to be considered. A Herschel Walker type trade. Getting the first, second, and maybe the third round picks along with Patrick Peterson of the Arizona Cardinals would be a huge step in re-building. A.J. McCarron is a winner. And he is the perfect QB to have in a run first/power attack offense. As important as an offense is, if the Pittsburgh Steelers do not have a dominating defense, then they are not the Pittsburgh Steelers. A shut down defense and a power running game will always work for this franchise. Regardless of what the rest of the league is doing.

Wanna know just how bad this team is right now? Wait until they actually play an upper-echelon team. Tennessee and Cincinnati are not.

[Notleadpoisoned]

Haley is definitely an albatross, among other things.

[Slapstick]

This would have never happened under Bill Cohwer.

BWAH-HAH-HAH!!!

It did happen under Cowher...

[feltdizz]

I agree with everything except Haley not playing being the reason why our O stinks... the guy isn't a good fit and people made too much out of him taking AZ to the SB. Warner, Fitz and Boldin took that team to the SB.

[pfelix73]

Ah, I don't know about all that, DeeDub. You hit on some points, but I'm not ready to give up on this team yet.. Jones had a respectable 3.7 yd avg. last night. He can add to his resume in the Chicago game and beyond. Maybe he'll be a diamond in the rough as they say... When they get Heath back, the defenses are gonna change, and the running game can open up some more. Last year in the1st half Haley did some nice things and Ben/ Steelers were actually really good (tops in the league even) at 3rd down conversions. This year- not so much.... Heath will help in that. But yea, your right about the playmakers. Wallace was one of them. Gonna need to get another one soon at WR.

[Oviedo]

It is managements fault because their defensive coordinator has gotten so far away from the 3-4 zone blitz. LeBeau was quoted as saying he wanted more of a pass rush from his D-line this year. Why? That goes completely away from the whole 3-4 zone blitz scheme. He now wants a pass rush from the front 3 and his OLB drop into coverage more than they go after the QB. Look at last night’s game. Hardly any pass rush what so ever on Andy Dalton. And they couldn’t stop the run either. LeBeau, as great as he’s been, as fallen in love with trying to be creative and as a result he has gotten away from what his 3-4 zone blitz is suppose to be. It is sad. This isn’t working the way he is running this defense. He is now allowing opposing teams to dictate what he runs. Can you imagine Aaron Smith showing up to camp 15-20lbs lighter, and being ask to go get the QB? Makes no sense. Standing up Heyward or Keisel and even having them stand up outside of the tackles is mind boggling. Once in a while as a wrinkle is one thing but to change the scope of your 3-4 defense is ridiculous. Plain and simple, LeBeau is allowing teams ( and the league), to dictate what he does on defense. He is no longer running a 3-4 zone blitz at it's core.



You are right on. I have to laugh that everyone is now getting on board with what I have seen coming and been saying for 3 years now. LeBeau benefitted from the perfect storm of having just the right players at the right time for his system but as I have been saying it wasn't sustainable. His system is not sustainable because it relies on too many things going right with the conversion of DTs to DEs and DEs to OLBs. LeBeau has not been able to successfully make that happen even though the organization has showered the defense with resources to keep, or bring back, players who "knew the system."

The salary cap and the demand other teams now have for players that only the Steelers were interested in in the past has made this defense falter. Add in their the excessive complexity and we aren't priming the pump with talent and pushing players on the field now. A defense that is supposedly to be all about pressure and forcing mistakes can't get the QB or a turnover.

Call me a Lebeau hater all you want but this is exactly what I predicted versus making excuses for our revered DC. Everything passes in time and we should had made changes on the defense when we changed Arians.

[Steelhere10]

BWAH-HAH-HAH!!!

It did happen under Cowher...I stopped reading after that. These guys don't remember the Ravens making the Steelers look like little school kids. Lmao

[Shawn]

Just to point out Dee...you stated the Steelers put all their "marbles into Bell". Not sure that is true especially concerning the draft. They actually paid more attention to the O than you did in your mock (look below at your sig).

[Shawn]

You are right on. I have to laugh that everyone is now getting on board with what I have seen coming and been saying for 3 years now. LeBeau benefitted from the perfect storm of having just the right players at the right time for his system but as I have been saying it wasn't sustainable. His system is not sustainable because it relies on too many things going right with the conversion of DTs to DEs and DEs to OLBs. LeBeau has not been able to successfully make that happen even though the organization has showered the defense with resources to keep, or bring back, players who "knew the system."

The salary cap and the demand other teams now have for players that only the Steelers were interested in in the past has made this defense falter. Add in their the excessive complexity and we aren't priming the pump with talent and pushing players on the field now. A defense that is supposedly to be all about pressure and forcing mistakes can't get the QB or a turnover.

Call me a Lebeau hater all you want but this is exactly what I predicted versus making excuses for our revered DC. Everything passes in time and we should had made changes on the defense when we changed Arians.

Everyone is on board? Umm... I don't think so. I'm still a huge Lebeau fan. By the tears in Harrison's eyes, it appears his players are as well.

[Sugar]

I stopped reading after that. These guys don't remember the Ravens making the Steelers look like little school kids. Lmao

Me too. I liked Bill as a coach and all, but to act like the team never struggled under his watch defies credibility.

This team is playing right now without a true #1 WR, RB or TE. The TE and RB are on the team and we should be getting them back as the season progresses. The fact is that the team played better last night than against TN. They met one of the most talent-stacked teams in the NFL in their home opener, but couldn't pull it together. As a reminder, the Bengals actually won the North when the Steelers won the SB in 2005. If you heard Ben's interview on the radio, they are not taking this as a matter of course. They are fighting because they expect better of themselves and hate losing. Some of these things can't be fixed overnight, but I'm confident that they will do what they have to do.

[Oviedo]

Everyone is on board? Umm... I don't think so. I'm still a huge Lebeau fan. By the tears in Harrison's eyes, it appears his players are as well.


Shawn--you clearly state the dilemma. Everyone respects and loves Coach Dad but that has nothing to do with him getting the job done that needs to get done with what we have. Separate the emotion and idol worship from the results.

[RuthlessBurgher]

You are right on. I have to laugh that everyone is now getting on board with what I have seen coming and been saying for 3 years now. LeBeau benefitted from the perfect storm of having just the right players at the right time for his system but as I have been saying it wasn't sustainable. His system is not sustainable because it relies on too many things going right with the conversion of DTs to DEs and DEs to OLBs. LeBeau has not been able to successfully make that happen even though the organization has showered the defense with resources to keep, or bring back, players who "knew the system."

The salary cap and the demand other teams now have for players that only the Steelers were interested in in the past has made this defense falter. Add in their the excessive complexity and we aren't priming the pump with talent and pushing players on the field now. A defense that is supposedly to be all about pressure and forcing mistakes can't get the QB or a turnover.

Call me a Lebeau hater all you want but this is exactly what I predicted versus making excuses for our revered DC. Everything passes in time and we should had made changes on the defense when we changed Arians.

Whoa, whoa, whoa...

You've been stating all along that LeBeau loves his system more than anything, and will never admit that "his baby is ugly" (or something along those lines). You suggest that the 3-4 zone blitz is now outdated and ol' LeBeau needs to be put out to pasture because he is relentlessly hanging on to it and refuses to change it at all...it takes too long to convert players from their college schemes to a new pro scheme scheme they have never played before.

DeeDub is suggesting the exact opposite of that. He is suggesting that the problem is that LeBeau is moving too far away from his 3-4 zone scheme. And you are agreeing with him??? Now I'm really freaking confused...

[Dee Dub]

BWAH-HAH-HAH!!!

It did happen under Cowher...

Never where the Steelers this bad under Cowher. They are bad in every facet of the game right now. You can not say that about any Cowher team. To hear Tomlin say the solution is in the locker room tells you how delusional he is. This is a team void of play makers on both sides of the ball. The solution is not in the Steeler locker room. It is in many new players who are not on this team as of right now.

[Dee Dub]

Whoa, whoa, whoa...

You've been stating all along that LeBeau loves his system more than anything, and will never admit that "his baby is ugly" (or something along those lines). You suggest that the 3-4 zone blitz is now outdated and ol' LeBeau needs to be put out to pasture because he is relentlessly hanging on to it and refuses to change it at all...it takes too long to convert players from their college schemes to a new pro scheme scheme they have never played before.

DeeDub is suggesting the exact opposite of that. He is suggesting that the problem is that LeBeau is moving too far away from his 3-4 zone scheme. And you are agreeing with him??? Now I'm really freaking confused...

For the record I do believe in LeBeau but not the one who has gone way from his bread and butter. Watch these games you will see the 3-4 zone blitz hardly at all.

[Shawn]

Shawn--you clearly state the dilemma. Everyone respects and loves Coach Dad but that has nothing to do with him getting the job done that needs to get done with what we have. Separate the emotion and idol worship from the results.

To focus on the one area that was pretty good the last couple instead of all the other bad stuff shows some prejudice towards Lebeau. You are not thinking straight. Lebeau is the least of our concerns.

[Steeler Shades]

The TE and RB are on the team and we should be getting them back as the season progresses.
How do you know that the #1 RB is currently on the team? How many regular season games has he rushed for 100+ yards? NFL season total for last year?

The fact is that the team played better last night than against TN.
The FACT is it would have been ALMOST impossible to play worse. That said the "improvement" was barely noticeable and certainly nowhere near even a mediocre NFL level.

[Shawn]

He hasn't used the zone blitz for years. THAT is correct.

But as long as Arians offense chewed up clock, and the defense was "ranked" #1? Idiots gave him improper credit.

Now the big play Arians offense is done. And the defense still doesn't make plays.

What are guys like you going to say when this D is on the field most of the game and still the #1 D?

[Dee Dub]

To focus on the one area that was pretty good the last couple instead of all the other bad stuff shows some prejudice towards Lebeau. You are not thinking straight. Lebeau is the least of our concerns.

What would this D look like if it had played the Broncos and Packers instead of the Titans or Bengals?

Shawn, I challenge you to look beyond this defense's final result and see what is really going on between the hash marks/and in the trenches.

[flippy]

Our success on D starts with stopping the run. Our DLine is not controlling the LOS and our front 7 is not making clean tackles. They look sloppy. I can't remember a time when I thought an opposing team had a chance to run on us. Something has to get fixed.

Once they can stop the run, teams will have to pass. And that's where we can create some confusion re: who's coming and who's dropping into coverage and that little bit of delay can be the difference in getting pressure on the QB and forcing mistakes.

There are some things I've seen that I like on this D. Healthy Troy and Woodley being the most prominent. Then we've got young guys like Jarvis and Shark that look like they will eventually turn into some pretty good playmakers. JJ looks close to making some splash plays and Shark's good at getting to the ball quickly. Then once we get Cortez back, I think we might end up with some of the best coverage in the league which should feed into even more pressure and turn into more mistakes.

The only question marks at this point are our DLine and ILB. They have to be able to stop the run to make everything else work. And I do think we have the right pieces for this to come together over the course of the season. There's no reason these players can't be one of the top units by year end. I think the talent is there on that side of the ball.

The O is another story. But I can also see a big improvement coming with a healthy Miller. And I really think that Wheaton can be a blend of Hines Ward and Mike Wallace's abilities. We can't get this kid on the field fast enough.

[flippy]

Funny how no one wants to comment how LeBeau takes Jarvis out, then puts Worilds in, and the defense gives up points.

Like I said, free pass.

Always has.

Always will.

I don't think they'll be taking him out much more. Kid had 7 solos in his first start. That's a ton of plays for an OLB. Plus he's getting close to making some big plays. I don't see how you can take him off the field after these first 2 weeks.

[Dee Dub]

Our success on D starts with stopping the run. Our DLine is not controlling the LOS and our front 7 is not making clean tackles. They look sloppy. I can't remember a time when I thought an opposing team had a chance to run on us. Something has to get fixed.

Once they can stop the run, teams will have to pass. And that's where we can create some confusion re: who's coming and who's dropping into coverage and that little bit of delay can be the difference in getting pressure on the QB and forcing mistakes.

There are some things I've seen that I like on this D. Healthy Troy and Woodley being the most prominent. Then we've got young guys like Jarvis and Shark that look like they will eventually turn into some pretty good playmakers. JJ looks close to making some splash plays and Shark's good at getting to the ball quickly. Then once we get Cortez back, I think we might end up with some of the best coverage in the league which should feed into even more pressure and turn into more mistakes.

The only question marks at this point are our DLine and ILB. They have to be able to stop the run to make everything else work. And I do think we have the right pieces for this to come together over the course of the season. There's no reason these players can't be one of the top units by year end. I think the talent is there on that side of the ball.

The O is another story. But I can also see a big improvement coming with a healthy Miller. And I really think that Wheaton can be a blend of Hines Ward and Mike Wallace's abilities. We can't get this kid on the field fast enough.

If it is about the front 7 and the D-line controlling the LOS why would you ask one of your D-lineman to lose weight/slim down to get after the QB? Tell your D-line you want to get more pressure from them this year? Makes no sense. Goes completely away from the 3-4 zone blitz. LeBeau has gotten sucked in by what the league says is now the trend. Asking your team to do something that it isn't built for is wrong. Going away from your strength is wrong.

[flippy]

If it is about the front 7 and the D-line controlling the LOS why would you ask one of your D-lineman to lose weight/slim down to get after the QB? Tell your D-line you want to get more pressure from them this year? Makes no sense. Goes completely away from the 3-4 zone blitz. LeBeau has gotten sucked in by what the league says is now the trend. Asking your team to do something that it isn't built for is wrong. Going away from your strength is wrong.

I'm with ya. Doesn't make sense. The only reason I see this is because we don't have the right talent on the DLine now that Casey/Aaron are gone and so we're adjusting to the players. And it's exactly why we aren't controlling the LOS.

I haven't quite figured out how the new scheme up front is going to make us better? Cause now teams can run. They aren't so predictable. We can't get pressure as much and force mistakes as a result. And somehow we want to turn the front 3 into playmakers when they aren't the most talented players on the field.

At the same time, even though I don't get it. I trust that Dick does and there's a method to all of this. And I hope it becomes clear to the rest of us sooner than later.

[Slapstick]

We can't force mistakes because our offense can go an entire quarter without a first down...the opponent can have their beastly #1 WR average 8 yards per catch and still win because they don't have to take chances...

There is no threat by our offense to score...or even move the ball...

[feltdizz]

We can't force mistakes because our offense can go an entire quarter without a first down...the opponent can have their beastly #1 WR average 8 yards per catch and still win because they don't have to take chances...

There is no threat by our offense to score...or even move the ball...

This... TO's would be nice but that's just another possession for the O to screw up

[Steelhere10]

Never where the Steelers this bad under Cowher. They are bad in every facet of the game right now. You can not say that about any Cowher team. To hear Tomlin say the solution is in the locker room tells you how delusional he is. This is a team void of play makers on both sides of the ball. The solution is not in the Steeler locker room. It is in many new players who are not on this team as of right now.
Cowher had three straight losing seasons and they were back to back. I don't know when many of you became fans, but maybe you should look it up first before comparing. And they were awful seasons.

[Slapstick]

Cowher had three straight losing seasons and they were back to back. I don't know when many of you became fans, but maybe you should look it up first before comparing. And they were awful seasons.

Yep. This.

[squidkid]

Cowher had three straight losing seasons and they were back to back. I don't know when many of you became fans, but maybe you should look it up first before comparing. And they were awful seasons.

those 3 years cowher had little talent and no franchise qb. this team has both but no leadership. tomlin was not the most qualified individual when he was hired. he was suppose to learn as he went along. he hasnt shown any improvement in any aspect of head coaching and has allowed this team to become soft and undisciplined. cowher may have had losing seasons but his teams never lost its identity.

[Captain Lemming]

Shawn--you clearly state the dilemma. Everyone respects and loves Coach Dad but that has nothing to do with him getting the job done that needs to get done with what we have. Separate the emotion and idol worship from the results.

The problem is that the defense IS THE LAST reason we are 0-2.
Of ALL the top three coaches, Haley, Tpmlin and Lebeau, DL is BY FAR the least responsible for our record.

[Steelhere10]

Ok how many losing season have Tomlin had..... OK I rest my case. I'm not defending Tomlin because I feel if he can't fire Haley then maybe he should get canned. I just don't understand the comparison. And by the way many thought Cowher was not the right hire and to be fair Tomlin had more credentials than Cowher when he was hired.

[Steelhere10]

So try again!!!

[Captain Lemming]

Whoa, whoa, whoa...

You've been stating all along that LeBeau loves his system more than anything, and will never admit that "his baby is ugly" (or something along those lines). You suggest that the 3-4 zone blitz is now outdated and ol' LeBeau needs to be put out to pasture because he is relentlessly hanging on to it and refuses to change it at all...it takes too long to convert players from their college schemes to a new pro scheme scheme they have never played before.

DeeDub is suggesting the exact opposite of that. He is suggesting that the problem is that LeBeau is moving too far away from his 3-4 zone scheme. And you are agreeing with him??? Now I'm really freaking confused...

As long as someone is bashing Lebeau they are right in the eyes of some.....even if the reasoning is the EXACT OPPOSITE theirs

[Captain Lemming]

LeBeau's not leaving until HE says so.

As it should be, he is the best

[Steelhere10]

The only identity Cowher had was beating up his own division and choking in Home championship games against mostly inferior opponents.

[Captain Lemming]

To hear Tomlin say the solution is in the locker room tells you how delusional he is. This is a team void of play makers on both sides of the ball. The solution is not in the Steeler locker room. It is in many new players who are not on this team as of right now.

How can "coaching" fix what you have just stated?

[Eddie Spaghetti]

As long as someone is bashing Lebeau they are right in the eyes of some.....even if the reasoning is the EXACT OPPOSITE theirs

too damn funny.

agendas are hard.

[Captain Lemming]

Who’s idea was it for Cameron Heyward to lose weight? We get on players all the time for them showing up out of shape, why does Cameron Heyward get a break? He is not suppose to be a pass rusher. He is suppose to be a run stuffer/gap plugger. Now at his current weight, he isnt going to stuff anything. But it isn’t his fault. It is managements fault because their defensive coordinator has gotten so far away from the 3-4 zone blitz. LeBeau was quoted as saying he wanted more of a pass rush from his D-line this year. Why?

Because some kinda pass rush from the line is nothing new. Aaron Smith has had 8 sacks in a season more than once. Even fat Kimo had 8 sacks once. Ray Seals had 8.5 and 7 sacks the two seasons he was here.

Last year Keisel led the Dline with 4.


Can you imagine Aaron Smith showing up to camp 15-20lbs lighter, and being ask to go get the QB?

No need to "imagine" we saw it. Not that he lost weight, he was drafted at about 275 and GAINED weight over the years. He WAS lighter at 25 years old and got 8 sacks before he became a 300 pounder.

[Shoe]

Cowher had three straight losing seasons and they were back to back. I don't know when many of you became fans, but maybe you should look it up first before comparing. And they were awful seasons.

What is crazy, is how a whole generation of Steeler fans (from '92 on), have yet to experience any span of losing besides that little blip you refer to.

[feltdizz]

As it should be, he is the best

I agree... the man made Deebo cry. I watched that interview earlier in the week and Deebo actually said something after that long pause....

3 words....

I miss him.

[Captain Lemming]

The only identity Cowher had was beating up his own division and choking in Home championship games against mostly inferior opponents.

I would call the chargers "inferior" not the others he lost to.

[feltdizz]

What is crazy, is how a whole generation of Steeler fans (from '92 on), have yet to experience any span of losing besides that little blip you refer to.


I know... the 80's were brutal. I have to be honest.... the 80's were my prime for tackle football in the neighborhood so I missed some of those stinkers.

[Captain Lemming]

I agree... the man made Deebo cry. I watched that interview earlier in the week and Deebo actually said something after that long pause....

3 words....

I miss him.

Serious that was MOVING. The pause....getting choked up.....
And frankly, I saw no emotion whatsoever when the head coaches were mentioned.

I have no doubt that Deebo would run through a wall for DL.

Get rid of DL and you will see what a really bad defense looks like.
Bash the number one ranking all you want, we lose DL and our defense is AVERAGE.
People think we are just swimming in elite talent WE ARE NOT.

No turnovers? Get rid of DL and you think Ike suddenly learns how to make a pick? Gay is suddenly elite?

Our defense has NO BUSINESS ranked 1 with the talent we have.

[Steelhere10]

NE twice especially the first one when Tom Brady came off the bench, no one in the world pick then to lose that game. And the rest might not be inferior but they were favored heavily.

[Captain Lemming]

NE twice especially the first one when Tom Brady came off the bench, no one in the world pick then to lose that game. And the rest might not be inferior but they were favored heavily.

History showed that the Pats were seriously underrated, they were just coming into their own......AND they cheated. :)

[Steelhere10]

Lol maybe cheated, but Troy Brown was the starting WR and another scrub who name escaped me.

[SteelCrazy]

The Truth!!!! is we need Heath Miller. He changes everything on our Offense. When he makes it back, we will be able to score a little bit more often then we have in the last 2 games.

[Captain Lemming]

The Truth!!!! is we need Heath Miller. He changes everything on our Offense. When he makes it back, we will be able to score a little bit more often then we have in the last 2 games.

Truth is right.
We are missing our team MVP tight end from last season, our probowl center, our fastest receiver, have no talent at RB (drafted one who has no played), a young and TERRIBLE oline.

Compare that to Cincy? Their BACKUP tight end is WORLDS BETTER than the fumbler on our team. Their ROOKIE BACKUP running back is PLAYING (unlike ours) and is BETTER than ANY RB on our team. Do we have a single Olineman that could start on their team? Kevin Zeitler certainly is better that DeCastro at this point in their careers.

running backs
Wide Receivers
Line
Tight ends

Every offensive position save for QB Cincy is the MUCH BETTER team.
Seriously our offense is not close at this point.

[Shawn]

The problem is that the defense IS THE LAST reason we are 0-2.
Of ALL the top three coaches, Haley, Tpmlin and Lebeau, DL is BY FAR the least responsible for our record.

Thank you, that's all I'm saying.

[Dee Dub]

Cowher had three straight losing seasons and they were back to back. I don't know when many of you became fans, but maybe you should look it up first before comparing. And they were awful seasons.

This is incorrect. Cowher never had 3 consecutive losing seasons. How embarrassing. 1998 and 1999 he had losing seasons. 2000 his team was 9-7. But here is the thing about when Cowher had losing teams, he did so with never having a franchise QB. Think about that.

Bill Cowher's record as head coach with a franchise QB = 34-14 (two trips to the AFCC and one Super Bowl win).

[Dee Dub]

Because some kinda pass rush from the line is nothing new. Aaron Smith has had 8 sacks in a season more than once. Even fat Kimo had 8 sacks once. Ray Seals had 8.5 and 7 sacks the two seasons he was here.

Last year Keisel led the Dline with 4.


No need to "imagine" we saw it. Not that he lost weight, he was drafted at about 275 and GAINED weight over the years. He WAS lighter at 25 years old and got 8 sacks before he became a 300 pounder.

Those guys you mention, got their sacks because they were moving the pocket. Controlling the LOS. Pushing the pocket backwards. Not because they slimmed down and where trying to out quick the O-line.

[Slapstick]

This is incorrect. Cowher never had 3 consecutive losing seasons. How embarrassing. 1998 and 1999 he had losing seasons. 2000 his team was 9-7. But here is the thing about when Cowher had losing teams, he did so with never having a franchise QB. Think about that.



2000 was 9-7, but they missed the playoffs....not a losing season, technically, but certainly no better...

By that token, Tomlin has never had a losing record with a franchise QB either...

[Slapstick]

Compare that to Cincy? Their BACKUP tight end is WORLDS BETTER than the fumbler on our team.

Our fumbler is the backup's backup...

Think Spaeth could block better than Paulson? I do...

[Dee Dub]

2000 was 9-7, but they missed the playoffs....not a losing season, technically, but certainly no better...

By that token, Tomlin has never had a losing record with a franchise QB either...

Tomlin will this year. And this may go down as one of the worst Steeler teams in the past 30 years or so. In Tomlin's last 13 games as head coach (regular season and preseason), the Steelers have lost 11 times. I dont think that has sunk in yet for most Steelers fans.

And Tomlin inherited a Super Bowl caliber team. Bill Cowher inherited a bad football team.

[Dee Dub]

..and as I have said, under Cowher when ever his teams were bad they weren't bad in all aspects of the game as this current Steeler team is. In Cowher's two losing back to back seasons (with a QB who completed 55% of his passes and nearly twice as many INT's as TD's), his teams could still run the ball and stop the run on defense.

This current Steeler team is bad all the way across the board. You could never say that about a Cowher team.

[birtikidis]

Dee I think our defense looks good. If our offense wasn't consistently 3 and out, they'd look even better.

[Sugar]

Dee I think our defense looks good. If our offense wasn't consistently 3 and out, they'd look even better.

The Defense does look good, by and large. The fact that they are holding a team with the talend the Bengals have to only 20 points tells me they're doing something right. The Special Teams were also pretty good in the last game.

[papillon]

The Defense does look good, by and large. The fact that they are holding a team with the talend the Bengals have to only 20 points tells me they're doing something right. The Special Teams were also pretty good in the last game.

Here's another point that seems to be occurring over the past 10 games or so. The Steelers never seem to get all 3 phases of the team playing well in the same game, they'll get 2 out of 3 and that isn't good enough based n the talent on the team. All three need to be at least adequate for the Steelers to have success. To me that is a coaching issue that all three units can't be firing on all cylinders in the same game.

Pappy

[Steelhere10]

Tomlin will this year. And this may go down as one of the worst Steeler teams in the past 30 years or so. In Tomlin's last 13 games as head coach (regular season and preseason), the Steelers have lost 11 times. I dont think that has sunk in yet for most Steelers fans.

And Tomlin inherited a Super Bowl caliber team. Bill Cowher inherited a bad football team.And Cowher in inherited a Chuck Noll team full of All Pros and ProBowlers yet it still took him 15 years to win A SB.

[feltdizz]

Bill Cowher also had the luxury of coaching when the D was allowed to play like men...LIKE MEN!

He also had the best big RB in the football.. after Bettis retired? 8-:(...

[Dee Dub]

And Cowher in inherited a Chuck Noll team full of All Pros and ProBowlers yet it still took him 15 years to win A SB.

You do not know your Steeler history all that well, do you? This too is not correct.

The last 4 years of Chuck Noll's career where 5-11, 9-7, 9-7, and 7-9. Bill Cowher inherited a bad football team that had 1 Pro Bowler on the roster.

[Dee Dub]

Dee I think our defense looks good. If our offense wasn't consistently 3 and out, they'd look even better.

They are currently ranked 10th (25th in run defense), after playing the Titans and Bengals. Where would they be ranked if they had played the Broncos and Packers?

But...see what you want to see, I guess?

[birtikidis]

They are currently ranked 10th (25th in run defense), after playing the Titans and Bengals. Where would they be ranked if they had played the Broncos and Packers?

But...see what you want to see, I guess?
I don't care about ranks. I watch. AJ Green was as shut down as you're gonna get. Two big plays were all the yards they had

[Steelhere10]

You do not know your Steeler history all that well, do you? This too is not correct.

The last 4 years of Chuck Noll's career where 5-11, 9-7, 9-7, and 7-9. Bill Cowher inherited a bad football team that had 1 Pro Bowler on the roster.
No you do not know the history here was Bill roster that he got from Noll
http://www.footballdb.com/teams/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/roster/1991
I made a glance and there are ten players who either made Pro Bowls / All Pro
and at least Three Hall of famers. Now try again

[feltdizz]

They are currently ranked 10th (25th in run defense), after playing the Titans and Bengals. Where would they be ranked if they had played the Broncos and Packers?

But...see what you want to see, I guess?

It's hard to have good stats on D when the offense has SEVEN 3 and outs and the other team runs 30 more plays...

I'm seeing a D that is tired and can't get any rest because the O has stats like ZERO yards in the 3rd quarter vs the Bengals.

Steelers have 75 yards rushing TOTAL in 2 games.. IN 2 GAMES.

[steelblood]

This just isn't a very good football team. And it starts from the top. The decision to bring in Haley as the coordinator, and ask Ben to fit what he does into Haley's system, was a huge mistake. I said it when Haley was hired...his lack of never playing any football at any level was going to be what it is. A major disconnect with the players he is coaching. The management of the Steelers made a huge mistake asking their franchise QB to change his style and fit what Haley runs. It was suppose to keep Ben healthy. To protect him. To get rid of the ball quicker. Well it hasn't worked. Ben is being hit just as much as he ever has. Then to think that this team could run the football behind a line that isn’t built to run the football is another mistake this management has made. Look at the line. They have 4 guys who are generally smaller than the guys they are trying to block. David DeCastro is getting abused. The only O-lineman with some size, is Foster. Adams, Gilbert, DeCastro, and even Pouncey are all built to pass block more so than run block. And they don’t even do that well.

Then to put all your marbles into a 2nd round RB (Bell), as if he is going to save your team is ridiculous.

This team has two play makers on the entire team. Troy Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger. To get rid of Ben’s only playmaker ( Mike Wallace), was a mistake regardless of what Steeler fans thought of him. Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders are decent receivers at best. Neither one of them are play makers. Neither one of them can find the end zone. And to continue to try and stretch the field with these two, when neither of them can get separation, is ridiculous. Why do they insist on throwing the deep pass to Antonio Brown? He cannot get the needed separation for that. Makes no sense.

Who’s idea was it for Cameron Heyward to lose weight? We get on players all the time for them showing up out of shape, why does Cameron Heyward get a break? He is not suppose to be a pass rusher. He is suppose to be a run stuffer/gap plugger. Now at his current weight, he isnt going to stuff anything. But it isn’t his fault. It is managements fault because their defensive coordinator has gotten so far away from the 3-4 zone blitz. LeBeau was quoted as saying he wanted more of a pass rush from his D-line this year. Why? That goes completely away from the whole 3-4 zone blitz scheme. He now wants a pass rush from the front 3 and his OLB drop into coverage more than they go after the QB. Look at last night’s game. Hardly any pass rush what so ever on Andy Dalton. And they couldn’t stop the run either. LeBeau, as great as he’s been, as fallen in love with trying to be creative and as a result he has gotten away from what his 3-4 zone blitz is suppose to be. It is sad. This isn’t working the way he is running this defense. He is now allowing opposing teams to dictate what he runs. Can you imagine Aaron Smith showing up to camp 15-20lbs lighter, and being ask to go get the QB? Makes no sense. Standing up Heyward or Keisel and even having them stand up outside of the tackles is mind boggling. Once in a while as a wrinkle is one thing but to change the scope of your 3-4 defense is ridiculous. Plain and simple, LeBeau is allowing teams ( and the league), to dictate what he does on defense. He is no longer running a 3-4 zone blitz at it's core.

This team has gone as far as it can under Mike Tomlin. Not being a good football team is one thing but to also lose its toughness is hard to swallow. This would have never happened under Bill Cohwer. The Steelers need to get him back as their head coach. He will regain the identity of this franchise. Whenever his teams were bad, he guaranteed in his press conference’s that he would get it right. And every time he did.

If this team is headed for a re-building ( and I see no way they aren’t), then trading Ben in the offseason is something that has to be considered. A Herschel Walker type trade. Getting the first, second, and maybe the third round picks along with Patrick Peterson of the Arizona Cardinals would be a huge step in re-building. A.J. McCarron is a winner. And he is the perfect QB to have in a run first/power attack offense. As important as an offense is, if the Pittsburgh Steelers do not have a dominating defense, then they are not the Pittsburgh Steelers. A shut down defense and a power running game will always work for this franchise. Regardless of what the rest of the league is doing.

Wanna know just how bad this team is right now? Wait until they actually play an upper-echelon team. Tennessee and Cincinnati are not.

Haley's problem is not that he has never played football (though that certainly does not help). He has been coaching for long enough to overcome that. His problem is that he is an arrogant, self-righteous person, and, most importantly, he's been unsuccessful here. The more of the offense that he changes, the more we struggle. That does not inspire confidence. I don't know what Jack Bicknell does on a daily basis for this offensive line. I can't imagine them playing worse under any circumstances. I can't think of a single thing he has improved. DeCastro doesn't even look as good as he did post injury last season. Gilbert gets worse with every game. Adams is a RT only in this league. Velasco has only been here a week (and because of that and that alone, he may be our best OL).

Mike Tomlin has never been a football genius type. He is a leader who relies on a talented staff to do the fine tuning. Unfortunately, Haley is failing. I love Tomlin the person. He is a positive, charismatic, steady leader. But, he needs to make some tough changes to keep his job.

Colbert has survived for a long time on his reputation as a guy who never misses in the first round. Right now, Hood, DeCastro, and Heyward look like poor choices. The 2008 draft was a complete disaster. And, by continually and irresponsibly restructuring contracts, we've left this team with no real wiggle room for the foreseeable future (without creating an even larger problem). Colbert should go at the end of the year. Ozzie Newsome and even the Benglas FO have outworked him over the last 5 or so years.

Even if this team rights the ship and competes for a wild card spot (which is highly unlikely), the Super Bowl is out of reach.

The Rooney strategy of not panicking and staying the course is commendable. Their commitment to stability is great. However, they must realize that this ship is sinking and only drastic measures will save it. Simply executing better is not the answer. This team is one of the thinnest (talent/depth wise) in the NFL. The cupboard is relatively bare and the older players that won for us are either gone or just about over-the-hill (with the possible exception of Ben -and possibly Troy). I know that they will not want to say or acknowledge that we are rebuilding. But, in order to be successful in the near future, we must.

[Slapstick]

No you do not know the history here was Bill roster that he got from Noll
http://www.footballdb.com/teams/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/roster/1991
I made a glance and there are ten players who either made Pro Bowls / All Pro
and at least Three Hall of famers. Now try again

Two HoFers for sure:

Rod Woodson

Dermontti Dawson

Numerous All-Pro players...

Cowher's roster was no weaker...

[Dee Dub]

No you do not know the history here was Bill roster that he got from Noll
http://www.footballdb.com/teams/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/roster/1991
I made a glance and there are ten players who either made Pro Bowls / All Pro
and at least Three Hall of famers. Now try again

Are you serious? These players were not pro bowlers or hall of famers when Cowher inherited them. Only Woodson was a pro bowler. They all became pro blowers and hall of famers under Cowher's offense and defense.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Haley's problem is not that he has never played football (though that certainly does not help). He has been coaching for long enough to overcome that. His problem is that he is an arrogant, self-righteous person, and, most importantly, he's been unsuccessful here. The more of the offense that he changes, the more we struggle. That does not inspire confidence. I don't know what Jack Bicknell does on a daily basis for this offensive line. I can't imagine them playing worse under any circumstances. I can't think of a single thing he has improved. DeCastro doesn't even look as good as he did post injury last season. Gilbert gets worse with every game. Adams is a RT only in this league. Velasco has only been here a week (and because of that and that alone, he may be our best OL).

Mike Tomlin has never been a football genius type. He is a leader who relies on a talented staff to do the fine tuning. Unfortunately, Haley is failing. I love Tomlin the person. He is a positive, charismatic, steady leader. But, he needs to make some tough changes to keep his job.
In a nutshell, that's the problem... Haley's inability/unwillingness to call plays that will allow the team's best offensive asset (Ben) to succeed. The o-line isn't great, but, I contend that Ben has never had a pro-bowl 5, and usually has a few solid guys with a pro bowler sprinkled in here and there. His biggest asset is the ability to scramble, avoid the pressure that he ALWAYS has and make the team succeed.

Tomlin is a Cowher clone - isn't really a play caller, but, a decision maker that motivates players in his own way. Haley is the issue - whether it's sports or your job, you know it's hard to get on board with a plan if you feel the guy leading you is an idiot. This is where we are right now....

[Dee Dub]

Two HoFers for sure:

Rod Woodson

Dermontti Dawson

Numerous All-Pro players...

Cowher's roster was no weaker...

Sorry but the 1991 team (Noll's last), had one player make the pro bowl (Rod Woodson). Dermonti Dawson didn't become a pro bowler till 1992.

[Steelhere10]

Two HoFers for sure:

Rod Woodson

Dermontti Dawson

Numerous All-Pro players...

Cowher's roster was no weaker...Then you add players like
Bettis
K Green
Chad Brown
Kirkland
Steed
Perry
whom he all had on the roster at one point and it makes this comparison even dumber, if you ask me. Like I said Cowher had all that talent and it still took him forever to win the Big Game
But he came somehow make a comeback and be the savior of the team. I'm still laughing.

[Dee Dub]

I don't care about ranks. I watch. AJ Green was as shut down as you're gonna get. Two big plays were all the yards they had
Maybe you should have watched something other than A. J. Green? The Bengals had 22 first downs and 407 total yards versus the Steelers Monday night.

Again, what would the outcome have been for this defense had it been Green Bay or Denver they were playing? 600 yards? 5-6 TD's?

It's ok, by the end of the year, you and the others will come around and see it for what it really is.

[Steelhere10]

Sorry but the 1991 team (Noll's last), had one player make the pro bowl (Rod Woodson). Dermonti Dawson didn't become a pro bowler till 1992.
Like I said you don't know the history. I'm just going to name a few I really don't have time to argue a moot point.
Hardy N
Tulch
Gary A
Baby Foster
Lake
Loyld just to name a few, but like I said keep trying.

[Dee Dub]

Then you add players like
Bettis
K Green
Chad Brown
Kirkland
Steed
Perry
whom he all had on the roster at one point and it makes this comparison even dumber, if you ask me. Like I said Cowher had all that talent and it still took him forever to win the Big Game
But he came somehow make a comeback and be the savior of the team. I'm still laughing.

Einstein, this is about what he inherited, not what he accrued over time. Cowher inherited a horrible 5-11 team that had one pro bowler on it.

It took Bill Cowher 2 years to win a Super bowl once he got a franchise QB. You expected him to win one with Neil O'Donnell, Kordell Stewart, and Mike Tomczak? Nice.

[Steelhere10]

It don't matter when they made it, the talent was there.

[Slapstick]

Again, what would the outcome have been for this defense had it been Green Bay or Denver they were playing? 600 yards? 5-6 TD's?



If the offense can go an entire quarter without a first down? I agree...

[birtikidis]

Maybe you should have watched something other than A. J. Green? The Bengals had 22 first downs and 407 total yards versus the Steelers Monday night.

Again, what would the outcome have been for this defense had it been Green Bay or Denver they were playing? 600 yards? 5-6 TD's?

It's ok, by the end of the year, you and the others will come around and see it for what it really is.
Any team would rack up yards if they have the ball for 30 more plays than your team.

[birtikidis]

except ours that is.

[Slapstick]

except ours that is.

Even we could if we could stop going three and out...

[skyhawk]

Tomlin will this year. And this may go down as one of the worst Steeler teams in the past 30 years or so. In Tomlin's last 13 games as head coach (regular season and preseason), the Steelers have lost 11 times. I dont think that has sunk in yet for most Steelers fans.

And Tomlin inherited a Super Bowl caliber team. Bill Cowher inherited a bad football team.

Oh really? Cowher's team in 1992 looked pretty good. 2 hall of famers, Carnell Lake, Greg Lloyd, Tunch Ilkin, one of the best offensive lines in football, AND the NFL's leading rusher AND 9 eventual pro bowlers, and the eventual NFL's all time leading scorer (at least for a while). Try again.

[skyhawk]

Like I said you don't know the history. I'm just going to name a few I really don't have time to argue a moot point.
Hardy N
Tulch
Gary A
Baby Foster
Lake
Loyld just to name a few, but like I said keep trying.

Whoops, I missed this! Just sounded too absurd so I quit reading too soon as I was late to the thread.

There you go, try again!! ;)

[skyhawk]

Maybe you should have watched something other than A. J. Green? The Bengals had 22 first downs and 407 total yards versus the Steelers Monday night.

Again, what would the outcome have been for this defense had it been Green Bay or Denver they were playing? 600 yards? 5-6 TD's?

It's ok, by the end of the year, you and the others will come around and see it for what it really is.

This I agree 100%. The D is not doing their part either. Inept at creating pressure or turnovers. Yawn.

Dalton looked AWFUL for most of the game and STILL completed 25 passes!

[Steelhere10]

Lol no problem, sometime it takes two... He he he

[Steelhere10]

Einstein, this is about what he inherited, not what he accrued over time. Cowher inherited a horrible 5-11 team that had one pro bowler on it.

It took Bill Cowher 2 years to win a Super bowl once he got a franchise QB. You expected him to win one with Neil O'Donnell, Kordell Stewart, and Mike Tomczak? Nice.

Hey Sherlock are you talking about the same Franchise QB that old Billy Boy didn't want. And where in the SB rule book that states that you have to have a franchise QB not to choke away championships....
I guess Dilfer, Flacco, Jim Mc or Brad Johnson coaches didn't get that memo.

[skyhawk]

Yep.

And regardless, Cowher INHERITED Noll's players, just like Tomlin INHERITED Cowher's.

So what if they all weren't pro bowlers YET. Just look, Pouncey BECAME a pro bowler ;) LOLOLOLOLOL!!!

[birtikidis]

This I agree 100%. The D is not doing their part either. Inept at creating pressure or turnovers. Yawn.

Dalton looked AWFUL for most of the game and STILL completed 25 passes!
He threw almost 50 passes. he went from 78% the week before with an 8.5 yard average to 56% with a 6 yard average.
And if our rookie 7th round pick gives a semblance of coverage Eifert doesn't go 61 yards. Course if we don't fumble it away they don't even have the ball to begin with.

[Dee Dub]

Oh really? Cowher's team in 1992 looked pretty good. 2 hall of famers, Carnell Lake, Greg Lloyd, Tunch Ilkin, one of the best offensive lines in football, AND the NFL's leading rusher AND 9 eventual pro bowlers, and the eventual NFL's all time leading scorer (at least for a while). Try again.

Cowher inherited a 5-11 football team. Slice it any way you want. It was a bad football team he got. And he didn't have a franchise QB. Big difference.

[birtikidis]

Cowher inherited a 5-11 football team. Slice it any way you want. It was a bad football team he got. And he didn't have a franchise QB. Big difference.
Bubby wasn't the answer that's for sure

[Dee Dub]

Bubby wasn't the answer that's for sure

Right....and the one who listed Barry Foster as a great player Cowher inherited ignores the fact that he had less than 700 combined in 1990 and 1991. It was Cowher who inserted him as the starter in 1992 (1690 rushing yards).

[steelblood]

Cowher inherited a losing football team with a good number of young talented players. Cowher pulled the strings nicely and pushed them in the right direction. But, the cupboard was not bare when Cowher arrived, merely mismanaged by a coach who was ready to retire.

[Slapstick]

Cowher inherited a 5-11 football team. Slice it any way you want. It was a bad football team he got. And he didn't have a franchise QB. Big difference.

And Tomlin inherited an 8-8 team. So what?

[Sword]

The truth hurts............

[Sugar]

And if our rookie 7th round pick gives a semblance of coverage Eifert doesn't go 61 yards.

Tunch showed on Chalk Talk that it was actually Ryan Clark's blown coverage that allowed that play because he was trying to make something happen instead of staying home on the play.

[Oviedo]

Then you add players like
Bettis
K Green
Chad Brown
Kirkland
Steed
Perry
whom he all had on the roster at one point and it makes this comparison even dumber, if you ask me. Like I said Cowher had all that talent and it still took him forever to win the Big Game
But he came somehow make a comeback and be the savior of the team. I'm still laughing.

Totally agree. Cowher in the late 90s was almost out the door until the Rooneys got rid of Donohoe and gave Cowher all the power. When is comes to personnel decisions what we have is a Colbert problem not a Tomlin problem.

[phillyesq]

Totally agree. Cowher in the late 90s was almost out the door until the Rooneys got rid of Donohoe and gave Cowher all the power. When is comes to personnel decisions what we have is a Colbert problem not a Tomlin problem.

Based on what? None of us know who is really making the calls in the draft room.

We do know that Tomlin certainly has input into who is selected, and recently, the selections have been poor.

[Dee Dub]

And Tomlin inherited an 8-8 team. So what?

....and a franchise QB. Do you see the difference?

[Slapstick]

Cowher's team went 8-8 with that same franchise QB...with that QB, Tomlin has just as many SB rings as Cowher and more AFCC game wins...

Your argument makes little sense...

[Steelhere10]

Cowher's team went 8-8 with that same franchise QB...with that QB, Tomlin has just as many SB rings as Cowher and more AFCC game wins...

Your argument makes little sense...
Truly makes no sense.

[Dee Dub]

Cowher's team went 8-8 with that same franchise QB...with that QB, Tomlin has just as many SB rings as Cowher and more AFCC game wins...

Your argument makes little sense...

Well it does if you look at all 3 years Cowher had Ben. 34-14 overall. Bill Cowher never had a losing record when he had a franchise QB. And I think after this season, when Tomlin goes 5-11 or 6-10, I think the point will hit home with those who cannot see where this team is headed.

[Slapstick]

Well it does if you look at all 3 years Cowher had Ben. 34-14 overall. Bill Cowher never had a losing record when he had a franchise QB. And I think after this season, when Tomlin goes 5-11 or 6-10, I think the point will hit home with those who cannot see where this team is headed.

Unless you are wrong, of course...

The Steelers still have to play the games, so they may as well try to win them...;)

[bowldog]

We are 1 game behind in the division, so we are not out of it yet. We have to play better in all 4 phases (offense,defense, special teams and coaching). We should reserve final judgement on this team until we are able put our best team on the field this season.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

10-page thread! Nice to see you haven't lost your touch for creating heated, thought provoking threads, Dee Dub (can you change that back? i still always wanna call u the other handle! LOL. Some names just stick - it's like crash will always be crash, no matter what the name... Flippy will be flippy, hogefan... and so on.... well, you get my point; shawn can go by shawn if he wants, but, he's SMG to me...)

[Vader]

Cowher's team went 8-8 with that same franchise QB...with that QB, Tomlin has just as many SB rings as Cowher and more AFCC game wins...

Your argument makes little sense...

Context is important. They went 8-8 but that was the year that Ben almost died in a motorcycle accident, had an emergency appendectomy, and suffered a concussion during the Atlanta game. But besides that everything was the same........

[Dee Dub]

Unless you are wrong, of course...

The Steelers still have to play the games, so they may as well try to win them...;)

Heck I hope my Steelers win out and win it all. But....that isn't being realistic. This team is bad. They are bad in all areas. I personally don't see them even making it to .500. I hope I am wrong.

[Dee Dub]

We are 1 game behind in the division, so we are not out of it yet. We have to play better in all 4 phases (offense,defense, special teams and coaching). We should reserve final judgement on this team until we are able put our best team on the field this season.

bowldog, the Steelers have lost to the Titans and the Bengals. And they have looked bad in all phases of the game. The Titans are a bad football team and the Bengals are a borderline playoff team at best. Regardless of what team the Steelers put out there (their best or their worst), or what weak division they are in, when they play an upper-echelon team, you will see just how bad this team is. Denver and Green Bay put up 40-50 on them. Easy.

[feltdizz]

bowldog, the Steelers have lost to the Titans and the Bengals. And they have looked bad in all phases of the game. The Titans are a bad football team and the Bengals are a borderline playoff team at best. Regardless of what team the Steelers put out there (their best or their worst), or what weak division they are in, when they play an upper-echelon team, you will see just how bad this team is. Denver and Green Bay put up 40-50 on them. Easy.

I doubt Denver and GB puts up 40-50 on us...

The D hasn't been bad IMO and ST's was good last game...

Not sure if the Titans are a bad team this year... I would like to see a respectable loss or 2 before coming to that conclusion. Bad teams rarely take the Texans into overtime... even without A.Johnson.

[bowldog]

agreed. I think we put up 30 on the Bears this week

[Captain Lemming]

agreed. I think we put up 30 on the Bears this week

I think you added a zero after the three by mistake. You do know this board has an edit feature. :)

[SteelerOfDeVille]

agreed. I think we put up 30 on the Bears this week

only if haley gets hit by a bus... Is Jerome in town?

[Slapstick]

Context is important. They went 8-8 but that was the year that Ben almost died in a motorcycle accident, had an emergency appendectomy, and suffered a concussion during the Atlanta game. But besides that everything was the same........

Last year, Tomlin's Steelers went 8-8 with Ben suffering a truly bizarre rib injury and wasn't the same afterward...

So, everything was the same...

[bowldog]

Agreed. If we start the game out with 3 straight runs again, i'm all in for booting Haley. Play your best players now, we no longer have the luxury of falling back to play making veterans

[SS Laser]

The curse of no turnovers for a score needs to change. It will light a fire under the whole team I think. Even a turnover and a offensive score will help some. Not sure why this turnover curse started? Also when it is bad it can get much worse quicker then turning it around I think. Just for example AB flipping out. That starts the rot of the team from with in. And you will have good players making stupid mistakes trying to do to much.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

agreed. I think we put up 30 on the Bears this week
Are you talking points or yards?

[flippy]

Are you talking points or yards?

obviously he meant rushing yards :P

[Vader]

Last year, Tomlin's Steelers went 8-8 with Ben suffering a truly bizarre rib injury and wasn't the same afterward...

So, everything was the same...

Ben has always been hurt. But I would think reconstructive surgery, an appendectomy, and a concussion all in a 2 month span is a bit more than hurting his rib. Also even if that were true (which it isn't) Ben isn't hurt now and the team is 0-2.

[Slapstick]

Apparently, the rib was a life threatening injury if he played football, but that's not serious...

I, too, noticed that the Steelers are 0-2. I also know that the football season is young and am not overreacting...

[feltdizz]

Apparently, the rib was a life threatening injury if he played football, but that's not serious...

I, too, noticed that the Steelers are 0-2. I also know that the football season is young and am not overreacting...

There's a difference between overreacting and reacting...

19 points in 2 games... 75 rushing yards... turnovers on O.... no turnovers on D.... seven 3 and outs last game...

I think the people overreacting are the ones trying to tell the board not to see what they saw the last 2 weeks.