IF we make the playoffs

[squidkid]

there is no way we can play 4 good/great games in a row. can we play 2 and hope to get lucky on the other 2?
there are so many problems with this team, sheer luck is the only way this team goes far.
its almost as if i dont lose my mind anymore with this team when they lose. i c ant comprehend how a team can look so awesome one week and then trot out and look like a bunch of clowns the next. its mind boggling

tomlin has pissed away numerous playoff opportunities when he has had the most talent, maybe he can win it all by just getting lucky and having the better teams piss it away this year. its our only chance

[Steel Maniac]

I’m thinking about what direction we go in the off-season. Because we’re not going anywhere this year. Too much down and up play from Ben, bad secondary, and now Conner out for who knows how long. And as usual, we have a sub par head coach. Yeah..I’m contemplating our off-season moves.

[Terrapin]

Ben was awful.
Defense was awful
Refs were awful
Coaching was awful. Keenan Allen is a top 10 WR. What was our strategy? Cover him with a LB all night. Brilliant!

[flippy]

IF I win the PowerBall...

IF Artie Burns turns his career around...

IF Danny Smith stops chewing bubble gum...

Seriously, what are the odds a 7-8-1 team makes the playoffs? I'm thinking our best case scenario is we beat NE and NO and lose to Oak and Cincy and finish 9-6-1 and I think Denver and Tennessee can run the next 4 games and finish 10-6 and we're out.

We've got to win 3 of 4 imho to make the playoffs.

[Sword]

Ben was awful.
Defense was awful
Refs were awful
Coaching was awful. Keenan Allen is a top 10 WR. What was our strategy? Cover him with a LB all night. Brilliant!


The refs and our Defense was the worst...Ben played good except two passes.....
the refs gave the chargers two touchdowns and our Defense continues to have the same problem..cannot stop at key moments..
listen without Ben we actually would be lucky to have one win.....
Burns..please get rid the this fool....

[Steel Maniac]

Burns is Tomlin’s hand pick baby. To cut Burns would be an admission by Tomlin that he made a mistake in wanting him. Burns isn’t going anywhere.

[Eich]

I think there's a really good chance we don't make the playoffs. The way we're playing, we could easily lose to the Raiders. And we're likely to lose against the cheaters and Saints.

[Sword]

no chance in my eye's..we will be lucky to win one remaining game....

[Ghost]

This team should have already clinched. The stupid tie, the loss to the Broncos, and then last night. The Raiders are 2-9. There is no excuse for a team that believes it's a playoff team to lose to them. NONE! Same with the Bengals the last game of the year.

Ravens have KC and the Chargers to play and could easily lose those 2. Tampa and Cleveland are their other 2.

9-6-1 hopefully takes the division.

[papillon]

Steelers are back to the beginning of the year when they were incapable of playing an entire game. First half was very good, save for a gift and one bad pass from Ben, 2nd half was a disaster save for the tying drive and another bad pass by Ben.

Pappy

[flippy]

This team should have already clinched. The stupid tie, the loss to the Broncos, and then last night. The Raiders are 2-9. There is no excuse for a team that believes it's a playoff team to lose to them. NONE! Same with the Bengals the last game of the year.

Ravens have KC and the Chargers to play and could easily lose those 2. Tampa and Cleveland are their other 2.

9-6-1 hopefully takes the division.

Look how close we were to losing to the Jags and Bengals and the Bucs almost came back on us. In retrospect, we're lucky we're not 4-7-1 right now.

[SidSmythe]

This is NOT a Championship Defense.

The Offense puts up 30 and disappoints - I'm not worried about the offense.

[papillon]

This is NOT a Championship Defense.

The Offense puts up 30 and disappoints - I'm not worried about the offense.

I agree, the offense held up its end of the deal, I know the INT was beyond a bad decision but that's it. Quarterbacks miss throws all the time, that's normal, Ben played well, he even had a couple real good decisions to throw the ball away and come back on the next down. The second half defense was just beyond ridiculous though, trying to cover Keenan Allen with linebackers is beyond anything that I can comprehend. First play of the game, Dupree lined up on him, what the Hell did they expect to happen?

Regardless, there's a lot of football to be played, the Steelers can get back in that middle of the season form and make a run at this thing, they will be a dangerous team should they hold off the Ravens and win the division. They'll get one home game and then go on the road, the offense is good enough to keep them in games.

Pappy

[Northern_Blitz]

IF I win the PowerBall...

IF Artie Burns turns his career around...

IF Danny Smith stops chewing bubble gum...

Seriously, what are the odds a 7-8-1 team makes the playoffs? I'm thinking our best case scenario is we beat NE and NO and lose to Oak and Cincy and finish 9-6-1 and I think Denver and Tennessee can run the next 4 games and finish 10-6 and we're out.

We've got to win 3 of 4 imho to make the playoffs.

Winning last night would have made our road the the playoffs much easier.

Since we're a half game ahead of Baltimore, we need to win as many games as they do to make the playoffs.

Rats remaining games:
- Chiefs
- Bucks
- Chargers
- Browns

Our remaining games
- Raiders
- Pats
- Saints
- Bengals

I think we probably go 2-2. So, we need the Ravens to lose to the Chiefs and the Chargers.

[The Man of Steel]

On the positive side the Steelers should really be on a 3 game losing streak as opposed to “just” a 2 game.

[Steelhere10]

The refs and our Defense was the worst...Ben played good except two passes.....
the refs gave the chargers two touchdowns and our Defense continues to have the same problem..cannot stop at key moments..
listen without Ben we actually would be lucky to have one win.....
Burns..please get rid the this fool....

Ben was not good, mostly ok and bad at other times.

[Steel Maniac]

Defense is terrible. Our head coach hasn't put together a good secondary since he's been here. Last good secondary we had was made up of Cowher's players.

[papillon]

Ben was not good, mostly ok and bad at other times.

This statement is a product of realizing that the offense has to be near perfect to win games right now. Ben was far better than "OK" last night, 1 atrocious decision and 1 poor throw, that's it, other than that Ben was very good.

Pappy

[Northern_Blitz]

Defense is terrible. Our head coach hasn't put together a good secondary since he's been here. Last good secondary we had was made up of Cowher's players.

Elite corners are (1) exceptionally expensive UFAs and (2) generally only available with premium draft picks (which we don't get because we tend to do well). Being successful is one of the big reasons that we don't get elite talent, especially at CB.

It's also worth noting that it's not the head coach that "puts together" any unit on the team (player acquisition is the GMs job).

[pfelix73]

Where to begin.. I'll take on the special teams. We need a new punter and kicker. How the hell Boswell misses all these extra points is beyond me. IF he made the extra point, there's no way the Chargers would have had to go for those 2 pointers, The kick there at the end of the game could've been for a ties and not a win. But that's minor. The entire team had a let down in the 2nd half.

And that punter.... so inconsistent. Low line drive punt for the return TD.. just smh.

[Steelhere10]

This statement is a product of realizing that the offense has to be near perfect to win games right now. Ben was far better than "OK" last night, 1 atrocious decision and 1 poor throw, that's it, other than that Ben was very good.

Pappy

Ben lead the league in int and redzone int. Three weeks in a row he have a red zone int and have missed wr running with the closest the defender 10yds away. Guess what the last three qb have done Borttles, Keenum and River? Not turn the ball over and not miss open receivers. What good for throwing for 300yds and nothing comes from it?

[squidkid]

Ben lead the league in int and redzone int. Three weeks in a row he have a red zone int and have missed wr running with the closest the defender 10yds away. Guess what the last three qb have done Borttles, Keenum and River? Not turn the ball over and not miss open receivers. What good for throwing for 300yds and nothing comes from it?


kinda like having a head coach with a great regular season record than nothing comes from it in the post season.

[Steelhere10]

No argument from me.

[Steelhere10]

Although it's harder to win a SB than it is to be careless with the ball and admit that you will continue to do it.

[Buzz]

Lots of criticism of Butler in the media today. And he deserves it, for continually trying to cover Keenan Allen with any LB not named Fort. No meaningful adjustments to counter the Chargers' moves in the second half.

But the media is not so vocal about the man who has claimed to really be in charge of the defense ... the one who certainly could overrule Butler or tell him to change things up. How does Tomlin get a pass?

[squidkid]

Lots of criticism of Butler in the media today. And he deserves it, for continually trying to cover Keenan Allen with any LB not named Fort. No meaningful adjustments to counter the Chargers' moves in the second half.

But the media is not so vocal about the man who has claimed to really be in charge of the defense ... the one who certainly could overrule Butler or tell him to change things up. How does Tomlin get a pass?


thats obvious

[Captain Lemming]

thats obvious

Not to everyone. Not everyone is blessed with your "insight" my friend.
Please explain.

[pittpete]

Being at the game, Ben looked good early and then it was downhill.
He missed more than a few passes including the overthrow to Hunter.
He also chucked one up to DHB that may have been picked if he didnt act like the defender.
The duck he threw that got picked was a sight to see.
I also dont know how the pass to AB for the TD wasnt picked either?

[NorthCoast]

Elite corners are (1) exceptionally expensive UFAs and (2) generally only available with premium draft picks (which we don't get because we tend to do well). Being successful is one of the big reasons that we don't get elite talent, especially at CB.

It's also worth noting that it's not the head coach that "puts together" any unit on the team (player acquisition is the GMs job).Which begs the question how is NE able to field a competitive defense year after year when they literally draft after the Steelers? Answer: they know how to stock picks, let players go for good draft value, and find players that are smart and make few mistakes.

[Ghost]

Which begs the question how is NE able to field a competitive defense year after year when they literally draft after the Steelers? Answer: they know how to stock picks, let players go for good draft value, and find players that are smart and make few mistakes.

I’d also add the Pats don’t put up with bull sh!t or suffer fools. Grimble would have been cut last week after his nonsense and Burns would have been let go weeks ago. Letting players know nothing short of excellance is acceptable seems to be working quite well for over the last decade.

[Steel Maniac]

Lots of criticism of Butler in the media today. And he deserves it, for continually trying to cover Keenan Allen with any LB not named Fort. No meaningful adjustments to counter the Chargers' moves in the second half.

But the media is not so vocal about the man who has claimed to really be in charge of the defense ... the one who certainly could overrule Butler or tell him to change things up. How does Tomlin get a pass?

The same way a couple of poster give him a pass in this post room. They ride around from thread to thread going after other posters who post harsh opinions of Tomlin.

We are at a very precarious point right now. The next 4 games are going to determine a lot in a lot of different ways.

[tiproast]

Which begs the question how is NE able to field a competitive defense year after year when they literally draft after the Steelers? Answer: they know how to stock picks, let players go for good draft value, and find players that are smart and make few mistakes.
True, and the part about smart players is important. Belichick has missed on a lot of secondary players as fairly high draft choices because, although they have the requisite physical talent, they can't pick up the system. But he makes up for that with the occasional rookie free agent find (Malcolm Butler, and this year's apparent UDFA success, J.C. Jackson).

But having a high or even middle of the first round draft choice to spend on a really good CB is something the Patriots haven't had in a long time. The last one I remember was Ty Law, and he was drafted by Parcells. Belichick typically uses first rounders on big bodies: O line, D line, and tight ends. So the LBs and the secondary is often an assortment of solid, but not Pro Bowl level players. It's been a long time since we've seen the shut-down defense that gave Peyton Manning fits.

One of the real challenges for all coaches is the movement afforded to players by free agency. Every coach is rebuilding parts of the offense and defense every year. I wish the Patriots could have held on to players like Aikeem Hicks and Logan Ryan, but they choose to take advantage their window of opportunity, and cashed in. And of course the Patriots do the same thing and offer big bucks to free agents like Steven Gilmore. But the point is that every year there are new pieces that have to be meshed into a functional unit. It usually takes the Patriots until Thanksgiving to hit their stride, and in most years it seems it's the offense that starts to carry the team down the stretch while the defense is decimated by injuries.

This year, however, the pattern seems to be different, and the defense is healthy and starting to come together. It's been a weird year - the team hasn't had a game where all three phases have played well for 60 minutes. I hope that game is coming up, because they're going to need it, and fairly soon. :grin:

[Northern_Blitz]

True, and the part about smart players is important. Belichick has missed on a lot of secondary players as fairly high draft choices because, although they have the requisite physical talent, they can't pick up the system. But he makes up for that with the occasional rookie free agent find (Malcolm Butler, and this year's apparent UDFA success, J.C. Jackson).

But having a high or even middle of the first round draft choice to spend on a really good CB is something the Patriots haven't had in a long time. The last one I remember was Ty Law, and he was drafted by Parcells. Belichick typically uses first rounders on big bodies: O line, D line, and tight ends. So the LBs and the secondary is often an assortment of solid, but not Pro Bowl level players. It's been a long time since we've seen the shut-down defense that gave Peyton Manning fits.

One of the real challenges for all coaches is the movement afforded to players by free agency. Every coach is rebuilding parts of the offense and defense every year. I wish the Patriots could have held on to players like Aikeem Hicks and Logan Ryan, but they choose to take advantage their window of opportunity, and cashed in. And of course the Patriots do the same thing and offer big bucks to free agents like Steven Gilmore. But the point is that every year there are new pieces that have to be meshed into a functional unit. It usually takes the Patriots until Thanksgiving to hit their stride, and in most years it seems it's the offense that starts to carry the team down the stretch while the defense is decimated by injuries.

This year, however, the pattern seems to be different, and the defense is healthy and starting to come together. It's been a weird year - the team hasn't had a game where all three phases have played well for 60 minutes. I hope that game is coming up, because they're going to need it, and fairly soon. :grin:

It seems to me that the Pats also trade away established talent for draft picks more than most teams (certainly more than the Steelers). Accumulating more lottery tickets is a good strategy for getting more good young (and cheap) players.

I also think that BB is the best ever at putting players in positions that maximize their skill and hide their warts.

[tiproast]

It seems to me that the Pats also trade away established talent for draft picks more than most teams (certainly more than the Steelers). Accumulating more lottery tickets is a good strategy for getting more good young (and cheap) players.

I also think that BB is the best ever at putting players in positions that maximize their skill and hide their warts.
After many years of watching, I think I'm starting to catch on to what BB's philosophy is. At heart, he's a teacher, so it doesn't bother him when players soak up a bunch of what he's teaching and then move on. He knows that's going to happen, and that he will lose some good players (and coaches). He probably thinks of it as a kind of graduation.

Given that dynamic, plus the inevitable percentage of players who don't learn enough, or can't learn fast enough, or get injured or just don't love football enough, and you have a recipe for a lot of roster churn. Which is, of course, another teaching opportunity.

It's not unique to BB - there have been other great teachers, and some, like Paul Brown and Ted Marchibroda and Bill Parcells, were BB's mentors.

[papillon]

Being at the game, Ben looked good early and then it was downhill.
He missed more than a few passes including the overthrow to Hunter.
He also chucked one up to DHB that may have been picked if he didnt act like the defender.
The duck he threw that got picked was a sight to see.
I also dont know how the pass to AB for the TD wasnt picked either?

The one to AB was thrown on friggen rope, the defender (not the one trailing AB) was nowhere near the ball.

Pappy

[RuthlessBurgher]

The one to AB was thrown on friggen rope, the defender (not the one trailing AB) was nowhere near the ball.

Pappy

Yeah, that was a heck of a play. The P.O.V. from that drone cam hanging over the field was awesome.

[BURGH86STEEL]

This statement is a product of realizing that the offense has to be near perfect to win games right now. Ben was far better than "OK" last night, 1 atrocious decision and 1 poor throw, that's it, other than that Ben was very good.

Pappy
That was easily the difference in the game. The offense doesn't need to be near perfect. The offense can't turn the ball over and expect to win though. I think Ben has more turnovers than any player in the league. The team will have a difficult time making a run to or in the post season if that trend continues.

They also need to score points when they have the opportunities. Offenses in the league can put up points quickly. It isn't something that's an issue for the Steelers defense.

Several things happened to conspire against the Steelers vs the Chargers. Things like those thing probably won't happen every week. The Steelers record could easily be 9 and 3 or 10 and 2 if it wern't for turnovers.

[Buzz]

Which begs the question how is NE able to field a competitive defense year after year when they literally draft after the Steelers? Answer: they know how to stock picks, let players go for good draft value, and find players that are smart and make few mistakes.

Just what I was talking about in the other thread. If the Steelers are going to play smart football, they have to start acquiring smart players, and quit getting so many who aren't.

[pittpete]

The one to AB was thrown on friggen rope, the defender (not the one trailing AB) was nowhere near the ball.

Pappy

Pap, was talking about safety on that side