So easy to blame, So hard to face facts

Every year that goes by, theres always that thought in a fans head saying "what was the reason we didnt win the Super Bowl this year?" and it usually ends up in the blame of thinking that our coordinator sucks, we got screwed by the refs, our head coach isnt that good, our line stinks, our defense is aging. Ive been hearing it all the past couple years. Whenever there isnt a Super Bowl victory, there is always a barrage of the blame game blaming someone or something for the failure of the season. What baffles me is why is it that some fans just can't face facts of reality.

It almost seems that no matter what, some fans think that we are superior to every team in the NFL every year and that we should be expected to beat everyone and if we dont, theres always a reason behind it other than the other team just being better than us. This year as painful as it was, im going to face reality and just say we arent the best team in the NFL and didnt deserve to make it to the playoffs. I can think of a handful of teams that were just flat out better than us this year. Im not going to blame it on the coordinator, coach, o-line, etc. Its easy to make excuses. Im sorry to say but the Pittsburgh Steelers cannot be the best team in the NFL every year. Do they have extreme talent? Did they underachieve? Ofcourse. Were they the best team? Im afraid to say we were not. There were alot of teams that were just flat out better this year.

im hearing most of the blame on the coaches and its fair at times but to an extent. Coaches can only do so much and put us in a position to win. Did our coaches throw a pick-six for a touchdown last game? Throw an ill-evised interception late in the game that should never of been thrown by a veteran pro-bowl qb like we have late in the game? Did they give up a pass late in the last minute to secure the team a game winning fg?

Was it their fault Mike Wallace dropped deep balls this year? That our line gave up sacks like nothing? That our best defensive player was banged up most of the year? That our running back had attitude problems? That Emmanul Sanders couldnt hold on to the ball with no one even touching him on a breakaway> That they gave uo the ball 9 times to the Browns?......ok you get my point by now

The point is there is only so much blame you can put on the coaches. This team just flat out had a bad year, underachieved, and was not the best team in the NFL. I know the blame is usually shedded out to someone and its easiest to blame the coaches but lets just try to face reality.

I truly believe we will have a comback season next year and play anger and hopefully make a run in the post-season and get that number 7.

Yo, Blitz, I agree with most of your points. But the coaches are not blameless. It seemed that they lost the team to some extent. For whatever reason - and we can only speculate - they were not unified.

[QUOTE=lloydroid;539921]Yo, Blitz, I agree with most of your points. But the coaches are not blameless. It seemed that they lost the team to some extent. For whatever reason - and we can only speculate - they were not unified.[/QUOTE]

How did it seem like the coaches lost the team? The players appeared to play hard. The team had a chance to win almost every game this season. Mistakes by the players on the field cost this team a chance to win most games. Coaches generally can't over come mistakes players make on the field.

[QUOTE=BURGH86STEEL;539935]How did it seem like the coaches lost the team? The players appeared to play hard. The team had a chance to win almost every game this season. Mistakes by the players on the field cost this team a chance to win most games. Coaches generally can't over come mistakes players make on the field.[/QUOTE]

This is where I'm at with this year's team. Save for Wallace a couple times this version of the Steelers answered the bell every game and played hard. No one wanted to lose games or make mistakes that cost the team games, actually, contrary to that it seemed at times that players were trying to do too much and in doing so mistakes were made. The good news for the fans is that we aren't the ones running the team and the professionals in the front office are the ones running the team.

If the Steelers took the advice of this board at one time or another Tomlin would be fired, Haley is worse that Arians and should be let go (this is poetic justice of a sorts), Lebeau would have retired and the 43 defense installed mid-season, Polamalu, Harrison, Woodley, Taylor, Kiesel, Hampton, Foote, Wallace, Mendenhall, and Batch (Charlie) should be released and Ben should be made to play like Peyton Manning. I'm not saying that some of this isn't going to happen and I'm certain that some of it will happen over the next 7-8 months, but the crazy reaction to an average season is absurd at times.

An 8-8 (hopefully) or 7-9 team with a great quarterback isn't a team that needs to be blown up and overhauled and fortunately, the Steelers rarely, if ever, do this sort of thing. For me, I will be anxiously waiting to see how the Steelers get themselves out of cap Hades, see who they resign, who they restructure, who they cut and bring back a t a significantly reduced salary and which Steeler vets are willing to try one more time to make a good run at the Superbowl. One less turnover here, a stop on 3rd and 15, a better in game decision by the coaching staff, one less brain cramp by Ben is really what separated this team from being in the playoffs and not. Blowing it up is a mistake in my opinion, but I'm an optimist and I love this roster and hope they get a chance to redeem themselves next year.

Pappy

AH, it was a difficult decision and folks are just venting. The FO won't overreact and I appreciate that. It's just been a bummer of a season, that's all.

-Joos

[QUOTE=papillon;539937]This is where I'm at with this year's team. Save for Wallace a couple times this version of the Steelers answered the bell every game and played hard. No one wanted to lose games or make mistakes that cost the team games, actually, contrary to that it seemed at times that players were trying to do too much and in doing so mistakes were made. The good news for the fans is that we aren't the ones running the team and the professionals in the front office are the ones running the team.

If the Steelers took the advice of this board at one time or another Tomlin would be fired, Haley is worse that Arians and should be let go (this is poetic justice of a sorts), Lebeau would have retired and the 43 defense installed mid-season, Polamalu, Harrison, Woodley, Taylor, Kiesel, Hampton, Foote, Wallace, Mendenhall, and Batch (Charlie) should be released and Ben should be made to play like Peyton Manning. I'm not saying that some of this isn't going to happen and I'm certain that some of it will happen over the next 7-8 months, but the crazy reaction to an average season is absurd at times.

An 8-8 (hopefully) or 7-9 team with a great quarterback isn't a team that needs to be blown up and overhauled and fortunately, the Steelers rarely, if ever, do this sort of thing. For me, I will be anxiously waiting to see how the Steelers get themselves out of cap Hades, see who they resign, who they restructure, who they cut and bring back a t a significantly reduced salary and which Steeler vets are willing to try one more time to make a good run at the Superbowl. One less turnover here, a stop on 3rd and 15, a better in game decision by the coaching staff, one less brain cramp by Ben is really what separated this team from being in the playoffs and not. Blowing it up is a mistake in my opinion, but I'm an optimist and I love this roster and hope they get a chance to redeem themselves next year.

Pappy[/QUOTE]

I agree the team doesn't need to be blown up. I don't believe the team will have as many inopportune turnovers next season. IMO, inopportune turnovers is what cost the team a chance to make the playoffs this season.

When have we ever blown up a team? Its wishful thinking...

The facts are that we are NOT a very good team....

[QUOTE=steelfin;539955]The facts are that we are NOT a very good team....[/QUOTE]

I can't dispute that with the way our season ended. IMHO, we were projected to be a playoff team before the season started, we had high expectations and felt we had found the final pieces of the offense when we drafted DeCastro and Adams. We had a good receiver corps, TE, and it was projected that our backs were all good then came the injuries.
We were stacking injuries instead of wins, that alone contributed to the ineffectiveness of our team. Mistakes, penalties all contributed to the end result as well.
The main reason we faulterd is a combination of the above, players, and coaches are not off the hook either. When we say team it includes coaching. So the best way I can describe this season is an underachieving team, one we had high hopes for at the beginning of the season.

For the most part we have an excellent coaching staff, but even the best make mistakes just like the players do. You don't suddenly say FIRE them, and the Steelers won't do that by making knee jerk decisions.
Our Steelers failed as a team, not one coach or player was responsible but the whole team is responsible. Just like any other failed season, you try and get better the following year, limit mistakes, coaches make better decisions, players making plays and some more discipline in the process. Another thing the Steeler coaching and management should bring up is training in the off season, and conditioning. I realize even the best trained and conditioned player isn't imune to injuries but when we see the amount of injuries we had something isn't right.

For me I accept where we are based on what occurred this season, I don't blame any one in paticular but highly dissappointed in the final results.
As for the fans, I can't blame them either. They are frustrated this season ended with no playoffs and look for answers why. Fans have a right to express their opinion right or wrong. They pay big money to watch their team play, they buy team merchandise, and just look at their cable bill to watch these games.

Overall:
We're in this together, we hate the outcome of this season, but we love our team win or lose. On the bright side, look at how many playoff games we witnessed, the SB's over the years. We are lucky as fans to have experienced all that, some teams never did or did only for a short time. Just thin k you could be a Browns fan....rolling eyes, but even that team has high hopes for the future and their fans too.
Finally, as long as Ben is our QB we will have a shot to contend for # 7, how long will it take know one knows but I'm good with that shot....lets roll!!!

For me, it was lack of starting NFL talent at key positions sporadically all season long. Some seasons shape up that way. I look at SF, SEA, or HOU, and those teams have difference-maker talent at key positions. Other than QB and TE, I am not sure you can say the Steelers have exceptional talent.

before the season started, every steeler message board had at least 1 topic that said, "guess our record". i would bet that most fans thought we had enough talent to win a minimum of 10 games and go deep in the playoffs, and they predicted as much. i know we have had more than out share of key injuries, but we also had more than enough talent and were healthy enough to beat the likes of raiders, titans, chargers, cowboys and bengals( at home with everything on the line). this team was softer, more undisciplines and more unprepared than i can ever remember a steeler team being. that has to fall on coaching

[QUOTE=squidkid;540011]before the season started, every steeler message board had at least 1 topic that said, "guess our record". i would bet that most fans thought we had enough talent to win a minimum of 10 games and go deep in the playoffs, and they predicted as much. i know we have had more than out share of key injuries, but we also had more than enough talent and were healthy enough to beat the likes of raiders, titans, chargers, cowboys and bengals( at home with everything on the line). this team was softer, more undisciplines and more unprepared than i can ever remember a steeler team being. that has to fall on coaching[/QUOTE]

those same message boards also predicted the Bumgals would finish last or next to last in the division, yet they are playing for the title this weekend.

i guess that's what makes the NFL the No. 1 sport in the nation...

You have to have a bad season sometimes. A few spots up in the draft make all the difference. Sometimes it's the difference between a Cam Hayward and a JJ Watt. I always hate the 'bag the rest of the season for a draft pick' talk, I'd rather see the playoffs than anything, but when that doesn't happen, it's just part of what's needed every so often.

[QUOTE=JAR;540053]You have to have a bad season sometimes. A few spots up in the draft make all the difference. Sometimes it's the difference between a Cam Hayward and a JJ Watt. I always hate the 'bag the rest of the season for a draft pick' talk, I'd rather see the playoffs than anything, but when that doesn't happen, it's just part of what's needed every so often.[/QUOTE]

This. The NFL is built to be self-correcting, but only if teams pick wisely. Sadly, a JJ Watt probably only comes around once a decade.

Look what has happened to the Bengals defense with the addition of a single dominant player. It has tipped the balancing point of winning vs losing.

If Atkins doesn't play in last week's game, do you not think that would have made a difference ( 2.5 sacks and numerous pressures)?

People act like the Steelers are a crap team, but I just don't see it. They could be one player away from being on the winning side in some of those games.

[QUOTE=blitzburg2013;539919]Every year that goes by, theres always that thought in a fans head saying "what was the reason we didnt win the Super Bowl this year?" and it usually ends up in the blame of thinking that our coordinator sucks, we got screwed by the refs, our head coach isnt that good, our line stinks, our defense is aging. Ive been hearing it all the past couple years. Whenever there isnt a Super Bowl victory, there is always a barrage of the blame game blaming someone or something for the failure of the season. What baffles me is why is it that some fans just can't face facts of reality.

It almost seems that no matter what, some fans think that we are superior to every team in the NFL every year and that we should be expected to beat everyone and if we dont, theres always a reason behind it other than the other team just being better than us. This year as painful as it was, im going to face reality and just say we arent the best team in the NFL and didnt deserve to make it to the playoffs. I can think of a handful of teams that were just flat out better than us this year. Im not going to blame it on the coordinator, coach, o-line, etc. Its easy to make excuses. Im sorry to say but the Pittsburgh Steelers cannot be the best team in the NFL every year. Do they have extreme talent? Did they underachieve? Ofcourse. Were they the best team? Im afraid to say we were not. There were alot of teams that were just flat out better this year.

im hearing most of the blame on the coaches and its fair at times but to an extent. Coaches can only do so much and put us in a position to win. Did our coaches throw a pick-six for a touchdown last game? Throw an ill-evised interception late in the game that should never of been thrown by a veteran pro-bowl qb like we have late in the game? Did they give up a pass late in the last minute to secure the team a game winning fg?

Was it their fault Mike Wallace dropped deep balls this year? That our line gave up sacks like nothing? That our best defensive player was banged up most of the year? That our running back had attitude problems? That Emmanul Sanders couldnt hold on to the ball with no one even touching him on a breakaway> That they gave uo the ball 9 times to the Browns?......ok you get my point by now

The point is there is only so much blame you can put on the coaches. This team just flat out had a bad year, underachieved, and was not the best team in the NFL. I know the blame is usually shedded out to someone and its easiest to blame the coaches but lets just try to face reality.

I truly believe we will have a comback season next year and play anger and hopefully make a run in the post-season and get that number 7.[/QUOTE]

Excellent post. Fans unfortuinately develop love affairs with players because they wish they were them. Not so with coaches so the coaches become the easy targets. Some try to make it seem like they teach players how to make bad plays, miss blocks, drop balls, etc. The reality is that the player have to execute and it is player execution that wins or loses games. The last two are perfect examples. Ben throws interceptions and we lose.

What is even more laughable are those who think a middle aged coach needs to "motivate" well payed professional athletes. Really? This isn't Pee Wee where the coach can terrorize the kids and scare them. These guys are in the highest level of their chosen profession and they need motivated? If so, we have the wrong players. I think we have clearly seen this season that money is what motivates these players. Just ask Mike Wallace. A coach doing rah rah and yelling on the sideline isn't going to modify their behavior.

What we see is that our success works against us. The years of continually drafting at the bottom if each round is catching up with us. Other teams have a chance at the premier talent in each round and we get the left overs. Some turn out great and others don't. It is no accident the Bumgals are on the rise with the large number of high picks they have at every position on their roster. The NFL has designed the system to punish success and reward failure in terms of talent replacement.

[QUOTE=Oviedo;540063]Excellent post. Fans unfortuinately develop love affairs with players because they wish they were them. Not so with coaches so the coaches become the easy targets. Some try to make it seem like they teach players how to make bad plays, miss blocks, drop balls, etc. The reality is that the player have to execute and it is player execution that wins or loses games. The last two are perfect examples. Ben throws interceptions and we lose.

What is even more laughable are those who think a middle aged coach needs to "motivate" well payed professional athletes. Really? This isn't Pee Wee where the coach can terrorize the kids and scare them. These guys are in the highest level of their chosen profession and they need motivated? If so, we have the wrong players. I think we have clearly seen this season that money is what motivates these players. Just ask Mike Wallace. A coach doing rah rah and yelling on the sideline isn't going to modify their behavior.

What we see is that our success works against us. The years of continually drafting at the bottom if each round is catching up with us. Other teams have a chance at the premier talent in each round and we get the left overs. Some turn out great and others don't. It is no accident the Bumgals are on the rise with the large number of high picks they have at every position on their roster. The NFL has designed the system to punish success and reward failure in terms of talent replacement.[/QUOTE]

you've never played a competitive sport if you dont think the ability to motivate isnt a huge resposibility of being a head coach..........at any level

[QUOTE=squidkid;540086]you've never played a competitive sport if you dont think the ability to motivate isnt a huge resposibility of being a head coach..........at any level[/QUOTE]


You are obviously lacking something if you need another man to tell you to do your best!

The job of a head coach is to deliver victories. This team was not motivated to play on a consistent basis for the games they were "supposed" to win. That is on coaching no matter what anyone says. It was a predictive, repetitive and inexcusable failure of the coaches and whoever the team leaders are, and that includes Ben.

This thread started with a discussion of the Steelers missing the playoffs with the observation that there were several superior teams. Well, yeah. But that's what seasons are about and this team wasted its season. There is no real reason why they could not have been in the playoffs. They simply underperformed in a pathetic way for virtually the entire second half of the season.

I saw the Steelers as a 8-8 - 9-7 team with the ability to win 10 games. I didn't think that b/c "the defense is old" either. I almost didn't get the NFL Sunday Ticket this year.

I had questions about our O-Line establishing a running game, a new offense and our lack of INTs on Defense.
Didn't like the DEPTH on the team either.

Knowing this ahead of time makes this an easier pill to swollow.

[QUOTE=SidSmythe;540185]I saw the Steelers as a 8-8 - 9-7 team with the ability to win 10 games. I didn't think that b/c "the defense is old" either. I almost didn't get the NFL Sunday Ticket this year.

I had questions about our O-Line establishing a running game, a new offense and our lack of INTs on Defense.
Didn't like the DEPTH on the team either.

Knowing this ahead of time makes this an easier pill to swollow.[/QUOTE]

I believe I do recall you saying we would have an average record. You hit the nail on the head about the OL. The OL remains problem #1. Fix that and the offense will roll.

Problem #1a is a defense that can no longer sack the QB or force turnovers. That will require a more signifcant change to fix and get our defense back to one that opponents fear.

[QUOTE=NorthCoast;539960]For me, it was lack of starting NFL talent at key positions sporadically all season long. Some seasons shape up that way. I look at SF, SEA, or HOU, and those teams have difference-maker talent at key positions. Other than QB and TE, I am not sure you can say the Steelers have exceptional talent.[/QUOTE]

You get that when you're drafting in the top 10-15 picks for multiple seasons before experiencing success...

[QUOTE=Oviedo;540092]You are obviously lacking something if you need another man to tell you to do your best![/QUOTE]

99.9% of the men in this world are lacking something then