Talk Me Down Off the Ledge

[Buzz]

No, I'm not talking literally, but I am thinking about stepping away from my Steelers fanhood for awhile... it's just so disappointing and discouraging to have yet another heartbreaking/embarrassing season exit. If I were in charge of the team, I'd do some serious housecleaning, starting with the GM and the entire coaching staff. We need fresh blood and fresh ideas... the "standard" has grown stale. I'd also dump a bunch of players, beginning with the loser we paid $30M per year to be our #1 WR. I'd ship him for a 5th-6th rounder at this point, and gladly eat the cap hit. Addition by subtraction, as they say. And enough with the old QB retreads. Hire a QB whisperer and go after some young talent; keep trying until you get the next franchise QB. Defense needs a makeover, too many moldy oldies and soft shirleys. Might have to have a couple of down years, but we badly need to build this thing up again from the foundation. But we all know AR2 will stick with the status quo, and we'll be moaning the some sorry tune at this time next season.

["BuzzNuter"]

If your a Steeler fan you will always be a Steelers fan. I don't know how long you've been a fan but what happens to me is , I first get where I don't care. You don't get mad, like right now. This happened in the 80' s. I remember when Cowher came there was excitement and you start getting into it. You buy merchandise and throw stuff at the TV. Then it seemed Cowher had reached his limit. Bad QBS, Tomzack, Slash and no names. I became non emotional. As Steeler fans we are used to 4 SBS on 6 years. We will never get over that. What saved Cowher was Big Ben. Cowher also picked good Defensive guys and had D LeBeau. That's were we are now we need a QB. We are stating in this rut indefinitely. You will come back. Perhaps I will. None of this will happen until we get a new brain trust to lead our team. We are in a very unique time. We are perpetual losers who continue to have a winning record. We will have the whole football world watching us in April. How Steeler Nation handles that I don't know. If nothing changes we will run it back again. Are the Yinzers aging out and the new Steeler Nation accept continued mediocrity. I don't know but if everything is the same come Draft night , I would expect the Yinzers from the 80's to let the Rooney's know what they think, but what we got now I don't know.

[Buzz]

Yeah, you're right, I always keep coming back for more... I bleed black & gold, and won't be able to help myself, LOL

[Sword]

I’m honestly past the point of being surprised. This team is stuck. The offense has no identity, no creativity, no misdirection, and defenses know exactly what we’re running before we snap the ball. I wanted Tomlin gone years ago. It’s the same pattern: get outcoached, get outplayed, then get bounced early. Cowher inherited a mess and turned it into gold, and Tomlin inherited gold and turned it into a mess. He has no coaching tree and hasn’t built anything lasting with his own players. The offensive line was the worst part today. Rodgers had zero time, zero pocket, zero consistency. We keep re-signing guys we should have moved on from instead of upgrading, and we still don’t have a legit WR2 to take pressure off the offense. The roster-building is predictable and the scheme is atrocious. Ownership also needs to raise the standard. A “winning record” isn’t good enough. A real winning season means making the playoffs AND winning games, not just sneaking in and getting smoked. We need to stop pretending we’re close and actually commit to getting a top-tier quarterback in the draft and build around that. Until there’s a real reset in coaching philosophy, roster strategy, and organizational standards, we’re going to keep watching the same movie every January. I’m sick of this coaching staff and this team’s mindset. Almost all of them need to go, and that means most of them need to be fired — including Tomlin.

[Iron City Inc.]

Truth is if you keep doing what you've been doing you'll continue to get what you have been getting. Until changes with MT ,AS ,DS and others are made we'll just rinse and repeat. Change is a good thing. Lets see what Mr Rooney is prepared to do.

[T.Ferguson]

If it's any consolation I think we saw the last Tomlin coached Steelers game last night. I just can't see Rooney picking up the 2027 option which would make Tomlin a lame duck coach headed into 2026 and that's not happening. There has been a lot of chatter the last few years about Tomlin's future, especially recently with talk of him going into TV or another team. Last night was another non-competitive playoff game, it's time, there is just too much pressure at this point I think. Rooney also mentioned it's time for some playoff wins like 2 or 3 years ago, no doubt the guy is a bull****ter but it really feels like the pressure from everywhere at this point will be too much.

[Chadman]

Obviously a fair amount of talk now around Tomlin's future. Rodgers said some, what I thought were rather succinct points about moving on coaches like Tomlin & LeFluer in his presser. (Off topic- but it's refreshing to hear from a guy like Rodgers who isn't prepared to do 'media speak'). I think the difference right now between Tomlin & Cowher's time is that I don't actually believe the coach has lost the change room. I think at the end of Cowher, players had just kind of stopped caring. I think there is effort in Tomlin's team. It's just a badly CO-ORDINATED team (and I'm pointing the finger at the O). I get what Arthur Smith was trying to do. But the Steelers didn't have the players, or Smith doesn't know how to use the ones he has. The insistence on forcing the ball to Jonnu Smith over Friermuth is madness- and I think Rodgers alluded to that too. The defence couldn't have done much more against the Texans to win the game. That said- I still feel we are weak in the middle (ILB's) and that it might be time to try something new schematically to get the best DL on the field & get the best LB's to stop the run as well. I think we will see changes. If it's Tomlin, I honestly hope people recognise what we DO have in him & at least can look back & say he always had the Steelers in the mix. I honestly believe his co-ordinators over the years have failed him. That could very well be on his shoulders for selecting them, but for mine, it's up to those guys to take the game calling out of his hands (Tomlin) and put something on the field that uses the talents available. I don't think we've seen that for some time.

[hackjam]

This is so predictable now it's not worth getting riled up over.

They need to clean house but they won't do it. Forget Tomlin for a second...

Teryl Austin needs to be gone. Highest paid defense in the league two years running and they've done nothing. Yes, the Watt contract is bad, but the whole scheme is bad. Jonathan Gannon is out there. Raheem Morris is out there. You have to think teams are going to start picking off assistants from Houston and Seattle.

Arthur Smith needs to be gone. I'd do whatever it takes to get McDaniel in the building as OC, and even then there may not be enough given the state of the franchise. Why come here when you can go to Detroit and work with Amon-Ra, Gibbs, etc.?

Things need to change but they won't change. And that is ultimately the story of the Art II/Tomlin era of Steelers football.

[Buzz]

Chadman, Tomlin has huge power in this organization... over the past decade and a half, he's the one who has chosen the coordinators, and they've largely been running exactly what it is he wants them to run. I don't believe he WOULD bring on coordinators like LeBeau or Arians at this point in his tenure... he would only take an OC who would conform to his "live in your fears" vision, and he would only take a DC who would allow him to be the de facto DC. Ferguson, I don't think AR2 feels any pressure as long as the revenue keeps rolling in. He is probably working on a contract extension for Tomlin as we speak.

[whatever]

i decided years ago that until tomlin is gone: 1) quit going to games 2) don’t buy any merchandise 3) make fun of the tomlin /rooney fanboys 4) cheer for them to lose (hoping for change) 5) only watch games with quality teams playing 6) spend less time on message boards 7) spend time with friends and family on sundays these professional team owners, coaches and players don’t care about winning or losing. they don’t care about you. they only care about your money. they only care about you cheering for them. they act like their political views should be our political views. a number of years ago i decided to follow a new motto, ‘don’t support people that don’t support you’. i feel much better as a person. i feel like im putting my best interest ahead of others.

[T.Ferguson]

I called it, Tomlin has resigned. I didn't expect it to happen this fast, sounds like he already had made his mind up.

[Captain Lemming]

Buzz, looks like TOMLIN HIMSELF talked you off of the bridge. But as a Lemming, I would suggest that the idea of jumping from great heights gets a bad rap.