Why Are the Steelers...

[Slapstick]

You guys can slice and dice it any way you want, but this was a massive failure.

I read a story on SI or something, citing the best teams of each franchise never to make the SB. In our case, they picked the 76 team I believe? (That was the team that reeled off shut-out after shut-out before losing the the Raiders.

Anyway, if not for that great team, I would put this one on the top of the list. They lost because of hubris... that is the bottom line. Hubris, in thinking they could just show up. Hubris, looking ahead. Hubris, thinking you could just jettison future HOF to the enemy with Bud effen Dupree and Watt.

Its OK to lose to your opponent; it isn't OK to lose becuse you thought you took them for granted.

And you can make whatever assumptions that you want...that’s cool...that is what the message board is for...

But, not a single thing was sliced or diced...if the regular season is so meaningless, why bother watching it? Why bother having the tournament at all? If you regard the regular season as just more preseason games, then you are wasting your time on something that you believe to be without value...and, that’s your prerogative.

[Steelerphile]

You guys can slice and dice it any way you want, but this was a massive failure.

I read a story on SI or something, citing the best teams of each franchise never to make the SB. In our case, they picked the 76 team I believe? (That was the team that reeled off shut-out after shut-out before losing the the Raiders.

Anyway, if not for that great team, I would put this one on the top of the list. They lost because of hubris... that is the bottom line. Hubris, in thinking they could just show up. Hubris, looking ahead. Hubris, thinking you could just jettison future HOF to the enemy with Bud effen Dupree and Watt.

Its OK to lose to your opponent; it isn't OK to lose becuse you thought you took them for granted.

That's your take. No, I don't agree. In hindsight Tomlin's comments about seeing the Patriot's twice made it seem as though he was possibly overlooking other opponents. I think they were ill-advised but aggressive statements; so, I'm not crazy bent out of shape over those.

But Tomlin and the Steelers take every opponent during the regular season seriously. He praises teams with poor records and prepares for them. I know you would like to think that he wouldn't take a playoff team that beat the Steelers 30-9 in the regular season seriously, but that is totally false. The defense just wasn't up to the task.

[squidkid]

if winning a crappy afcn title is your goal, then we did fine.
if you have had the most talent for years and choked in the regular season and playoffs, then it is underachieving.
it all depends what you expect as a fan.

[feltdizz]

I think people assume that the Steelers are more talent laden than others, and therefore should win the SuperBowl. As if the Steelers are awarded extra talent by the NFL committee for talent or the Steelers get first crack at the talent buffet while everyone else waits.

The Steelers always pick late. Other teams have first crack at the talent. There is no reason why the Steelers should have more talent than other teams other than through their own shrewdness at finding talent and developing it. This sometimes galls me about the way fans think. The Steelers have done well with finding contributing players and developing them from later rounds such as Antonio Brown, Jesse James, Vince Williams or Anthony Chickillo or FAs such as Ramon Foster, Chris Hubbard, Chris Boswell, Mike Hilton, Eli Rogers, BJ Finney or Alexander Villanueva.

I take the season as a whole and don't think only in terms of the last game. I am as emotionally invested in the 1st game, 5th game, 10th, 14th game as the playoff game. Therefore, I feel the season was fulfilling and exciting. Basically I want the Steelers to be a strong team, and a tough out for anybody. They did that. They weren't number one but they were high up there.

Fans seem to think that winning the SuperBowl is so simple, but I think it is hard with 31 other franchises pouring resources into that end. The Patriots maintain excellence better than anyone else in this era, but I would put the Steelers at number two. Fans also seem to think that you can blow up a successful franchise and just find any ole bloke to come in and do better, and to me that is just utter infantile and deluded thinking.

excellent post.

The lesion of doom hates comments like this

[Eich]

I take the season as a whole and don't think only in terms of the last game. I am as emotionally invested in the 1st game, 5th game, 10th, 14th game as the playoff game. Therefore, I feel the season was fulfilling and exciting. Basically I want the Steelers to be a strong team, and a tough out for anybody. They did that. They weren't number one but they were high up there.

I agree pretty much with everything you wrote but this. They weren't a tough out for the Jaguars. Twice. The score ended up close at the end of the playoff game but the game was never really in question. Complete and total lack of defense. I can deal with a hard-fought game where we just came up short. But we were dominated by an offense that couldn't put up more than 10 against the Bills a week prior.

This is what really galls me and leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth for the season. We were playing a team that beat us earlier in the season. We knew what they brought to the table. There were no surprises. It was our first playoff game after a bye week. A home game. Yes, we lost Shazier. But he was also there for motivation. The D was playing for him. And we allow 45 points? Embarrassing performance that makes it very difficult for me to view the season as a whole as successful.

[Buzz]

I agree pretty much with everything you wrote but this. They weren't a tough out for the Jaguars. Twice. The score ended up close at the end of the playoff game but the game was never really in question. Complete and total lack of defense. I can deal with a hard-fought game where we just came up short. But we were dominated by an offense that couldn't put up more than 10 against the Bills a week prior.

This is what really galls me and leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth for the season. We were playing a team that beat us earlier in the season. We knew what they brought to the table. There were no surprises. It was our first playoff game after a bye week. A home game. Yes, we lost Shazier. But he was also there for motivation. The D was playing for him. And we allow 45 points? Embarrassing performance that makes it very difficult for me to view the season as a whole as successful.

[/LEFT]

You stated it well.

[Steel Maniac]

I agree pretty much with everything you wrote but this. They weren't a tough out for the Jaguars. Twice. The score ended up close at the end of the playoff game but the game was never really in question. Complete and total lack of defense. I can deal with a hard-fought game where we just came up short. But we were dominated by an offense that couldn't put up more than 10 against the Bills a week prior.

This is what really galls me and leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth for the season. We were playing a team that beat us earlier in the season. We knew what they brought to the table. There were no surprises. It was our first playoff game after a bye week. A home game. Yes, we lost Shazier. But he was also there for motivation. The D was playing for him. And we allow 45 points? Embarrassing performance that makes it very difficult for me to view the season as a whole as successful.

[/LEFT]

And, they were both HOME losses to the same team. I"m sorry but me personally, I consider this a year of regression because last year, we made the AFC championship; this year we didn't. So the regular season 13-3 record is nothing to me. We will get 10 wins and get into the playoffs; thats a given but it's what we do in the playoffs (or don't do) which defines our season for me with this talented roster that we have.

[Slapstick]

If you think getting 10 wins is a given, I’m beginning to see the problem....

[feltdizz]

If you think getting 10 wins is a given, I’m beginning to see the problem....

nothing is "given" but I definitely expect us to be 11-5 or better next year.

granted that's with all of our weapons coming back.

[Steel Maniac]

nothing is "given" but I definitely expect us to be 11-5 or better next year.

granted that's with all of our weapons coming back.

Barring injury, we have the Browns, Ravens and Bengals in our division. That's 4-5 wins right there. Last year it was 6 wins. It's what we do in the post season that defines this current nucleus of players.

[Steel Maniac]

If you think getting 10 wins is a given, I’m beginning to see the problem....

There is no "problem"; Once again, it's another "slight" by you when someone doesn't see things YOUR WAY! Can you give it a rest? really. People don't have to agree with you.

[Slapstick]

There is no "problem"; Once again, it's another "slight" by you when someone doesn't see things YOUR WAY! Can you give it a rest? really. People don't have to agree with you.

Keep making stuff up...that's cool...

[Steel Maniac]

If you think getting 10 wins is a given, I’m beginning to see the problem....

Again, read your post. Your refering to me not agreeing with you as " A problem".

[Northern_Blitz]

You guys can slice and dice it any way you want, but this was a massive failure.

I read a story on SI or something, citing the best teams of each franchise never to make the SB. In our case, they picked the 76 team I believe? (That was the team that reeled off shut-out after shut-out before losing the the Raiders.

Anyway, if not for that great team, I would put this one on the top of the list. They lost because of hubris... that is the bottom line. Hubris, in thinking they could just show up. Hubris, looking ahead. Hubris, thinking you could just jettison future HOF to the enemy with Bud effen Dupree and Watt.

Its OK to lose to your opponent; it isn't OK to lose becuse you thought you took them for granted.

These guys are pro-athletes. Guys who got to where they are (to top 0.00001% of athletes in the world) by playing a peak performance for their entire lives. It's not about easy narratives where one team is double plus trying and the other team doesn't care. The Jags executed. The Steelers didn't, particularly on D, particularly at ILB.

We lost because our D sucked and because the Jags were a good team who exploited our weaknesses very well.

The team this year was awesome on O and average on D. Then, we lost the best player we had on D who also was the guy who called the plays.

If anyone is guilty of hubris, I think it's the fans (not the players). I don't know why everyone thinks that it's so unbelievable that we lost to a 10 win who destroyed us when we played in the regular season.

[Slapstick]

Again, read your post. Your refering to me not agreeing with you as " A problem".

Yes, yes I did. I fail to see the point you are attempting to make...you are coming off as desperate to argue about something...

So, please, have the last word...