Change your season win total prediction in here!!!

[Eich]

So you're arguing that QB is more important than HC.

Welcome to our side.

LOL

Also, if Ben comes back for another year, it doesn't necessarily mean that we aren't serious about winning. It may be because we're still rebuilding and realistic that there are other priorities to fix first. Even if we draft a QB with our first pick, he's probably not going to be ready to start. So, someone needs to take the reigns. That could be Ben. Could be Rudolph or it could be some other veteran they bring in. Putting a rookie behind a line in the state of our line would be disasterous.

[feltdizz]

If they bring Ben back next year, I will consider Steeler management are then taking advantage of fan loyalty by not trying to put a winning product in the field.

Ben can’t get it done at the level that’s required to compete at the highest levels of the NFL.

I don’t seen it as taking advantage of fans..

I would see it as taking advantage of Ben. The team is being rebuilt whether we want to admit it or not.

[hawaiiansteel]

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers are currently 4.5 point underdogs this and next week vs Vikings.

we have been a prideful team in the past, and our backs are against the wall. hopefully our team responds accordingly.

[whisper]

Steelers are currently 4.5 point underdogs this and next week vs Vikings.

we have been a prideful team in the past, and our backs are against the wall. hopefully our team responds accordingly.

If they fold again, like a cheap suit on D, the season is over and done with. Balt. is not ALL THAT, but they will come to play, and that is enough to beat what's left of this team.

[NorthCoast]

"looking at it in hindsight, we had 10 and Baltimore had 8, so we would beat Baltimore before we got to Baltimore, we already beat their ass"....LOL

[Northern_Blitz]

The last two years was the time to draft an oline and qb.
Giving away draft picks for ilb, and using high picks on rbs, wrs and tes was a waste.
Ben hasn’t looked good but his performance is mostly the result of poor drafting decisions and coaching.

Can you flesh that out a bit?

How does coaching account for reduced accuracy? Or loss of mobility (which is what made Ben a special player)?

He got old. It happens to all pro athletes (and humans...and everything).

I think it's just that lots of people have overvalued our team because we have a "1st Ballot Hall of Fame QB" on the roster (which we absolutely do).

But just like contracts, evaluation of how good a team is should be about how they are playing in the present and not about their previous accolades.

And this team isn't all that good. At a lot of places.

And I think that's mostly a consequence of all the can kicking we chose to do with contracts to keep the window open. And I think that doing the max restructure on Ben was absolutely the right decision last year. Because it was our last good chance to win with him. And it looked like a good call for the first 11 games.

But our cap situation kind of telegraphed what this year would be like (maybe next year too because we have ~$20M in dead money from dummy year contracts already counting against the cap).

[Northern_Blitz]

LOL

Also, if Ben comes back for another year, it doesn't necessarily mean that we aren't serious about winning. It may be because we're still rebuilding and realistic that there are other priorities to fix first. Even if we draft a QB with our first pick, he's probably not going to be ready to start. So, someone needs to take the reigns. That could be Ben. Could be Rudolph or it could be some other veteran they bring in. Putting a rookie behind a line in the state of our line would be disasterous.

I think we only let him come back this year because (1) he took the salary cut and (2) having him on the roster allowed us to sign the dummy year contract and give his cap hit one final kick down the road. Pushing that money back gave us at least some hope that we could put together a decent roster that could compete if everything went just right...but that hasn't happened so far.

But how much do you think he'll reasonably sign for on a 1 year deal? Even if it's a 5 year deal with 4 dummy years so we can kick his cap hit down the road even more.

I think it's over unless he wants to play one year for really cheap (although I lost a bet to TO about him not taking a pay cut, so it's important to remember that I'm just a rando on the internet).

[Northern_Blitz]

If they fold again, like a cheap suit on D, the season is over and done with. Balt. is not ALL THAT, but they will come to play, and that is enough to beat what's left of this team.

The Rats might not be all that. But they seem to be a lot better than us. Even if you're not a "you are what your record says you are" kind of person.

[feltdizz]

The Rats might not be all that. But they seem to be a lot better than us. Even if you're not a "you are what your record says you are" kind of person.

we won’t know if they are better than us until the game is over.

They have a better record but I’m not ready to concede until I see it.

[feltdizz]

The last two years was the time to draft an oline and qb.
Giving away draft picks for ilb, and using high picks on rbs, wrs and tes was a waste.
Ben hasn’t looked good but his performance is mostly the result of poor drafting decisions and coaching.

its only a waste if you think 1 or 2 draft cures all.

I definitely agree on the QB although I’m not sure who we would’ve drafted 2 years ago.

[Northern_Blitz]

its only a waste if you think 1 or 2 draft cures all.

I definitely agree on the QB although I’m not sure who we would’ve drafted 2 years ago.

And who we would not have drafted.

I think that's kind of the issue with vague comments like this.

I've been pretty vocal about the specific draft choice of taking PF instead of CH.

But I think that's a little different than saying we should have drafted a QB a few years ago. Because that doesn't mean that the guy we would have drafted would have been good. And I assume this comment means "don't trade for Minkah, tank, and get a great QB". But then we don't have an all-pro safety. So maybe we could have tanked hard enough to have a choice between Tua T. (who we can probably get off the scrap heap next year if we want) and Herbert (who looks good). I don't think we get Love in this situation?

And remember that we did draft a QB a few years ago. He's just doesn't seem to be that good.

[feltdizz]

And who we would not have drafted.

I think that's kind of the issue with vague comments like this.

I've been pretty vocal about the specific draft choice of taking PF instead of CH.

But I think that's a little different than saying we should have drafted a QB a few years ago. Because that doesn't mean that the guy we would have drafted would have been good. And I assume this comment means "don't trade for Minkah, tank, and get a great QB". But then we don't have an all-pro safety. So maybe we could have tanked hard enough to have a choice between Tua T. (who we can probably get off the scrap heap next year if we want) and Herbert (who looks good). I don't think we get Love in this situation?

And remember that we did draft a QB a few years ago. He's just doesn't seem to be that good.

its lime saying we should have went for it when we punted and its just assumed we would convert it AND score a TD.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

how they're looking today, especially with the injuries on defense, it'll be hard to even get to .500... I say MT's first losing season happens

[Chucktownsteeler]

I am going to say 6-10-1. We may beat the Browns. Possibly the Vikes, which would put us at 7-9-1. I don't see any other victories.