AAron will be talking to the Steelers today

At this point, I assume he won't make a decision before the draft. I've been writing and saying this for a while, but the Steelers should pull the offer.

 

The same reason I don't like them repeatedly trading players who try to force their way out with idiot behavior. Perception matters. I'm not talking about fan perception. I'm talking about players on the team and potential free agents thinking the inmates are running the asylum.

 

So you are agreeable that mediocre is the status we should hope to continue to achieve? What exactly did they do last season and 2019? They did what 44% of the league did, then once again were bombed out in the first round. I'm not delusional, getting to, let alone winning a SB is not easy to achieve, but thinking you are near the top when you just squeak out enough wins to get into the playoffs, then get abused once there year after year is not something I would settle for, nor would I settle in thought that we are just a guy or two away from getting to the top. Move on by recognizing the holes to fill are great and the availability of QB's is not yet on the radar, structure your draft to have the picks necessary to fill those holes. The guy filling in for Cowherd today said it this way, I am not satisfied being in the middle, the top is my goal and at times you have to hit the bottom to realize what you need to get to the top.

 

It is not always the same answer or result, but the common thought and statement from those who have competed and/or have been involved in a variety of sports is if you are thinking about retiring, you should because a part of you already has. Even on broadcasting, I remember somebody asking Myron Cope when he knew it was time to call it quits, he said I trusted others to tell me, and asked them to be truthful about what they saw.

 

Just roll with Mason Rudolph ... go 5-12 ... draft a QB in 2026 in front of all your fans!!!!!!!!!

 

I still believe the backup plan is Kirk Cousins. Holdout for Rodgers, and then see how much of Cousins cap money the Falcons are willing to eat.

 

Come on, you could think of anyone else for your "To Infinity and Beyond" quote?

 

Then starting Rudolph should mesh well with that plan because many feel the Steelers won't reach 0.500 with him as QB. Thus, a decent draft pick in 2026 for a QB.
I am of the opinion that anything Rodgers might or might not do will not impact the Steelers plan one way or another.
Even if they draft a QB this season, they aren't going beyond mediocrity with the QBs in this class. Only one is a day 1 starter and he is out of reach.

 

Eh, I decided to go off the beaten path.

Of course that was years ago. I've never been able to find my way back.

 

When you come to a fork in the road take it

- Yogi Berra

 

I've noticed that the players who "try to force their way out with idiot behavior", once traded, keep up the idiot behavior. Name a player we've traded away for "idiot behavior" that we didn't do better without?

 

I won't disagree, but the whole thought process in recent years keeps us in this mediocre state. You can't wait for the next Mahomes or other current top flight QB, and no you do not tank hoping to get a higher draft pick, who statistically has around a 50% chance to fail, but the drama around this team and the quality of the product it continually produces has become almost laughable. I really do not care one iota if they sign him or not, but to do so hoping this is some magic elixir has been, is, and possibly will continue to be the problem. Realize what you have done for the last 10 years is not working and it's not going to change doing the same crap over and over.

Build the team, it may mean your precious win total goes below 500, but at times you need to hit a low point to see where you truly are, I just do not think the current front office sees anything past their rose colored view. You don't build on a team to get a play off win, you build a team to compete for a championship.

 

Maybe he can sign with green baaay

 

I agree. Build the team before drafting a QB. If that means a bunch of years of mediocrity then so be it. However, I do worry that the Steelers are struggling so much with the 'building' part, i.e, it's taken multiple seasons to get this OL in place. Meanwhile, other teams seem to be able to do it in one or two seasons. I suppose though, in the Steelers defense, these other teams have elite QBs that can mask a lot of poor OL play (Mahomes, Burrow). Unfortunately for the Steelers, the QB has also been a problem.

A reminder of how mediocre it was in the '80s while barely searching for a QB (1983-1989):

10-6
9-7
7-9
6-10
8-7
5-11
9-7

During that time, they drafted...wait for it.... two QBs: Scott Campbell (7th rd), and Bubby Brister (3rd rd)....... that was it. Yoi. But it was a lot tougher in those days because FA QBs weren't available (Plan B years) to keep a team competitive while building. In unrestricted FA they signed Tomzack, Graham, and Gradowski before the recent ones.

 

The better question is if any of them succeeded after forcing their way out. LeGarrette Blount comes to mind. Instead of suspending him, which would have been the right decision, they gave him his wish and cut him loose. He helped the Patriots get to the Super Bowl that year.

 

So your choice is to keep paying people who don't want to be here and disrupt the team, and you're only real example is an 11 year old one? k. Not worth arguing.

 

I wrote that they should have suspended him. Just throwing up their hands and giving players what they want diminishes Tomlin's ability to control his players. Next time try reading and understanding the post before you dismiss it.

That one example was the first, the one that set a precedent. It doesn't just hurt the Steelers' ability to handle disgruntled players. it hurts their ability to get fair value when they try to trade them. In case you haven't noticed, even though it was 11 years ago, they have the same head coach.

 

It is often said it is a copycat league, of course you cannot get the 'brains' or even exact talent of a successful organization, but you can see the blueprint and attempt to gain knowledge and grow in that direction. The Rams are one example, went to a SB and saw issues, made the moves necessary, in some cases some seemed extreme, but they won a SB. Had a down year and following that draft the team was projected to be middle of the pack, but great draft choices in the mid rounds (something they do very well) helped build the team to play off's. This year they were in the championship game and are a real and competitive threat to get the the SB again.

That's what I meant when stating build for the championship. You are not just plugging holes, you are consistently building, moving on from players, and even after a bad year are not far from being in that competitive place once again. It helps with an unbelievable HC and QB, lol, but even with all the coaching and coordinator changes they still compete, we stay at the same level.

 

Maybe try doing the same? Presumably these players return from suspension, yes? Then they start receiving game checks again. I don't see where some UPTO dispelled their disgruntlement.

Also, the 'throwing up their hands' and giving in scenario is your assumption of what went on behind the scenes. That doesn't make it so.

 

You don't think the way the Steelers are perceived matters to free agents. You don't think the way Tomlin is perceived matters in how he is able to work with his players.

When you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all, so I will refrain from offering a comment on those opinions.

 

I understood the situation just fine. I'm not sure how long they could suspend him, but even if they just delay him getting what he wants, that is better than rolling over the way they did.

They gave him what he wanted very quickly, so it is a correct assumption.