We have 3 major issues hurting the team.

With two games down I am alarmed by the Defense, Coaching, and Tackle play.

Let's cut to the chase.We barely beat a bad Jets team, and need some luck, and lost our home opener to Seattle by a double digit margin. We could easily be 0-2, but are 1-1.

The 3 issues:

1 ) Defense! We just let the Jets who have a tier 3 quarterback and Seattle who at best a 2nd tier quarterback each dropped 30 points on us! Both teams ran the ball well to the point where we couldn't stop it and passed it well. The Steelers have dumped a boat load of cap space in our defense. WTF. I am flat out concerned.

Our DL has a mix of a very old starting players who can hit the wall at any time ( Heyward ) and a bunch of young players with limited starting experience playing the majority of the snaps.

We have an ILB ( Queen ) who is good vs. the run and horrible vs the pass. Queen is picked on often vs the pass. He can't cover, and will be targeted often.

And our DB's apparently are made of glass and injured already. ( Porter, Elliot and Pierre ) I have a love / hate relationship with Ramsey. The man can make a lot of plays but no longer runs well enough to cover the deep routes or the long slants.

To think we have not played any one decent team yet ....


2 ) Coaching


Tomlin needs to explain why he punted on 4th on the Seattle's 48 yard line on 4th 1 in the 3rd quarter. Going for it would have likely worked OR Boswell can hit from 60+ yards. For a coach that said if you can't get a yard, you don't deserve to win, Tomlin acted like a coward.

What the allure with Gainwell? And why so few snaps for Roman Wilson? Ask the coaches.


3 ) Our Tackle play.

Busterick Jones has lousy technique vs. the pass ( footwork and hand usage. He telegraphs to action before the play and is too easy to get around via the speed rush. ) He is under underwhelming as a run blocker. The human turnstile has been our worst player so far and is going to get Rodgers hurt. Fautanu is playing like a guy who has started 2 NFL games.

 

You forgot the lousy receiving corps and lack of a second back to share the load with Warren.

Metcalf has dropped four passes already. That is unacceptable. Even worse, he has no reliable help. Austin has his moments, but he usually follows that occasional good game by disappearing for a few weeks. This time, he disappeared with the exception of one killer mistake. The other receivers are guys who should be the fourth or fifth guy. I'm not sure they have anybody other than Metcalf who could start for a decent team.

 

For me it’s -

- Offense is not clicking, which can be attributed to untimely drops or lack of a consistent ground game

- Offensive Line looks line a sieve. There have been several plays where I thought they were running a screen, only to realize we weren’t and that most of our offensive line just got beat that handily.

- Defense has to stop the run. It is particularly startling that the defense is allowing so much chunk yardage on the ground.

 

Hey Peezy...what is wrong with the run defense???

 

For the point 2,I agree with you for the fourth down.....Tomlin is too conservative on fourth down too often.Remember the game last year in Philly when the steelers were down 27-13 with 9 minutes left in the game and he decide to punt on 4th down and 8 in midfield...The steelers did not have the ball back for the rest of the game!

 

I'm not sure if we have a losuy WR unit or not. DK is a star player. Yeah he has dropped too many passes in the past two games. But he is magic with the ball in his hands. Austin is a great 3rd WR who offers big play ability. A 4 WR set mis-match he is. The coahces need to be smart where and how to use him. Wilson, IMO is not getting enough snaps. That is on the Tomlin.

 

Wilson has one catch and it happened in garbage time.

Austin is not a great anything right now. Great No. 3 receivers show up and produce every week. The Seahawks focused heavily on taking Metcalf away and none of the other receivers was able to capitalize, including Austin.

 

The defense didn't give up 30 points to Seattle they gave up 24 points, they got 7 points on special teams but don't let facts get in the way.

 

Austin can't throw the ball to himself it's not like he gets a lot of targets every game.

 

Hey Joel, still feeling good about your other sort of guarded prediction? I know, hindsight is 20/20. What a difference a week makes........ No need to plaster Jim Mora's mugshot here for emphasis.

https://thesteelersfans.com/forums/threads/we-are-going-far-into-the-playoffs-if.35156/

 

We are doomed.

 

I think we only have one major problem and it’s been going on for over a decade now. His Name is Mike Tomlin. Everything else is a result of neglecting that theory.

 

I lost faith in Tomlin on this day: https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200801050pit.htm

Fool went for a 2 point conversion after a 10 yard penalty with 10 mins left. He said he used his "gut"... dumbass.

 

And being too conservative on the 3rd down and 5 call at the end of the game when the Steelers were only up 29-28

 

They cannot continue to play Queen and Wilson together. I would play Holcomb more, and even throw Sawyer in the middle. We need some physicality.

 

We played a bad quarter of football. The sky is falling!

 

3-major-issues => the offense, the defense and special teams

 

I said IF..... there are 15 games to go. And no I do not fell good about the 2025 Steelers.

 

no pursuit to the ball. everyone wants to be the star and if they can't make the tackle they don't have much interest in finishing the play. as i've said a team full of star vets wanting to play like a star vet. this is a team game. too many individuals on one defense.

 

Sawyer is needed at OLB with Highsmith injured, they signed Harrison to be that big ILB but he's on IR.

 

That guy right there is missed. One of the best leaders ever. What made him so great is he talked **** and his boys help back him up. 2000-2010 era of Steelers football was a beautiful time. Damn I miss it.

 

I would like to see more Holcomb and Sawyer as well. P. Wilson is a bit light in there.