DO YOU THINK ANY CHANGES WILL BE MADE IF STEELERS DON'T MAKE THE PLAYOFFS?

On the eve of the most important game of the year to date, any thoughts what the fall out will be if the Steelers do not make the playoffs for the 3rd year in a row? I am frustrated with the direction of the team. I hope some changes are made. It hurts when you have had a passion/love affair for 45 years and to not be relevant, cuts like a knife.

 

Despite your well documented wishes there will be no drastic changes.

 

Even IF they make the playoffs, I see changes for next year.

Dick LeBeau will retire, or get the BA style retirement. It's time.

 

Tomlin is safe regardless of what happens. Rooney's are very patient, much more than most of us are. But, I think it's talent level more than anything. We don't have one pro bowl player on defense at this point.

 

Dick LeBeau will relinquish the defensive playbook when they pry it from his cold, dead hands!

 

Changes need to be made to get this unmotivated team out of the funk Tomlin has them in. The Tomlin led Steelers only seem to have a sense of urgency when it comes down to the end of the season and the playoffs and jobs security is at stake. The Rooney's may be patient with coaches, but one thing that they aren't overlooking is empty seats. Tomlin's track record against sub par teams may come back and bite him on the ass. I think the Steelers are in need of a complete overhaul starting with the Coaching staff down to the sick, lame and lazy on the side lines. Under performers and under achievers need to be cut regardless of Steeler loyalty.

 

The only change that needs made to tun this team around is to fire Tomlin and bring in a new H/C with his assistant coaches to look at this roster and clean this mess up that Tomlin has made. Tomlins newest stupid move was to call Ben out in public to play better, hell this whole team needs to play better, but tomlin would rather throw Ben under the bus than admit he has coached this team into the gutter...

 

I think Tomlin is safe regardless. I don't suppose we will ever know this but I could really envision a scenario where Ben basically says "it's me or Haley" but I doubt that happens. I really think Ben wants Haley gone. I really can't say for sure about DL either but I will say if he does go I think the most drastic change next year will be a 4-3. What do you think?

 

Someone here (forget who) brought up the point that things seemed to change on the team when ARII took over the reigns. I wonder how patient "they" are in this new era... do we know?

Also, there's been a lot of vitriol thrown Colbert's way... surprised noone has thrown that change out as a possibility. Out of curiosity, who would/could step in and fill that role?

I'm not really taking a stand one way or the other... i've kinda resigned myself to this being part of the natural ebb-and-flow of dominance in the NFL... I remember the frustrations of the 80's and 90's fairly well after having grown up with the 70s teams. Seems like there's only one team that has been able to extend their success beyond what we've enjoyed recently (say what you will... shovel all the hate you want - i'll be right behind you - but Belichick knows wtf he's doing.)

 

Is he available??????

 

That's what I have been saying for a while. Although I still think it's time for LeBeau to retire, they need some fresh ideas.

 

Is it because the Steelers are drafting no-talent players or are the coaches failing to adequately develop these players?

 

Probably a little of both, the guys drafted were overrated and aren't plug and play guys. For example other OLBs as rookies get double digit sacks Von Miller and Aldon Smith, Jarvis Jones has one sack as a rookie that's on him not the coaches.

 

It might be kinda hard to make a case against Colbert since Bell and AB have proven to be very good picks. Also Bryant is looking like he might turn out to be a good pick as well. I really wish they would let someone else handle the o-line and defensive drafting responsibilities though.

 

We've all gotten excited about Bryant but the jury's still out on him. He's morphed into Limas Sweed the last couple of games.

 

I don't know if there will be changes or not but the biggest change they can make is the attention to detail. I feel that is what this team is sorely lacking and I think it is the biggest difference that separates the teams that win consistently and the ones who don't. I feel Tomlin is a good coach but he still has a ways to go that maybe he can only get from more experience. He has shown he can win with a veteran team but the jury is still out whether he can build a team both mentally and physically ,that has quite a few young inexperienced players.

Considering some of the noise coming out of practice this week with Foster/Geathers it seems like we might have a few guys around with not so stellar work ethic. In all kinds of sports you need to have the will to want to be great and are willing to put in the work to get there. I'm not sure we have enough of those guys on our current roster. I think that is a big reason why we are so inconsistent and play down to our competition. We don't seem willing to put in the work each and every week. This is why we can look so dominant one week and not the next. We are constantly beating ourselves and to me that usually comes down to a matter of preparation and being detail oriented. Some players have that will to succeed and some teams get the attitude from their coach. The really consistent ones have it both ways. With us sometimes it looks like the coaches are unprepared and other times it's the players. When we are all on the same page we can look dominant and when we aren't we lose to the Jets.

i don't know what the answer is and if we can even figure it out with our current coaching staff and roster. We seem to play well when we have a sense of urgency but the problem is, where is the determination that you need each and every week to be consistent and successful. Championship teams usually put it on the line every week. We have these last 4 to make a stand. Everyone needs to be at their best and show what they are made of. If we fail there will and should be changes. I don't think we are making the most of our talent and getting the most out of our players. That falls on the coaches ,they need to hold guys accountable and demand their max effort. Change can happen from within but it's up to the coaches and the players to want to do the work necessary to win. Like Tomlin likes to say"Put it on tape".

 

IMO i think Bryant is going to be a great player for us.. as far as colberts picks, he has missed more on defensive players here lately, which makes me believe that Tomlin has more say than he should on defensive picks, since he is a defensive minded coach........

 

The problem is a complex one as to why we can't get better DB'S .

#1 The Team as a whole doesn't put nearly enough value into those positions .To compound that problem they don't value the 2 Safety spots the way they should either.

#2 Now even after we get past problem 1 enters problem #2 . The Team doesn't understand the type of CB's or DB'S that are needed . We keep drafting manly short and slow CB'S . We also look for DB'S with high IQ'S to understand a system that is to complicated. By the time they finally get it if they finally get it we no longer have them under contract.

#3 This leads to the horrible part the players we do have at CB are sub par and not of elite caliber ,hell even respectable caliber, yet we give them contracts anyway because we have no one else...

The only way to solve is to address all these problems. Start putting more value on that position and the Safety spots that impact that position the most.

Stop drafting scheme specific CB's and get guys who are physically better. Bigger, Stronger, and Faster. Need to get to the front of the line for guys like that most of the time.

Finally don't leave CB'S on the Team playing spots they are not meant to play . #3 and #4 CB's should not be your top 2 CB'S . Draft better talent and get them on the field . The only way to do that is to simplify the system so the Athletes you drafted can use that ability in their 1st . contract not going into contract #2 ...

 

One has to wonder if the tolerance level of the Rooney's may lower if this team again misses their mark. True in times pass their mindset was predictable. IMO changes are coming. I know this is all hypothetical at this point were still in this and not pulling the trigger till i see tomorrow's wrap.

 

I agree with the gist of your point but we don't draft short CBs,we may be stuck with some now due to injury or poor performance but we do covet a certain body style in our drafts,length and physical. I agree where we target our CBs probably needs to change with today's passing offenses. The way we use our safeties is severely outdated as well. Essentially we are playing with 2 SS neither one can or are allowed to play centerfield. We have for years drafted physical corners to help in run support the problem is no one is running anymore. We know our corners can't cover ,yet we leave them on a island anyway. I still think our CBs have a better chance in bump and run,let them use their physicality. As we all know they aren't the greatest athletes yet we expect them to tackle in space against far superior WRs. I don't want to mention Sherman's name in the same breath as our guys but he isn't the fastest guy either,he gets by with being physical and confident which is something else that has been "schemed" out of our guys. People keep defending Lebeau's system saying it works if we have the right players....guess what we "obviously " don't so something needs to change and adjustments need to be made. With as predictable as we are the slightest adjustment might make a difference. Try something new anything ,its not working.

 

And to add to this, Lebeau values corners that can tackle more than they can cover. He believes this because if the pressure gets there then the corners don't have to cover very long. Also, if they can tackle that helps with stopping the run. Lebeau golden rules, stop the run, don't get beat deep and tackle the catch. That tells it all right there.

 

Richard Sherman is also VERY smart. Something Ike Taylor and Willie Gay will NEVER be accused of.