Looks like that KC loss might have been kill shot

That fake FG call may have been Tomlin's worst of the season.

Even with the 2 Raven losses, if the Steelers win that game at KC, they would have clinched a playoff spot already.

 

there is so many what ifs this year for the steelers .this is by far a complete team the pass coverage has to be fixed ,losing to lesser teams i cant explain this except for a entire franchise from coaches to players not being ready.if they get in i will be happy i still think they can beat anyone but also lose to everyone

 

Yes so many crazy what if's.. Like imagine if we didn't actually attempt a completely stupid fake FG? Or imagine if we actually tried to Kick the FG this week and beat the Ravens! Imagine if we traded for a good CB before the season started then actually developed him in our defense all season? Imagine if we didn't force Mike Vick to run our offense even though he didn't know it besides the fact he wasn't even capable of playing in the NFL. So many crazy what if's.

I mean what I'm asking is really a moot point because why would any of those things even happen anyway? I mean if they did we'd be in the playoffs. Heck imagine if we beat the Ravens both times we played them...cause we didn't miss manage our kicker, the clock, and the challenge? Also a crazy what if ... I mean the same thing would have happened to the Patriots if they were given the chance to have to decide to kick a FG or not... or If Belichick had to actually manage the clock - I'm sure the same thing would have happend to them. So to think these simple no brain decisions would have given us the division title and possibly a bye is just silly.

 

Yes this season is full of should have's and could have's. Those 3 wins, KC and two Raven wins and we are fighting for homefield throughout the playoffs. It is maddening to think how much talent we have in terms of offense and yesterday our talent loaded side of the ball let us down. Our WR's outside of Brown were pretty much non-existent and we wasted a great effort by DeAngelo. Just an overall head scratcher and in my opinion there have been too many of those type of performances against bad, bad teams. That was a game in which the Steelers should have won and won fairly easily. You can't tell me if the roles were reversed the Rats wouldn't have buried us. I can't stand Harbaugh but he is a heck of a coach and I wonder what if he was our coach instead of Tomlin.

 

Tomlin really needs to be on the hot seat if the Steelers don't get the help they need this weekend and get that 6th seed. This team and this offense especially with Ben just had way too much talent to miss the playoffs again for a 3rd time in 4 seasons. Not saying Tomlin should be fired but his job security and long term future after this choke job this past weekend really needs to start being considered. At some point going 8-8 and 9-7 and missing the playoffs like Tomlin has done over the past 4-5 seasons is not going to be good enough.

 

IMHO, you're pointing in the wrong direction. It's the games against BAL what is keeping us looking from the outside into the playoffs right now. And let me explain why:

Any game we've lost, if won, would have us in the Playoffs.
For each game, you can easily count 1 particular play (poor execution, bad decision making from a player) or 1 call from our coaches that determined our fate in that game. And you can say that any of them could cost us now a playoff ticket.

So far, as long as I've read here, most people blame each loss on:

NE: missed FGs, bad defensive approach vs Gronkowski
BAL g1: Missed FGs (also bad time management, poor playcalling)
KC: 2 Ints, 1 fumble by L Jones. Debatable: Going for it at their 32 instead of FG...
CIN: Ben's Ints in the 4th quarter.
SEA: Fake Punt changed momentum. Ben's ints. Defensive playcalling.
BAL g2: Offensive approach. Ben's ints. Drops by Wheaton / Bryant / Brown (not getting both feet inbounds) / Tomlin failing to challenge them. Going for it early.

If the season ends without playoffs (I really believe we have a good chance of getting in), are we going to blame any of those as a particular play, moment or decision that cost us the playoffs?
IMHO, at least 2 of those games were negatively affected by injuries (Bal g1, KC), two by coaching decisions/approach (NE,SEA), and two by poor performance (CIN, BAL g2).
Of those 6 losses, 4 of them were games where losing was a real possibility when the schedule was released (NE, SEA, KC and at least 1 vs CIN).

But, what we didn't have in our budget: at least 2 of those 6 loses were very manageable and winnable games (BAL). We've been outcoached by BAL (and that hurts) this season (arguably, last -many- seasons). Both games against them should have been wins. Worst case scenario: split. Do not forget they played without Flacco, Suggs, S Smith and Forsett and a bunch of other players last Sunday. Come on, you can torch SEA, DEN and CIN, but can't manage to move the football against BAL?

Yes, there have been several issues going on with this team so far. But, if I'm to blame something that has us looking for help right now, it's those two games against BAL.

 

I don't recall a fake field goal against the Chiefs?

 

Tomlin won't be on the hot seat.... Just based on the number of key injuries all season.

 

Well at least my avatar stays

he's in my hot seat

 

I think you can look at any of 6 losses as a kill shot, one less loss, even to Seattle for example, and we still control our destiny.

 

What if, you know, we had not completely neglected the secondary for several years in a row? What if Tomlin wasn't a moron? What if Ben didn't turn into JoJo the Idiot Circus Clown every once in a while? What's the point of getting in? We'll give up 60 in the wild card loss anyway.

 

Lots of 'what ifs.' This team is now finishing its 5th consecutive season of mediocrity.

Art II January 2015 ---

"We need to be able to pressure the quarterback more consistently, Rooney said, per the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I think that as a defense, we've got to get more sacks and put more pressure on the quarterback. That's a key piece of the puzzle we have to look at as we build this defense going into next year."

He certainly did not get what he had wanted so I wonder how he'll assess this season once it's over.

 

No we dont control our destiny, the Jets do since we threw our control away sunday, and the clowns hung with KC untill the clock ran out and they lost by 4 points so if this team is taking the clowns for granted they might get another surprise sunday.....

 

Tomlins specialty is suppose to be DBs so that falls on him.

What if Tomlin trusted the back-up and didn't get Vick who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn? So many what ifs and most of them fall on Tomlin.

 

If you take one our 6 losses away we would still be in control of our destiny. I know were not in our control of our playoff fate.
If we still had 5 losses it would be beat the Browns and get in.
So you can look at any of the 6 losses as the one that keeps us out.

 

With all the inuries/suspension, it's a bonus that we're still in contention.

 

I contend had we moved up and got Peters we would be the #1 seed right now . All this poor play started at the draft , we had a chance to win more games on that day and chose to stay put and keep drafting OLB'S . Until we change our view on DB'S every year will be a we need some help type of year until Ben leaves . After that we are doomed with the current Team that we have ...

 

This. The donkeys beating the bungles last night ended that piece of hope now we have to rely on the bills. Oh and beating the clowns. Another season out of the post season. Sorry I believe the jets will crush them.

 

In any season you can go back and look at losses that kept you out of the playoffs, it's just a waste of time to use revisionist history that doesnt change anything, the fact is they threw everything away sunday and thats just how it will stand....

 

What if Bell and Bryant didn't get suspended? What if Ben never got hurt? What if Bell never got hurt? What if Pouncey and Beachum never got hurt? Steelers would most likely be 13-3 at worst with a bye. Lots of "what ifs" and hypotheticals that don't mean much.

 

No doubt of the 6 losses this past sunday was the worst.

 

Lets not give a pass to the whole Defense. Zero pass rush. I will give Dupree a pass but Jarvis Jones is pitiful and Harrison is running out of gas. The crows gashed them running at will. Where were these ILB's? Yes the secondary is the main issue as it's been for years but the pass rushers are NOT getting it done nor the ILB's

 

That's a big part of the problem. This team, even when the defense was good, was always built on getting a rush. The secondary was never built for coverage.

 

All true. I do at least see Shaz and Bud showing good signs. At least the FO tried there and at least we can hope with them. And I love our DEs. NT is a problem I've mentioned many times, too. But there is no reason whatsoever to put Blake near a football field unless he has skill picking up empty Gatorade cups.

 

Great post.