Are the Steelers improved from last year?

You may be right or you may crazy as the song goes. It is probably why Tomlin only received the one year extension. I am of the belief that Tomlin has done a self-examination of his coaching and we will see improvement from him this year.

 

The Steelers are weaker at tight end, not better. They also seem determined to limit McDonald's snaps.

I think the more realistic hope is the running game taking up some of the slack. The Steelers had way too many games last season, especially early on, in which they barely tried to run. That can't be the approach now.

 

The defense is noticeably better, the offense is slightly worse, and hopefully Boswell will continue his preseason run and be better. I think this is a playoff team and has a good chance to be division winner. Of course this is all on paper, we will find out soon enough... Hurry up Sunday!!!! Here we go!

 

Agree with those who say offense is worse and defense is better. We'll see. Both squads have a lot to prove and should have a chip on their shoulders.

 

Nelson, Barron & Bush and growth from Edmunds improved the defense.

Loosing AB definitely hurt the Offense "production" wise.

If Boswell has dumped the yips, kicking is better.

The sum of the above is an improved team.

11-5 maybe 12-4

 

I definitely think so. I think we'll see a consistently decent to solid offense with a vastly improved defense. I think we see a number of last-minute TD and/or FG drives. It won't be pretty but it'll be Steelers football.

I predict something like 10-6.

 

ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? You got rid of TWO cancers. You might not see it first game but you'll have a much more focused coach and a TEAM versus a group of players.

 

We all bout to gonna find out!

 

From the NFL.com

Pittsburgh Steelers: 9.5 wins (projected AFC North champions)


Ceiling: 10.1
Floor: 8.8

If you've read any of my previous work, you'll notice I spend a lot of time talking about offensive lines. It's because they are a really big deal, even though they don't always get the attention they deserve. The Steelers may not have Antonio Brown or Le'Veon Bell on the roster anymore, but their O-line ranks in the top three or better in run blocking and pass protection. Add in that rookie linebacker Devin Bush creates the opportunity to significantly improve the middle of the defense (and my tracking on him so far, in a tiny sample size, is really exciting) and this team projects to be playing past Week 17.

 

So you are a new math guy. X - 2Y - 84 - 26 = Z

X = Z(2Y + 110)

Z = Y + 55


IF X IS PITTSBURGH AND Y IS CANCER, YOU ARE SAYING WE ARE 55% BETTER.

9 - 6 - 1 TIMES 55% = 14 WINS!!! I LIKE IT.

(Somebody check my math please).

 

Harder to defend 5 or 6 players then 1 or 2. That's the math I'm counting on for this team on offense. I think we are much better with our divisor increased. Add the speed ratio on defense and it definitely goes up. Kicker making 3s and 1s helps as well to the totals. Money Ball.

AB-LB=7 there is a math formula.

 

I see it coming down to intangibles: We won';t even discuss injuries.

1. Will the reduced drama translate on the field?......It should.
2. Will Tomlin's style simply create new drama?.......It usually does.
3. Will Rooney and Colbert continue to create the circus for Tomlin to manage?.....Who the hell knows.
4. Has the organization learned from it's mistakes?.......One can only hope.
5. Will Tomlin have the boys ready for the season?........He usually doesn't.
6. Will the upside of new defensive talent play out?.......I believe it will.
7. Will JuJu prove to be a real #1?.........I have high hopes.
8. Will Ben find a happy medium between new arm strength and forcing the ball?......I believe so.
9. Will the new "shangri-la" environment we hear about make them into a team instead of a mis-guided group of individuals?........I think it has to be an improvement over last year.
10. Will Boswell be his old self and be reliable?.......Who knows how you go from best to worst in one year?

 

Who knows maybe it's superbowl time

 

If our defense and special teams improve watch out. Offense can afford to slide lol

 

I'm curious? I wish I could comment on being there rather than watching on TV! Last year, I swear I saw an inordinate number of interceptions coming from short/medium passes over the middle that Ben just didn't put any loft on and they were picked off or tipped by a LB? Maybe it was just something I honed in on?

 

I honestly believe that this team has enough "on field" talent to win #7. It depends on all the intangible stuff that built to a full-blown dumpster-fire last year.

 

I agree. It makes us harder to defend.

 

Mostly what I think gets lost on tv is when those plays happen it’s because the receivers downfield are well covered. This doesn’t always show up on tv because of the close zoom.

 

The beauty of being there!

I just remember a lot of plays where you could see the receiver had separation (from the camera angle behind Ben) and Ben just threw a dart (with no touch) and it got tipped and picked, or just picked.

 

You could say that about the past several years.

 

Exactly! Let's hope that LB and AB opening the door to allow the back-draft to ignite into a horrendous explosion will clear the minds of the architects of the 3-5 year smoldering dumpster fire!