Difficult Decisions Coming?

After the debacle yesterday I really sat down took off the black and gold glasses and did a bit of inventory over the past 2+ years in terms of this team. I have come to the realization that Hines Ward, Jerome Bettis and Aaron Smith were the true leaders of this team. Right now there isn't anyone in that locker room that is commanding the respect like those 3. In addition I am not convinced that Tomlin has a pulse of the locker room or what will motivate not only this team but each player. I am not a proponent of knee jerk reactions but there is a very disturbing trend showing over the past couple of years. I am not sure Mike Tomlin will be able to lead this team not only the rest of this year but to get them going in the right direction. If I were the Rooney's I sit back and watch the rest of the season unfold with an eye on the relationship between players and the coaching staff. If things continue to go south does Tomlin lose the locker room even more? I think you put the front office, the coaching staff and the players on notice that the next 8 weeks EVERYONE is playing and coaching for their job. At this point I don't see what you have to lose if you are the Rooney's.

Personally I think this season will continue to go the wrong direction and at that point big changes are needed from the scouting department and the front office all the way through the coaching staff and even the players. It should be interesting the next 8 weeks to see if this team just mails it in or if they decide to fight.

 

I think if you give players and coaching staff that alternative they will be scared to make mistakes and make this worst then it already is. Let them play it out without mentioning losing jobs. Make that decision at the end of the season.

 

Yesterday's Inactive List was wrong - they all were. Including the coaches.

If they keep playing like this the decisions won't be hard.

 

IMO, a lot of "2014 cap room" was freed up yesterday.

 

i would keep , brown heiward miller mclendon decastro velasco maybe big ben depends on the money and the trade offers and all the rookies , all the others are expandeable /trade

 

You got that right

 

Hell, Ike alone probably freed up somewhere between $4 to $6 mil.

 

I think a serious house cleaning needs to happen. After watching the Colts game last night I wonder if the Rooney's would ever think about trading Ben for a first round draft pick to go after a Jameis Winston or someone like that in the next year or two. Could you imagine what the Vikes would give to get Ben as a QB to go with AP? Give us several draft picks and maybe one of their young safeties.

I really like Ben but I am not sure we are going to get this ship turned around for him to reap the rewards...

 

I really like Ben too, but he alone can not turn this team around so your suggestion sounds reasonable to me, trade him for the future. He is worth a lot in trades, draft picks and cap money. If he stays around with the Steelers he will surely get hurt big time and then what is he worth and he will be of no use as a player then....... He is a great QB who could lead a team with good players far.........I think this team with it's present players is beyond repair, I mean 610 yards given up to the Patriots, the third highest in team history and that is a long time. Fifty five points the most scored by any team this season and the most points ever allowed by the Steelers..........Now here comes Tomlin with his rhetoric, "we are going to comb through this with a fine tooth comb and those people who are lacking effort won't be playing, it's just that simple." I think I have heard that before but this team just keeps getting worse and worse. Something has to be done and the first thing is to get good players ASAP and trades like that, giving us a lot of draft picks will do that a lot faster than waiting years to develop a good team through the regular draft. .

 

Problem is that to be at this point, we have already done some "housecleaning" No more Farrior, Hampton, A Smith, Harrison, Hines, etc. I saw someone quote that we had a 45% roster turnover, not sure if he was talking starters, whole roster, for one or two years, but we've already got a lot of "indians" and not enough "chiefs". Too much young inexperienced talent. Doing any mass roster changes is really just going to be a huge gamble..... "ALL IN come on BLACKJACK".

 

In keeping with the Najeh Davenport tradition, I'm thinking more along the lines of a "dump truck". LOL

 

Troy is playing the best he has played in years. Keisel is playing good too. If those 2 are gone, we are in real trouble. I dont know whats going on with Clark, maybe those hits to his head have caught up to him? Woodley is avg at best, Timmons is inconsistent, Gay is playing better than Clark and Ike which isnt saying alot. Jones is in the learning curve....

People ask how is it Tomlins fault. Let me ask this question. Does he motivate you? Do you have confidence in his game plan? I know we had some bad years with Cowher but not this bad.

 

this is an interesting read of what we could face at the end of the season

http://triblive.com/sports/-topstories/4962083-74/steelers-cap-million#axzz2jduuFcPN

 

WOW, so the players that are NOT under contract in 2014 is all the way up to 17; Hell, I forgot about some of these and was still thinking it was only around 12 or so.

"Clark is one of at least 17 players, including five current or former starters, who are in the final seasons of their contracts and probably won't be back: Brett Keisel, Ziggy Hood, Jason Worilds, Jerricho Cotchery, Emmanuel Sanders, Al Woods, Greg Warren, LaRod Stephens-Howling, Felix Jones, Guy Whimper, Fernando Velasco, Cody Wallace, David Johnson, Michael Palmer, Jonathan Dwyer and Richard Gordon. Keisel could return but only at a steeply reduced salary."
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It's not pointless. 1st round picks are something. They're far from guaranteed, but they are definitely something. In order to rebuild, you have to give up valuable pieces. With that said, I agree with you that this is fantasy football talk and nothing more. This isn't a trade that's going to happen. The Steelers aren't going to shop him and there wouldn't be many buyers anyway. Even the buyers that are out there aren't going to give up much. Al Davis is dead, so we're not going to get a bunch of high picks for Ben.

 

Just win, baby!

 

talent evaluations is the biggest problem on this team , just see how much we wait to see heiward take ziggy place , why dwyer is not used more than jones ,cut butler for mesko ? go out to take levy brown an arizona injuried reject , who thought that adams and some years ago j.scott would have been a reliable left tackle starter from the camp ?.. take a look at 2009 draft only d.jonson and hood are still on the team and they are both below the line players , we had 3 3rd and were all good , urbik was cut to keep essex , lewis we had no money and wallace ok was an head case , pair with avril sean leee that should have been draft the years before and you had a well reloaded team . it's not complicated the f.o made a very poor decision in the last 5 years and now you have what you have . how can we trust on these management that is screwing it up every draft by the time they arrive (colbert tomlin ) ? now they have to take big decision .... let's pray

 

Here is a novel thought.

Look no further than Kansas City. The other team with the racist name.

Let's see, last year they were what, 2-14. OK, they went out and got Smith as a QB and then, ahem, got a NEW Coach. Yes, god forbid, a new coach.

What other major things did KC do other than get a good QB from the 49'ers and hire a new coach? They are what this year? Nuff said, but that does not mean it will work for the Steelers, but I do not think the Steeler roster is as bad as folks think. Now, I said, as bad.

Tomlin, IMO is the major problem. Not the only problem, but it all starts at the top.

The Chiefs swabbed the deck and it is time for the Steelers to right their ship. Start with the HC and then let's go from there.

rutan

 

Never, ever, ever under any circumstances trade Ben.

He's the best player on this team, and if they would you will see how bad they can be.

Without him yesterday, that game is easily a duplicate of the 49ers/Broncos Super Bowl...55-10, if not worse.

I could possibly understand if they had a decent O line and a somewhat consistent running game, but they don't. Without that whats left? Passing is all that they can do. The line can't stay healthy and can't generate a good run game and without Ben opposing D's could literally blitz 11 guys every down.

 

well we need to find the money to extend him then