Do you want Ben as our starting QB in 2021?

I didn't say no one was salvageable. I stated Pouncey didn't produce $16m worth over the past two years. You can throw stats around to make it look like whatever you want it to look like but the bottom line is Pouncey was a key member of the OL that was rated the worst running team in the NFL- key word- worst. Can you explain why there was a reduction in commitment to the run game by the coaching staff because I can't. To me, you usually stop doing things your not good at and we were not good at running the ball. So focusing on how our run game started is irrelevant to how we finish the season and the overall performance for the year. I see many say that the OL needs to be rebuilt because our run game is nearly non-existent and I am saying Pouncey is as good a place as any to start. JMO>

 

Man, talk about false hope. No other team in the NFL thinks he's worth a signing but us. That should give everyone as much confidence as the other #1 pick we signed with similar hopes a few yrs back. I guess it doesn't hurt to sign someone to a futures contract but I am anticipating us getting someone else to suit up on Sunday or be on the PS behind Ben and Mason.

 

No tom brady is the reason Tampa won. His leadership allowed them to keep all egos in check and have everyone focused on the ultimate goal.

 

Bill Hargrave doesn't get that DUI if Ben is a better leader.
Le'veon Bell doesn't smoke dope and get suspended if Ben is a better leader.
James Harrison doesn't go rouge if Ben is a better leader.
Legarret Blount doesn't quit on the team if Ben is a better leader.
JuJu doesn't do TikTok if Ben is a better leader.
Mark Madden doesn't act like an ass if Ben is a better leader.
I could go on........

The coaching staff are responsible for keeping these guys in check. They have failed big time.

Very few people in sports demand the respect of others like Brady does. Jordan and Gretsky come to mind.

You got so many arguments going on that I doubt you even know what your original argument was.

 

LoL ..hahaha. No.

 

You didn't mention anything about Pouncey's salary:

I'm not arguing Pouncey's play hasn't declined. It's more identifying the top priority issues and fixing them before next season. Pouncey's cap impact certainly makes him a bigger target, but it could be reasonably mitigated if they wanted. The only reason I think they should do that is if they cannot find a better cost/benefit solution (they certainly need to find a long term C). He would have to add value as productive part of the offense next year. Not sure if he's able to that.

Well, what shows the Steelers as the owners of the Key Word Worst rating in the NFL is in fact... stats. And when a team is that far in decline they need to look at all sides to reel it back in. There's a correlation between a signifcant decrease in Att/Gm and effectiveness of the running game from the start and end of last year. While not causation alone, I thought while the blocking certainly looked suspect as the season wore on, the playcalling compounded the issue as they became over-reliant on a quick passing attack.

Again, IMO there is more than one factor in play. Talent/ability on the OL is one. A team isn't going to flip their entire OL in one offseason (especially in a cash strapped year) so I think it prudent the Steelers investigate more than just replacing players if they want to see progression next year.

Your line of thought seems to be it's okay to use data to point out how poor the running game was, but not in helping to fix it - just rebuild the line. Did the entire OL lose their ability to block six games in? You say you can't explain why there was less commitment to the run, but it must be because we weren't good at it. That's not exactly a novel idea.


IMO, teams likely started adjusting and the Steelers didn't respond in kind - they seemed to lean increasingly on the short passing game. There are aging/ineffective members of the line that need to be upgraded - draft picks will be used to build long term replacements. The offensive approach must be addressed - if Ben can no longer perform the basic physical elements of the job, deliver a full field of throws, etc., they need to convince him to move on. Entering next season with the same players and the same limitations would be prime football insanity for the sake of a Nostagia Express Retirement Tour.

They're not going to be able to fix it all in one offseason, but I think they can field a reasonably competitive team if they make savvy decisions. Pouncey's exit may well be one of them. But they need to assess their offensive identity as a whole and then which pieces need to be moved to make it an effective one again.

 

And after all that Pouncey made the decision himself. Best of luck in his future, and appreciation for all he did here.

 

Off the field aint about the leadership in the locker room. Michael Irvin was a cokehead and he was the leader of that 90s cowboy dynasty. You bringing up off the field issues to talk about someone on the field and in the lockeroom?

 

Troy Aikman would like to have a word.

 

It was irving. He was the leader.

 

Shhh... his name is Michael Irvin..... He was the leader alright....with the cheerleader.

 

As much I hate Brady, I think he's kinda right.

 

So you think the Bucs would have won the SB with Jameis Winston?

 

No , but adding, Ab, Gronk, L. Fournette, and well I read they had 22 players on this team that were not on last years team. So. ????
Not saying you, but some act like only change was T. Brady. 22 different players. Think about that.

 

You mean like AB's or Bells locker room video or Gatorade chucking contest on the sideline? Everyone is responsible for their own actions, period. It would be nice if their was some adult supervision to ensure where certain lines are drawn.

 

I never said those things didn't happen. I was strictly responding to the guys comments about the off the field stuff

 

Ab?

 

Minor contributor......

 

Exactly.

 

Not this unsubstantiated bullcrap again. Boohoo, Ben acts like an owner and he's not a nice person, waaaa waaaaa waaaaa. Why, because AB said so? As if that a-hole has any credibility at all. You seem to get more delusional, the more you post on here and your incessant and unrelenting mancrush on AB is lame.

When you find yourself standing out in the cold rain all by yourself without an umbrella and everyone is inside dry and warm just looking at you shaking their heads, you might want to reevaluate your reasoning and decision making.

 

Irvin had a line on the best strippers and coke in town. I love how foosball analyst continually takes shots at Ben and accuses him of acting like he's above everyone else and then puts Irvin's criminal behavior on a pedestal and worships AB who's list of dysfunctional behaviors, personality faults, and criminal rapsheet has now become what he is known for and his trademark. But, by all means, blame it on someone else, it has become the American way.

 

Emmanuel sanders, Joey porter, Hines ward, Ryan Clark, even bums like Isaac Redman have all criticized Ben as a leader. So it's not just what ab said.

 

Im trying to figure out why he mentioned ab. According to msot on this board he was just an after thought.

 

And there are probably 10 times the number of guys who played with him who say the exact opposite. Your boy AB will never get back to a level even close to what he enjoyed catching balls from Ben. A little appreciation for what Ben helped make him would be appropriate.