How should a reasonable Steelers fan feel at this point?

Started the season off historically hot, 11-0...Ben in the race for MVP, Watt and Dupree dueling for DPOY. Talk of locking down the #1 seed and possibly raising another Lombardi.

Now on a 3 game losing streak where each loss has been worse than the last. Team decimated by injuries to the point we're running out of safeties to play ILB. Our $100MM HOF QB being outplayed by 3rd string Ryan Finley. A 11-2 team getting dominated by a 2-10-1 team.

2 more games to win the division vs the hot 10-4 Colts and the 10-4 Browns who want the AFCN crown. A likely first round playoff match with the Titans.

So how should a reasonable Steelers fan feel now? Relaxed? Optimistic? Ready for another deep playoff run with superior gameplanning, coaching and execution?

 

I feel realistic, i can't see another win this season. I feel fear, it took almost 20 years for them to find a good QB after Bradshaw retired. I feel hate, i hate how JU JU lollipop girly dancing has become a big culture of this team.

I really fear how we will go about replacing Ben, get ready for a bumpy ride.

 

If that reasonable Steelers fan has been paying attention for the last 8 seasons or so, they should feel indifferent.

 

Extremely disappointed, but not hoping for additional adversity like you are.

 

Injuries derailed the season, just accept it.

 

Confused. When was Ben ever a serious contender for league MVP?

 

What about last year also. Some blame has to be on the coaches.

 

Around the same time Dupree was in the running for DPOY and Tomlin was for COY.

 

Thankful.. the sun came up for another day and what the Steelers do has no impact on my life what so ever

 

Reasonable fans should get ready for true rebuild mode and looking forward to the post-Ben era.

 

Deja vu, really. We have been down this road before where a rolling team suddenly comes unglued late in the season.

 

Reasonable fans will be looking at all the young upside qb's that will be replaced and need a change of scenery..... Haskins, darnold, Wentz, minshew etc......

 

May be the best post on the forum I have ever seen.

 

Feel positive, I think we are much better than our last 4 games. Hopefully we can get out
of this slump and start playing some good ball.

 

When you're a Pirate fan it's hard to complain about the Steelers. (or Penguins)

I do believe we are about to enter bizzaro world where we are the doormat in AFC North in the future.

 

I feel good. It’s a beautiful day outside, although a little cold. I think I’ll take my dogs for a walk around the fields. Christmas is coming, I have champagne, lobster, king crab and my wife. Not in that order. Sunday I’ll watch a Steeler game and make a nice meal. Life is good.

 

I was mentioned on here a few times.......mainly by me. Not sure if that counts as in the running.

 

If I'm being honest I feel good about this season. Steelers made the Playoffs and fans of the team I live around have been oh so quiet so I've taken no ****.

 

i feel what ive felt the last 10 years or so..... anger mixed with rage and some sorrow. because i know the same ol same is gonna happen. first round knockoff.

 

I know you're being sarcastic, but seriously, when was the last time we saw the Steelers come out with a dominant effort on both sides of the ball from the jump? When you really felt that they devised the perfect plan to attack the opponent's weaknesses?

Tomlin has always said that "it's about us, not the nameless gray faces we play" and that winning is about "wanting it more, and beating the man across from you".

Does that....does that mean we don't game plan specifically for an opponent? And what happens when the other guys "want it more", like we saw with Cincy and we see routinely when the Steelers are heavy favorites?

Unfortunately, look for more of the same to close out the season. Tomlin said there will be no sweeping changes, that the Steelers just need to "play better". So when the subpar OL is dominated by Indy's formidable front this weekend because "wanting it more" won't be enough, realize that they were coached up as much as they possibly could be by Tomlin.

Chuck Noll said he motivated players not with rah-rah speeches, but by preparing them to do their job successfully. Ever see our offensive guys pregame? They look defeated before the game is started, likely because they know they will not be put in a position to succeed. Those looks turn to outright despair every time a RB is wrapped up by 3 tacklers behind the LOS because they couldn't block 8 with 6.

 

Honestly I’m happy they’re in the playoffs. I thought that was a realistic goal going into the year. I’ll admit my expectations got raised after the hot start, but I kind of expected the reality to be somewhere in the middle of how the team played early and how it’s played lately. Hopefully they bounce back a bit so they can at least be competitive in the playoffs.

 

I feel pretty dis-heartened with the Steelers right now.

1. I think Art II is more concerned with his position in the political correctness world than he is in football.
2. Tomlin has proven that he isn't changing his stripes. He will allow players to get too big for their britches and cause the team damage. He will allow bad coaches to stay because they are his friends. He knows he will never be fired; he isn't going anywhere and he isn't changing.
3. If Ben has anything left it can only be extracted by a brilliant OC, which we don't have.
4. AV is one of the players I respect and he looks done.
5. Haden is another favorite but he is getting old at a position where quickness is key.
6. The O-line coach is incompetent.
7. The O-line needs rebuilt.
8. Poor play late in the season is the standard.

Until Tomlin retires, the Steelers are going to be harder and harder for me to get excited about.

 

For me, its a mix of emotions as in every year this regime has been in charge. I posted somewhere before a similar set of milestones that define a season's success in my view:
1. Season started - check - especially this year
2. Make the playoffs - check, plus an added bonus of starting the season with the most wins in team history achieved
3. Win the division - pending-could be a disappointment but can be offset by #4
4. Win at least one playoff game
5, Get to the AFCCG
6. Win AFCCG and get to the SB
7. WIn the SB
As bad as we feel, and believe me I'm am pretty fired up about some things that have happened and not happened lately, we still, unbelievably, have the potential to meet all of these. History is against us but its possible. So I am in the camp of those who are hopeful but have little confidence of getting past #2 above. I believe people are disappointed even more when a team does so well in the beginning and take their emotional investment a step further than normal, only to be let down once again (possibly at this point). This is not like last year when the season ended without another PO appearance. This year we went 11-0 and posts all over the place about staying ahead of KC and getting a bye week, etc, Now expectations are more realistic and just winning 1 game of our last 5 would just be nice.

 

As much as I would love them to be in the playoffs, I don't want them to get to the Super Bowl. I do not want to add a 3rd loss to that column. I remember back in 94, I felt that way. I didn't think they were ready. In 95 I felt they could win and was thrilled they got there. I was extremely distraught over the loss in Super Bowl XXX.