Last night was proof...

...that we lost to a terrible team. I don't think GB is even that great themselves, but they beat down the Bears with relative ease. Yes, once again, Tomlin and Ben choked and gagged to a weak team; not only did they lose to them, but they couldn't even tackle a RB playing with one arm and shoulder. That was as feckless and listless as it get.

Does that mean the season is lost? Of course not. But it does mean this team and coach really have difficulty in getting ready and focused when facing bad teams. I called it before the ball was ever kicked off.

The good news is the Ravens are a bad team; their only wins were against overly weak (and winless) teams in Cle. and Cinci. And when they played the improved Jags, they didn't just lose but were dismantled, passing for a mind-boggling 52 yards all day, in a game when they knew they had to pass to have a chance, and yet, still couldn't complete jack doo doo.

But how much better are the Steelers than Browns and Bengals? Maybe not at all. We just barely beat the Browns. And I wouldn't be shocked if Cinci beats us.

Like Coach Cowher used to say: The season is not a sprint it's a marathon. Well, brothers, even in a marathon you got to get running sooner or later or you will lose. When will this team wake up and will it be too late when it does? We will find out.

 

That first quarter PO'd me so bad. I was happy for the delay just so I could calm down. Yes we are 2-1 but when I see the 3 QB's we have faced it's depressing thinking of the future. If the first 3 weeks are any indicator I see 8-8 a real possibility.

 

Team is waking up offensively. Defensively, fundementals have been good up until last Sunday; Special Teams the same.



We will be fine. One game this early does not make or break a season. If anything, it is essentially a wake up call for the entire team.

 

I hope you're right, but history tells us that this team often needs longer than this to actually really wake up. Coaching.

 

I do not think Ben's decision making, Dupree's and Shazier's over zealous forms of tackling or botches by Special Teams equates to coaching.


Much of what happened Sunday had more to do with issues pretaining to the players. Not much the likes of Butler nor Tomlin can do about that.


Haley though for me is interesting. I am not too certain if Ben is trusting Antonio Brown as much as much as he is letting on or if going for the early killshot really is the gameplan.

 

Haley is surprising me because I think the Steelers have more offensive talent than the 2008 Cardinals had, where he was O.C. I would say Roethlisberger and Warner is a push at best for the Steelers. I want to say Warner's accuracy was better than Ben's, but both took their team down the field to take the lead late in the game. Ben's throw to Santonio was epic. Brown and Fitzgerald is also very close. I would take Boldin over Bryant. But Arizona did not have anything close to Bell's talent in 2008. Steelers O-line would be better than what Arizona had. I hope Haley can develop the offense to get more players involved, because that will make Brown and Bell even better.

 

Haley was scolded for his brash approach, as such he has been learning how to win friends and influence people . This is a straight negative for getting this unit prepared and getting the best from the depth chart.

It is not popular to Bench Bell or cut into his snaps, but that's exactly what should have been done. It's not popular to design a route tree with zero bombs away routes, but that is exactly what should be done . It's not popular to force your QB who doesn't like PA to except it and use it to open up the passing windows.But it's exactly what should have been done .

I could keep going until peeps are tired of reading .The point is most often the right decision is not the popular one . We need Coaches with the insight and the ability to make those. And most Importantly the testicular fortitude to stand behind those choices.

 

I don't disagree with you, but somehow, some way, they need to find something in between dinks and dunks and going for the home run. Whether it is Ben or Haley, they need to move the chains instead of putt putt or bomb, with little in between. That killed us vs. a terrible team.

 

8-8 when we lose Super Bowl when we win

 

Within the psyche of a consistent winner like the Steelers, such is the mindset.


That being said, would rather have this mindset than the ones teams like the Jets or even Colts fans would have now. These are the likely scenarios;


Loss equals one step closer towards the first pick in the draft.


Win equals one more step to becoming relavent.



I will take SteelersNation's praises and criticisms over those two.

 

Always love reading your posts lol

 

Being sensible while retaining continuity is essential to being a good member of the community; fact checking and relavent substance to the topic at hand the same.



All this equates into proper, steamlined, effective and friendly discussion across a broad spectrum.

 

You are starting to sound like that asshat RPO. You both are skewed towards the end of the spectrum where the coaches are infallible and every fault lies at the feet of the players. Sorry to bust that bubble but its the responsibility of both parties to achieve good results.

 

Yea it's frustrating as hell to see the Packers beat the Bears by 20 plus points and see the Steelers completely suck against them like they did. At the end of the day though Tomlin and the entire team essentially thought it was more important to focus on what Trump said and the stuff with the anthem and that ended up costing them this game I feel cause their focus as a lot of the players said was just not there.

Now the Steelers margin for error if they hope to get a bye or homefield in the AFC is very very slim and they are gonna have to win a lot of their remaining games or they will simply have no chance. And with an October schedule of games at Baltimore, at Kansas City, and at Detroit, and home games with the Jags and Bengals I have a hard time seeing this Steelers team biased on the way they have played so far in September through 3 games doing no better then 3-2 in those 5 games. And that is not gonna be good enough I feel to compete for both a bye week and homefield in the playoffs which is what this Steelers team desperately needs if they want to get back to the Super Bowl.

 

As long as I have been a Stiller fan not once has Ben ever indicated not liking that state of Pennsylvania

 

Mark it. Wont matter whether the Steelers finish atop of the north and have home field advantage. And yes its ok to quote me .. This team is not good enough to get past the Ratriots ..

 

Stop stop stop.......this benching Bell talk that you keep bring up is BS. I understand you have a man crush on Connor and that is fine he is a great story but enough already. Bell is....that's right IS one of the best rb's in the game. Connor can and won't ever be able to do what Bell does and that is not a knock on Connor, he plays a different style game. Listen I am all for as the season gets going seeing more of Connor but until Bell gets going that is who I want to see. Our team will win or lose with the big three AB-BB-LB and that is a fact! As far as BB not liking PA please post a link to that........waiting!!!!!

 

I think if you compare the two games, you'll see that there are far more visible and tangible things than "focus" that led to the results panning out differently.

 

Defenses get to know and understand all RBs. Nixs leads the way as does the OL . Defenses gameplan for Bell and he is the guy that can get the job done.. Most days. I would however like to see Watson on those goal line situations.. From what I have seen so far it does look like he has a bit of the Bus in him.

 

I think you can add the Chiefs and Raiders to that.

 

1 typical trash loss and the world ends lol

 

I think you are right about Bell when he is in peak form however at the current time he isn't there. I wouldn't advocate giving Conner or Watson the starting job over Bell but until he is in game shape I'd consider a North\south one cut runner getting three or four yards on first down a good alternative. Let's be honest with Bell being hesitant and the only big gains he is getting coming on holding penalties other options should be looked at until he and the oline get things worked out. Can the team afford to give them time and carries to get that worked out?

 

Can't tell if you guys are being serious....and I know PWP likes thinking outside the box ,but by PA ....pretty sure he means play action

 

In the early years he did and was pretty good at it. These days it involves a bit to much of a slight roll out that puts the Oline at a disadvantage and leads to unnecessary hits.