How Do You Rebuild?

Is it time for the Steelers to go way back to the 70s and change to the 4-3 Defense?

Watching Houston's 4-3 completely dominate at the line of scrimmage was something to Envy. They had 4 Big bodies up front and did not need to blitz to bring pressure. Not sure what would happen with our current smaller OLBs. An edge rusher in a 4-3 is a little bigger than an edge in a 3-4.

 

Lose. A lot of losing.

 

Watt is coming off a weird ass lung injury now. That and other injuries from 2024 and 2023 no less. Dude might not be what he once was.



As for the rest?! Agree 100%. Heyward is likely gone anyways and I wouldn't want to bring him back anyhow; All Pro Season or not. Ramsey can be jettisoned as well given how badly he played down the stretch. Patrick Queen is a major swing and a miss by Khan. No matter who his DC is, Queen will always be left leaving a team wanting a lot more.


The trenches themselves still are not 100% done yet. IOL and IDL still need a bit of a tune up but thankfully the 2026 Draft does have a good surplus of both; namely in NT and OG. I have already been on record about how I feel about Vega Ioane from Penn State but Emmanuel Pregnon could also be a sneaky 1st Round Target. Issue with him is he isn't as athletic nor as scheme versatile as Vega is. As for IDL, again, you have heard me sing the praises of Peter Woods so I won't repeat such here. Well, that, and he isn't likely to last that long anyways given how talented he is and how rare of a IDL he is.

 

Love the new avatar pic! Good Ole Skippy was hell on those paper towel dispensers at sheetz!

 

Not saying he will be. I just worry about how many DPOY type seasons remain within him. We both agree that having him being static to one side clearly isn't working. Gonna need a creative mind on the Defensive Side of the ball for that.

 

CUT JONU SMITH!

 

We have so many picks…when the Patriots were working the draft system, they would trade picks for future picks…

if next year is the year for the qb, and not this year…maybe it’s the way to go?

 

I am not convinced we have much to rebuild because of the Tomlin factor. Now that we have a chance to get a better head coach, we will play better, call better plays, and have the men in better positions on the field. And with a new head coach comes a better OC and DC and we desperately need that.

But we certainly need to find a QB. We will draft a WR, and G who can start or use free agency to acquire one.

 

The door is still open for that according to Rooney...All will depend of the new head coach

 

Step to rebuild:
#1. Dump aging contracts and gut the fossil expensive defense. Suffer for this year and maybe next and get cap right
#2. Trade TJ and DK. Neither wants to be around for rebuild.
#3. Draft o line this year because the playoff game showed they are worthless. Rebuild like lions did under cambell and bears did this year.
#4. Bottom out and get some high draft picks. we got Big Ben after being lousy for a year. We got our SB roster in 2005 and 8 by sucking in 2003 1999, 1998.
#5. Draft qb and restock talent.
#6. Spend when its QB 2nd year and be like patriots. Back in 3 years.

 

IDK but I understood what Mr Rooney said

 

This is and always has been the goal of a football franchise. When the owner says the goal is to compete every year, I think that should be the goal every year. What should he say? The goal is to be a basement dweller for a few years and collect high draft picks?

 

Unfortunately that is the low left field way some posters seem to think

 

I don't know how you spin it in the press room and for fan consumption.

But I do know the results of that organizational philosophy...an old(er) roster, picking about 20th in the draft each year, shut-off from clear paths to drafting high pedigree talent, no long-term future at QB, and all of the other issues this place and others like it spend a great deal of time debating and complaining about.

And my only real point is that everywhere I read Steelers' fans opinions and thoughts...I see that all put at Mike Tomlin's feet. He was the one who insisted on approaching things that way. Maybe that was the case. I have no idea. Probably was. But I am asking everyone to consider the idea that it was not solely a Tomlin thing. What if the past 7 years or so have also been how Rooney sees the NFL?

For me, that is concerning.

 

I just don't get it. You put the best team together and compete to your best ability each and every season. The goal remains the same.
As evidenced by the current thread makeup of this forum, how to achieve that best is discussion worthy and up to debate. But to make the goal less than to compete? There can be no discussion.

 

I still don't know what else he should have said on that front.

 

My favorite golf movie ever made.

 

Ok. Go 9-8 or 10-6 every single season. Pick 19-22 in the draft. How do you pick the next Ben Roethlisberger? How do you get the next dominant LT? Pass rusher? Whatever floats your boat.

Historically the majority of those guys are NOT picked outside of the top 15. And yes, we can all name the exceptions that prove the rule. But I am talking the dominant trends over large sample sizes.

Where does the improvement come from? Everyone tells me that something has to change. That being "stuck" is just so miserable and embarrassing. If the Steelers continue to "compete" and win 9-10 games each year and slide out at the wildcard round...where does the change come from?

 

Yes

But I did like Tin Cup

The legend of Bagger Vance was good

 

True, it’s not like he’s Jarvis Jones…

 

None. He has no DPOY type seasons left in him. Watt is still good, but not even close to what he used to be.

 

The Texans have two dominant defensive ends. The Steelers don't have that. Many of their current players don't fit that system.

Highsmith would likely have to move to defensive end. They would need to acquire an end for the other side. Moving to a 4-3 outside backer might actually suit Watt better than having him rush off the edge all the time. I could also see Wilson thriving in such a role. I'm just not sure who you would have a the middle linebacker or where Herbig would fit in.

It is definitely worth considering. One great thing about a coaching change is it allows for massive shifts in philosophy. Bill Cowher did it on offense, moving the Steelers away from the trap-heavy, pro-style attack that Chuck Noll favored to more power-I. That is how Barry Foster went from a part-time guy under Noll to setting the team's single-season rushing record in Cowher's first year.

 

List all the great QBs we drafted between TB and Ben when we struggled to compete. It's a process but it doesn't reset the goal.