We should of just tanked when we were 1 and 4

Mike Tomlin isn't conceding defeat; his team no less. No one expected them to get this far but they have. Pittsburgh still has a chance to get into the playoffs despite all that has happened.



"Finish the fight" is what the article entails.

 

Thanks for all the research and data. Great to have actual facts rather than poor memory and speculation. In the spirit of the thread, I still do not agree with tanking. A 50/50 shot of getting a franchise QB in the first round just isn't worth it. There are so many others pieces that are important to a championship team. Lots of first round busts at any position. Trading a first round pick for what has turned out to be a potentially stellar safety was worth it to have a top notch defense. With a reasonable QB, that can take you far. And the top picks often go to lousy teams with little other talent (see Cleveland). Let's face it - it takes some luck, lack of injuries, a bit of skill in talent evaluation, and good coaching to achieve success. Tough to have all that come together for the long term.

 

If Brady had been drafted by the Steelers and Fuchtnuts and Tomlin were there to nurture him, he would have been no more than a journeyman. With those two boobs at the helm, we might as well save our money and bring in more undrafted qb's with $1000 signing bonuses.

 

I'm not advocating tanking at all.

What I am saying, however, is that long-term and short-term objectives are not always aligned and that there are times when one sacrifices one for the other.

So in the context of this thread, it's not clear to me that getting Fitzgerald at the cost of a first round pick is worth the nick to the long-term. If Ben were healthy or the Steelers had a clear franchise QB, I'd say it's a no brainer. Since neither is the case, I have to take pause. If this season proves anything it's that without a good QB, this team just isn't going very far and that's true for nearly every team in the league if you look at the last ten years. It's also clear that the best way to get a SB-caliber QB is through the draft and your best chances are by far in Round 1.

If Ben comes back as good as ever next year, then great. The trade was worth it. If not, and the Steelers have to go forward with Rudolph or a Mariota or a severely diminished Ben, then I'd argue that the trade helps but at the cost of ignoring the QB elephant in the room. It's not a bad trade, just a risky one and a risk that I'm not sure was worth taking given the reward.

 

Hindsight is 20/20. 31 teams could say that at the end of the season. I don't understand going all in and trading your 1st... While also trading a QB you developed for 3 years for 128 yards and 0 tds. Makes no sense. Ben out. I'd want as many QBs as possible. That's just me.

 

Do you suppose they would have traded Dobbs if they had KNOWN Ben was going to be injured? Asking for a friend.....

 

Yes, I already explained why they traded Dobbs. Ben has probably been hurt since Week 1 to be honest. Steelers got fined for not putting Bens injury down the same week they traded Dobbs. Why did they do it? They wanted Rudolphs path to be easier. Any time he has a bad game, people aren't calling for Dobbs and creating controversy. It worked. Rudolph was average for a long time but the excuse was who are we going to go to? Hodges, UDFA? Until Rudolph was that bad and they had to go to Hodges. Basically they put way too much stock into Rudolph and it cost us.

 

Good point about balancing long and short term goals. A tough balancing act, as you always want to win now. The draft is always a bit of a crap shoot, and taking a fairly certain top notch defensive player (Fitz) or take a shot at getting a quality long-term QB next year in the draft is a tough one. Given the sad state of the defense the last few years, I think going for Fitz was a good call, especially as we probably weren't getting a top 5 draft choice for a QB. I guess in a few years we'll see if it was a good call or a mistake.

 

Lol your whole Dobbs rant is based on hindsight.

 

No, it's based on incompetence. Giving up on a season 5 games in vs. trading a QB you spent 3 years developing when you know Ben is injured is completely different and stupid.

 

Don't fish in the Big 12 lake.

 

Steelwinds is that you?

 

The lottery is a better way to make sure the big market teams get the best players. I'm sure all the lottery balls had "Knicks" printed on them in 1985.
Signed:
Disgruntled Pacer fan that became a Knicks fan. To no avail...lol

 

After watching LSU last night I wish we would have tanked but it would have been a major nightmare going 1-15.

 

Hey Roonatic,

What makes you think that?

Hawaii 5-0 aka the Aloha Kid

 

We had/have a 1st round grade on Mason. Minkah trade was a no-brainer before all the hindsight.

 

You keep obsessing over the 3 years developing. Have you paid attention to Finchtner's career? The guy hasn't developed anything! How many years did they waste on Landry and then cut him for absolutely nothing with little to no improvement? Hell Dobbs is better off being separated from Finchtner.

 

Hey Hawaii 5-0,

Good one.

 

Umm...where do you find the tin foil for your hat?

 

In my case it's not hindsight. I said at the time of the trade I wasn't in favor of it due to the question at QB.

 

So a 1st rounder QB next year is going to be better than Mason? Minkah will prove otherwise.

 

Probably, but that's really not what I'm talking about.

In my view, you have to make the QB position the number 1 priority above all else. If you don't have that settled and use assets to fill other holes then you are taking a giant risk.

I'm not trading first round picks or fifth round picks for that matter for a safety and a backup TE when I have no idea whether I have a decent starting QB. Those are all assets that can be used to get the QB you really believe in.

 

I get what your saying. But we did have a young unproven QB on the team & a hole at FS when Davis went down. Minkah was the 11th pick of his draft, something we never get shots at unless we give up something. I hope the Steelers draft a QB in the top 10 after Ben explodes.

 

IMO we need a QB sooner rather then later but something no one talks about on here is what if Ben wants to keep playing into his 40's like Tommy boy? I think his contract is for 2 more seasons. Just saying, what if he performs the next 2 seasons at a top 15 level? And saying he wants to keep playing would the Steelers pay him?? IMO a HUGE risk but if the old fat man can still get it done it would be a very interesting decision and my guess this board would be very divided on the subject.

 

I think he was referring to not picking up fitz.