NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
No matter how many times fans complain, or throw their team under the bus, the Pittsburgh Steelers just keep winning. Super Bowls are still the ultimate goal but how can people keep arguing with continued success?
The Steelers are not at the same level as the recent Kansas City Chiefs are in terms of expectations. However, one can argue they’ve had a better organizational resume over the years.
Since 2007, how many games have the Steelers won? How many winning seasons have they had? And how many different coaches have led this team? Winning in any sport is hard considering all the factors that go into forming and keeping a team. Look at the results, the one team that has been there has been the Pittsburgh Steelers.
From losing Pro Bowl and Hall of Fame players to drafting pieces most teams would and did pass on, the Pittsburgh Steelers just keep surprising everyone. Just when you think they’re dead in the water, they pull a rabbit out of the hat and show why they deserve respect outside of Acrisure Stadium.
Sitting at 6-3 following another hard-fought victory over the Green Bay Packers, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the thick of things in the AFC and are just a game behind the top spot for the AFC North crown. Raise your hand if you pegged them to be here.
Who is Kenny Pickett? Is he the QB you would choose to lead your team? While you won’t see him atop the passing leaders, he’s a game-manager. He’s full of ups and downs but the kid has heart. And while the critics are hard on him, he was drafted just a seaosn ago. Give him time the same way everyone gave Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, and Jalen Hurts time.
How Far Can The Pittsburgh Steelers Go
Each season, the whispers of firing Mike Tomlin just get louder and louder and each season, he tells everyone to f*** themselves. Fire the offensive coordinator. Fire the defensive coordinator. Change the game plan. Those who do that as often as the Steelers’ fans want are the fans watching their team go from coach to coach searching for an identity they already had but failed to embrace or let play out.
At the end of the day, it’s still about winning a Super Bowl. In all fairness, the Steelers are not ready to compete with the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Philadelphia Eagles, or the San Francisco 49ers, just yet.
It’s not the coaching, it’s the personnel. They’re winning with players they shouldn’t be winning with. Imagine if they had players like Patrick Mahomes, Justin Jefferson, or Jonathan Taylor. How many Pittsburgh Steelers players do you have on your Fantasy Team? How many of them are you placing bets on with Fanduel? Instead of trying to drag them through the mud, appreciate what they have done. Each season, the Steelers are being pegged as a lost cause. Is this the season where Tomlin can’t get them over the hump? Is this the season where his non-losing streak ends?
Steelers’ fans are super hard on this team. Just as any fanbase is. They want Tomlin gone but no one can offer a coach out there who can replace him. The grass is not always greener on the other side. And the moment they ever decide to change will be the moment that want to walk it back.
There are a handful of coaches in sports where players will run through a wall for them, Tomlin is one of those coaches. Does he need another ring? Hell, it wouldn’t hurt but he also needs the talent that it takes to win another ring. Big Ben is gone. Hines Ward and Jerome Bettis are gone. The Steelers are left with Pickett, George Pickens, Diontae Johnson, and Najee Harris.
I have no idea what fans are looking for. They want the Pittsburgh Steelers to score 35 points per game and give up 7. That equals success for them I guess. Success is not a season of greatness. Success is sustained over a long period of time. Look at what’s happening with Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. He’s had success but in the last few seasons, everything is falling apart. His success was tied to one player. The Steelers are having it with a revolving door of players.
Tomlin is not perfect. He has his faults. His team is young, and going through a major learning curve, and for that, they get backslapped by their fanbase. Go figure.
