I am far from the voice of reason. I am not the beginning or end of all things ‘Steelers.’ What I am however is opinionated. When we started steelcityblitz.com our goal was simple. Give real, honest opinions of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
We wouldn’t do fluff and tell you what you wanted to hear simply to gain followers and page views. I’m proud of what we’ve done here in a short amount of time and I have many of you to thank for being loyal readers.
All that said, we have to come to an understanding.
Our Steelers are 2-5 and now must face Tom Brady in New England. Now I’ll root as hard as I always do for a black n’ gold victory but I have to be realistic considering the play of this team last week and the additional injuries to the offensive line. I don’t expect a Steelers’ win on Sunday. Why should I? Because it’s in the Eastern time zone?
What we must understand in the overall scheme of this organization is that all of the change that many of you are already screaming for isn’t going to happen. There will be changes in the postseason to be sure but some of you need a reality check if you think they’ll be of the ‘major’ variety.
For you Mike Tomlin haters, he is your coach in 2014. There is no other way to state that. If Bill Cowher can be allowed to survive three straight non-playoff seasons then certainly Mike Tomlin will survive.
Kevin Colbert? He’ll be back as well. Despite a recent record of drafting that includes more flops than a Premier League match, Colbert will be back in 2014. The Steelers don’t do ‘knee-jerk’ people and they won’t do so here either. I want to see him gone too but it isn’t happening.
For those calling for Dick LeBeau to finally walk into the sunset I can only tell you this; he leaves when he wants to leave. It’s as simple as that. He may face some pressure on the inside but it won’t be enough to force him to go. This will be his decision people.
The biggest lightning rod of them all is of course Todd Haley. Will he be back in 2014? Right now, I’d say yes. The defenders will say that because the offensive line has been in shambles for most of his tenure, he deserves another shot. Ya know what? I could buy that argument with one exception. A good coordinator finds ways to properly use his offense regardless of the OL situation. They are managing in Denver with OL problems aren’t they?
Regardless, the dismissal of Haley is unlikely. The ties to the Rooney family are strong and there is no way they will admit failure.
I’ve also seen many articles this week calling for everyone from LaMarr Woodley to Troy Polamalu to Mike Adams to (insert player here) to be released or traded or whatever. Just so long they aren’t on the roster any longer.
You all realize of course that the salary cap situation in 2014 is likely to be worse right?
It’s time to grasp a cold, hard reality that next year is going to look very similar to this current one. I understand how many of you feel. I would like to see some major changes as well but THEY AREN’T COMING.
This is now a test of your fandom. Can you survive like those of us did in the 1980’s? You’re going to have to people. This isn’t a good football team right now. From coaching to execution it’s a team in disarray.
You can come up with all the scenarios you want to about coaches and general managers being sent packing and players following them right out the door but you need to wake up!. This isn’t the Washington Redskins and this isn’t the Dallas Cowboys. This is the Pittsburgh Steelers where change comes as often as a ninety degree day in February.
Marc Uhlmann writes for and co-owns www.steelcityblitz.com. Follow him on Twitter @steeldad and follow the website at @SCBlitz. He can be heard Mondays on Trib-Live Radio at 630pm ET talking Steelers and is a blogger for ESPN 970 in Pittsburgh.
7 comments
You know something you are probably right. Big changes do need to be made but even i said it . This is a big mess it’s going to take some time to fix it. And the cold hard truth is the people that are going to fix it aren’t here yet. I for one will still cheer for the black and gold let’s just hope it doesn’t take too long.
I agree but something has to change between Colbert or Haley at the very least. The line one both sides of the ball have been failing more and more for years now. Colbert has wasted high draft pics on both lines, DeCastro, Adams, Hood, Heyward, Gilbert etc.. He has to be held accountable as the talent level on this team is very poor. I think we stay with Haley only because Ben doesn’t have time for another scheme change on offense. Our window of having a franchise QB is getting shorter by day and we are wasting it away with Colbert’s poor drafting year after year!
I share the pain. How many things in life do Steeler fans endure helped by the fact that the team that they love is awesome; “if they just win this week I can make it”. The team is struggling with execution but is still competitive. I agree that recent Steeler first rounders are not dominant but previous picks were like Timmons, Miller, Polamolu, Ben to name a few were great picks. But, who is the face of the team? Timmons? I mean who is that feared intense guy like Harrison, Bettis, Greg Lloyd, Donnie Shell and a host of others? They are not physically dominating opponents right now. Remember under Arians when although the running game was weaker than usual they could consistently complete passes on third down to move the chains? The current offensive scheme is not dynamic. Where is the bunch formation? The deep passes? Play action? Running setting up the pass? It seems like most of the offensive plays are short and predictable. Todd Haley may be a good coach, but his scheme is inferior to previous offensive schemes. I still like coach Tomlin, but where is the player accountability? How many times did Sanders mess up in the first half against the Raiders only to finally make a couple plays late in the game when it was too late. Where is the consistency with Antonio Brown dropping a crucial sideline 3rd down pass? But when he makes a play, he acts like he just saved the world from destruction. For so many years our team has had incredibly clutch dependable and consistent players who inspired each other and the Steeler Nation. (Hines Ward). Coach Cowher endeared himself to us because he was so intense and got pissed off, the players and fans loved it. Tomlin sometimes seems like a player peer rather than the 4star General. Lets get this team an identity and another offensive scheme. The defense is still playing well despite integrating two new linebackers but the read option is not new, I almost broke my tv watching the first play of the Raiders game. With 3 takeaways against the Raiders and still losing, I don’t know what to expect going forward.
Thanks for commenting Tim. These are tough times for the Steeler Nation and when we lack identity it hurts even more. I don’t even think the players know what this team is about any longer.
This Article is SAD, But TRUE ! Next year will be like “Groundhog Day” ! All the same Culprits of this MESS will still be There. “C’MON MAN”, Rooney show some Guts and make the changes Needed ! At least I can Dream !
This Article is SAD, But TRUE ! It will be like “Groundhog Day” next year. All of the same Culprits of this Mess will still be there. “C’MON MAN, Rooney show some Guts and “Do The Right Thing” and Rebuild YOUR Team, Coaching Staff, Front Office and Scouting ! You are making Nutting look like the Best Owner in Town — Now that is some Feat !
It’s a sad article alright Rick and it wasn’t easy to write. I have never been more interested to get into an offseason as I have this one. There will be some changes no doubt, I just want to see what kind and who they affect.