Hey Steelers Fans. Welcome to Tuesday.
The Kickoff
I’m not right very often (just ask my wife and kids) but in this case I feel like I’m hitting the nail on the head. There’s still plenty of time for me to be wrong and I hope I am in the most positive way possible but my confidence is waning. At the beginning of the season I predicted the Steelers would finish 8-9 handing Mike Tomlin his first ‘losing season.’ Currently the team is 6-5 with six games remaining. Should they go .500 over those games then Tomlin’s streak survives. I just don’t think it will. In their final six games, the Steelers will play four of the top offenses in the NFL (Bills, Lions Ravens twice) and will also play in Cleveland while they host Miami. If Sunday’s loss in Chicago did anything for me, it was that I feel very resigned to our fate now. The Ravens have pulled into a first-place tie but they currently own the tie-breaker. The Steelers’ players interviewed following the game Sunday continue to repeat the same talking points we’ve heard for years now. “Communication issues…. We need to get it fixed… Blah, blah, blah.” And so it goes. Maybe this team will shock all of us and suddenly start to play better and win more than they lose but 11 games, you are who you are and I’m resigned to that too.
Podcast Tonight!
Please do not forget that we are airing the latest episode of the SCB Steelers Podcast presented by DEK Roofing Inc. tonight at 10pmET! I did post the latest installment of my ‘Inside Blitz‘ last night. The focus was largely on Mike Tomlin. You’ve been warned.
M.I.A.
You may have noticed that Kaleb Johnson is on the feature image for today’s article. Yes, that was intentional. Despite being on the active roster for Sunday’s game, Johnson didn’t see one snap of action. The week prior against the Bengals, he saw eight snaps on offense and zero on Special Teams. While it’s fair to say that both Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell are deserving of their time on the field, one has to wonder why Johnson has seemingly regressed as the season has gone on. Right now, his draft selection is looking like a huge swing and miss.
Playing to Win? Or Not to Lose?
This came up in our chat this morning… Does Mike Tomlin play to win or does he often play “not to lose?” If you’ve been around sports long enough then you know this is a real thing. Playing ‘not to lose’ means going out of your way to avoid plays or areas of the field that may have higher risks for disaster. This can often lead to a lot of victories but it can also lead to missed opportunities as well. I would argue that Tomlin’s often conservative approach comes off as ‘playing not to lose’ which I’m sure he and many others would disagree. For me, the proof seems to be in the pudding.
Random Reads
I hate seeing college football games at neutral sites. The latest to do this is Georgia Tech who should be hosting rival Georgia at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Instead they are playing at the Mercedes-Benz Dome. Tech reportedly received $10 million to move the game there. Very unfortunate… Last week we saw a player spit on another. Last night in Monday Night Football we saw a player punch another player right in the balls. What in the Hell is going on with these guys… I think Lane Kiffin is going to LSU but I think that’s a mistake personally. We shall see…
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