At some point, someone in the front office of the Pittsburgh Steelers has to look at everyone else and ask, “What are we doing?” Through the first two weeks of the season the team is fortunate to be 1-1. The offense has scored one touchdown in eight quarters. Ironically, that’s also the same number of touchdowns scored by the Steelers’ defense. But there are even bigger concerns and questions for this team following today’s 20-3 loss in New England.
The Offensive Line is Bad
Is that too harsh? Too bad! There isn’t one guy across that unit that played “well” today. The tackles are a mess and Spencer Anderson whiffed more than Reggie Jackson. Zach Frazier was shoved backwards on numerous occasions and Mason McCormick – who probably played better than the other four – was less than stellar.
There is no “push” in the running game. They are unable to move guys out of the way which is leading to running backs being contacted about the time they get the ball. Pass protection is a disaster. Free rushers were coming on an almost routine basis and the lack of communication was alarming. There is zero reason at this point to keep Max Iheanachor and Gennings Dunker on the bench.
Metcalf is Lost
D.K. Metcalf has a better chance of catching a cold right now than he does a football. His inability to make plays when he does catch it is also alarming. The trade for him looks worse with every snap he’s on the field for right now. He looks lost and disinterested at times and was largely erased by Christian Gonzalez today. The bulk of his 27 receiving yards came in garbage time. He’s been a complete disappointment so far.
Rodgers is Wasting Our Time
Every time that Aaron Rodgers takes a snap he helps push the future of the organization back. I don’t blame Rodgers for this. He wants to play and the Steelers are the ones who have given him the opportunity. So it’s the front office that I blame for kicking the can down the road. The loss to the Patriots wasn’t all Rodgers’ fault. He had little time to throw and the lack of running game again made it easy for the Patriots’ defense.
But what did Omar Khan, Art Rooney II, Kevin Weidl and company see today to makes them think this team is capable of being good? The defense kept the team in the game as long as they possibly could but this is not a scenario that can hold up over 15 more games. Even when Rodgers did have time to throw he wasn’t always accurate. Is that rust from not playing in any preseason game? Maybe, or maybe its the fact that he’s closing in on 43 years old and the overall ability just isn’t there anymore.
The front office is responsible for building this team and the offense specifically and they’ve done a horrible job of doing that. Rodgers was wanted by exactly one team this offseason – the Steelers – and look where it’s gotten them. They can’t protect him and he can’t do anything to overcome it. So while the future remains on hold, we get Rodgers, a struggling offensive line and a receiver who can’t get out of his own head.
Featured image courtesy Trib-Live
