SCB Steelers Quick Hitters: the ‘Playing Scared’ Edition

Good Tuesday to you Steelers fans.

Don’t blame me, Mason Cole is the one who said it. I’m just a messenger. I’m a disgusted messenger but a messenger nonetheless. Cole, the starting center for the Pittsburgh Steelers, said after the loss on Sunday that the offense is “playing scared.” I’ll get into why in a second because what I need to do first of all is throw up. A Pittsburgh Steeler said that? A player for one of the best organizations in pro sports said that? About a team that has defined playing with attitude and confidence for 50 years plus now? That, in and of itself, is an indictment of just how bad things are in Pittsburgh. But let me get into the “why.” Fear, or in this case, “playing scared,” comes from one thing… A lack of confidence. Good teams go into games confident in what they are doing. They are confident in the gameplan the coaches have provided and they are confident in their own abilities to carry out said gameplan. When that confidence is no longer present, fear enters in like the stink from your Uncle after Thanksgiving dinner. Fear finds every and any crack it can to gain access to you and there is no doubt in my mind that fear has found a home in the locker room of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Because he’s the head coach, it starts with Mike Tomlin. But Matt Canada and Teryl Austin are the real problems. It is abundantly clear that this team, especially the offense, lacks confidence and it lacks any sense of continuity and togetherness. Watch the body language when this unit leaves the field. It’s as if someone has stolen their dog yet the dog is having a better time with its captor. That’s a lack of confidence my friends and that’s why this team is playing scared.

Tomlin Tuesday

Coach Tomlin will hold his weekly presser today and this one is one of the more anticipated in recent memory. Not only do we need to hear updates on injuries, but we need to get more insight on what the “changes” Mike Tomlin spoke of Sunday. As I’ve already stated this week, don’t hold your breath on them being anything significant.

Snap Thoughts

Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren each played 29 snaps Sunday which meant they were on the field for 49% of the offense’s plays. I think the balance was skewed slightly due to the use of Warren a lot more as the Steelers trailed in the second half. They clearly feel he’s more dynamic as a receiver… The inside linebacker rotation has been interesting. Cole Holcomb has been on the field for 83% of the defensive snaps while Kwon Alexander has 58% and Elandon Roberts is at 39%. To be brutally honest, Holcomb has been disappointing and it showed on Sunday as he was pancaked by Kendrick Green and receiver John Metchie III. Sure, these things happen, but it’s been happening far too often for Holcomb… Joey Porter, Jr’s snaps went down significantly from last week when he had 27. He saw just 10 snaps on D this past week in Houston and that was mostly because the Texans weren’t forcing the Steelers into dime packages.

Trades?

There is very little that Steelers’ GM Omar Khan can do to suddenly turn this team around but there are areas where some upgrades prior to the trade deadline could help into the future. If there’s a center available I think he has to look hard that. Mason Cole was serviceable last season but has regressed in 2023. What about cornerback help? It sure feels like they aren’t in a hurry to play JPJ regularly any time soon so an upgrade over Levi Wallace would be welcome. I’d also look for a slot corner too. Chandon Sullivan just isn’t the guy. If Dan Moore is down for a significant portion of the season, finding a veteran tackle might be a good idea too.