Good Monday to you Steelers fans.
Chances are good that you watched quite a bit of postseason action this past weekend. If you did, you saw all four games come down to the final play or overtime. What you also saw is just how far the Pittsburgh Steelers have fallen in terms of overall talent compared to the rest of the best. In recent years, the Steelers have lacked explosiveness on offense. They have consistently lacked that one guy who can take it to the house any time he touches it. One could argue that all eight of this weekend’s teams had at least one of those players and in some cases more. But you also saw just how far off this offensive line is too. Yes, it’s young and lacks the type of veteran leadership you need but in terms of consistent blocking and protection (save for Cincy and their nine surrendered sacks) we have a ways to go. Defensively, nothing stood out more to me than our lack of inside linebacker talent. Devin Bush was supposed to be in the echelon of a lot of the guys we saw this weekend and he’s not there. Joe Schobert? Robert Spillane? Forget it. All this said, it doesn’t mean the Steelers can’t compete. They showed that with all of their warts in 2021 that they could still finish over .500 and make the postseason. But make no mistake, the talent gap between us and the teams still playing is large making this offseason even more crucial.
Tweet of the Day… This is most likely to meet the requirements of the Rooney Rule in which you must interview a minority candidate from outside the organization.
The #Steelers put in a request to interview #Giants DC Patrick Graham for the same position in Pittsburgh, per source.
They're seeking a replacement for Keith Butler, who retired Saturday, and Graham is well-regarded.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 24, 2022
A-Rod
Now that Aaron Rodgers is out of the tournament, the speculation of course will only ramp up more and more each day regarding where he’ll play in 2022 if he plays at all. Let’s keep in mind a couple of things here. He is still under contract and is not a free agent. This means in order to come to Pittsburgh he would have to be acquired in a trade. He is one year younger than Ben Roethlisberger. Granted, he doesn’t have nearly the mileage but I don’t see the rebuilding Steelers trading multiple draft picks for Rodgers. To borrow the words of Regina from ‘Mean Girls,’ “It’s not going to happen.”
The Draft
28 of the 32 first round selections are now locked in and in case you weren’t aware, the Steelers will be picking 20th.
The QB Position
After watching the games this weekend I don’t think you can say with 100% certainty that you have to have a QB who is a threat to run. Matthew Stafford and Jimmy Garoppallo are a game away from the Super Bowl and I wouldn’t describe either as overly athletic. Make no mistake though, having a QB that can scramble for a first down the way both Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes can is a major asset. Those are the types of QBs that frustrate the hell out of defenses. I am not saying that’s what the Steelers need but it would sure be nice.
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