Home Steelers 2021 Season The Proverbial Thread is Fraying in Pittsburgh

The Proverbial Thread is Fraying in Pittsburgh

by Bobby Curran
Big Ben of the Steelers. steelcityblitz.com

Our beloved Pittsburgh Steelers have been hanging on by the proverbial thread for about three seasons now. I, for one, am the eternal optimist when it comes to our Black & Gold. I’ve always said that with Ben Roethlisberger behind center and our defense, we’ll be able to compete and be there in the mix at the end of the day. The sun is setting. 

When Ben went down with the elbow and the Mason Rudolph & Duck Hodges combo had us on the verge of a playoff berth going into the stretch run, optimism was at an all time high for our defense. Those eleven men on the defensive side of the ball kept us in games, swarmed to the football, created turnovers, and won us ball games. One of the biggest issues the Killer B teams had in the mid 2010’s was the defense making QB’s look like hall of famers. Well, those days are creeping back.

There’s been an undying push to hold onto what they can while they have Ben so we can push to the possibility of another Championship appearance. It’s understandable. We finally have a good defense to match with Ben, who at this point, just needs to get the ball into his playmakers hands and don’t mess it up, right? Now, fast forward to last season. 11-0, feeling wonderful. All is well. The offense is putting up 25+ points a game and the defense is doing its thing. Until teams started 0 blitzing Ben and pressing the WR’s, not allowing the quick throws that had gotten them to that point. With the complete lack of ability to attack the middle of the field in the passing game and no answer for the press, the offense was stuck. Hence the finish that we all witnessed. 

Ever since that fateful Wednesday afternoon last season against that team from Baltimore, we’ve seen what we’re going to get from the Steelers offense. It continues all the way to today. The offense is at its’ best when Ben is in the no huddle, drawing plays in the dirt, and chucking the ball up in hopes that his guys come down with it. That’s it. That’s our offense. The RPO glance route that he sometimes double clutches and we get penalties for illegal man downfield is still there too. The minute they huddle, the play is over. You’re going to see a wing back or a WR go in motion, who will never get the ball, Najee Harris goes against the grain only to be met by a LB who filled his gap untouched. The offense is what it is for now and this season. It’s Ben’s show or we got nothing. That’s just the way it is. 

 

Defensively, I honestly don’t know where to start. Watching this team fit the run is gut wrenching. Ironically, there’s a lot of ways to fit the run. I can’t stand when fans criticize professional players, they’re professionals and we, as fans, are not in the coaching meetings and we don’t know how they’re being coached. However, some things are very valid in critique.  Some defenses want their guys screaming down hill into gaps. Some, like Georgia play a style of stack, track, fallback fits where the LB’s are more patient and play different reads. For those that don’t know what I’m referring to, I’ll gladly break it down for you, just comment below and we’ll chat. My point is, there’s one hundred ways to fit the run. In my defense on the HS varsity level, we play stack, track, fallback with quarters coverage. We have defenders “in the fit” or “out of the fit” depending on how the offense aligns. It coincides with the coverage calls. The Steelers coverage seems to live in either cover 1, or a spot drop zone. The latter of which is the bane of my existence. Spot drop zone is about as easily carved up as the bird that was on all of our tables this past Thursday. I digress. Teams are running away from Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt. That’s an easy solution. Our defense has been injured, yes, but at what point do we stop with the excuse of “well, that guy is out.” Professional football players should be able to fill a gap. Sorry if I don’t buy the injury excuses. I just do not. You are in the NFL. You should be able to get off of a block and make a tackle. Period. 

To wrap this rant up, I just want to say that we are who we are. The offense isn’t going to change and the defense better or it’s going to be a long end to the season. If we win some games down the stretch, they will grind it out style. We will be down at some point, Ben will lead some drives. They’ll be close games, with a Boz kick to win it. That’s who we are. Can the Steelers turn it around? Hey, I’m an optimist, I always believe in them. They can certainly string together some performances to pull it out. The rest of this season is the end of some eras. We all know who they are, but we should enjoy them. Win or lose. It may be tough. We can and will pull some of these out. I know I’m in the minority, but I believe we’ll win some of these games. Understand what’s coming. Enjoy what’s left. Here we go!

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