There is a lot of talk about what the Steelers need to do to get over that final hump, and make it back to the Super Bowl. Clearly the AFC Championship game did not go the way the fans, or the team, wanted. Some want to blame Mike Tomlin, Todd Haley or Keith Butler. Sure, the coaches have their fair share of blame for not coming up with a better game plan, but none of those coaches decided to let Chris Hogan run free throughout the secondary with no one anywhere near him at times.

Take a look at this table, and look at the pieces we were missing, and what we had in place of those pieces.

Did Not Play	Played
Cameron Heyward	Ricardo Mathews/L.T. Walton
Martavis Bryant/Markus Wheaton	Sammie Coates/Cobi Hamlilton/Darrius Heyward-Bey
Ladarius Green	Jesse James
Le’Veon Bell (injured during game)	DeAngelo Williams

I don’t know about you, but the left side of that table seems to outweigh the right side!

That is not meant as any disrespect to the guys on the left-hand side. DeAngelo Williams has performed great when he’s been called on to replace Le’Veon. Sammie Coates, Cobi Hamilton and Darrius Heyward-Bey have all provided solid contributions during the season. Ricardo Mathews has been a solid player as well, and definitely an improvement over Cam Thomas as a backup. Letterius Walton I thought, has played up this year.

But nobody is going to come to the conclusion that the backups and role players on the right are an upgrade over what is missing on the left side.

There were people tweeting that Tomlin and his crew should be fired for underperforming with the “weapons” that they have.

Maybe there would be some validity to that claim if, in fact, the weapons they have had actually been on the field.

By my count, once Le’Veon Bell went out of the game, the Steelers had two weapons: Ben and Brown. While technically that does count as “weapons”, it’s hard to believe that anyone would assume that is going to be enough to defeat the Patriots, or frankly, any other playoff capable squad.

In any scenario, it’s difficult to win when your game is one dimensional. Yes, the next man up concept and ideology is part of the Steelers way, and it is one that the players have embraced. However; I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again – there comes a point in time when “the next man up” simply isn’t good enough.

The good news Nation, is that this Steelers team is actually dripping with potential weaponry, both offensively and defensively. Even before we think about the draft, we have guys who can certainly improve the team on both sides of the ball.

Cam Heyward has developed into a Pro-Bowl caliber end for the Steelers. He gets pressure, he has a motor that never stops, and he is the heart and soul of the defense. As I said, Ricardo Mathews was certainly more capable then some people we’ve had as backups, but he is not Cam Heyward. Not even close.

There is more upside on the defense. Senquez Golson has had a tough start, but maybe…just maybe we will get to see what he provides next season. Will Gay has been a really solid player for us for many seasons, and I love the guy…but, it’s hard to argue that he was out matched against the Patriots. He simply couldn’t cover Hogan. Maybe Senquez Golson can provide some youth, speed and skill that might be on the decline in Gay.

In our private SCU “virtual press room”, I’ve often talked about how we fall in love with our role players. We do. For some reason, we think that guys we pick up off other teams practice squads, or off waivers are suddenly going to blossom, simply because they are now wearing Black and Gold.

We all know it doesn’t work that way. Cobi Hamilton, as Ben has said, makes one or two catches a game. Usually they are combat catches. But he’s not a starter folks, and he’s not going to be. The fact that we had to rely so heavily was a problem this year, and it highlighted what was missing from this team. He isn’t Martavis Bryant, and frankly he isn’t even Markus Wheaton. He’s a nice player, and one who might grow, and be a solid contributor, but I don’t see him as a budding star.

Darrius Heyward-Bey has been better than anyone thought he would be after being picked up. He’s been a solid contributor on special teams, and has filled in as a receiver at times, and found ways to contribute. But there is a reason that he’s not a starter, here or anywhere else. He’s a great team guy, and valuable – but he’s not a weapon.

The reason we tend to think these guys are always just about to break out is because every now and then, one of them does. Like Eli Rogers.

Eli Rogers showed a lot of potential, and grew a lot this season. He is one of those guys who might eventually become a “weapon”. Right now, he’s still developing, but getting this year under his belt makes him all the readier for next season!

But think of what we might be getting back next year!

Martavis Bryant is a weapon. He stretches the field. He makes combat catches. And he’s added both muscle and size during his suspension.

Yes, he remains a question mark, he’s not yet reinstated, and we still have to worry about if he’s going to fail another test. But, as you know by now, I’m a glass half full guy, so I’m going to assume that he stays clean, and is reinstated. If that occurs, then the Steelers offense just got a lot better all in one fell swoop.

And don’t forget Markus Wheaton! Wheaton was never 100% this year. That shoulder simply never got to heal correctly. I know he is going to be a free agent, and it really stinks for him because this was a contract year. The silver lining in that for the Steelers is that it’s unlikely that anyone is willing to step up and make a big offer to a guy who was essentially hurt all year. I think the Steelers should, and will sign Wheaton back for a team friendly “prove it” type one year contract. If they do, that again makes the team a little better than it was before. Wheaton isn’t the big play type of guy that AB is, or Martavis, but you know what, think back to last year’s Seattle game – 9 catches for 201 yards and a 22.33 yard per catch average. Wheat has skills.

Sammie Coates got listed above on the right side, but the truth is, he showed early in the season that he has potential as well. Give him the offseason to get those fingers right, and another training camp to get confidence that his fingers are right, and maybe we get the Sammie Coates who kind of looked like Martavis Bryant.

Lastly, I know everyone is really down on Ladarius Green. People are ready to give up on this kid and saying the Steelers should cut their losses and release him. Maybe that will happen. We don’t really know the extent of Green’s condition, and the issues with the concussions. But why give up on someone who proved when he was on the field that he was dynamic, explosive and definitely a weapon? Again, give him the off season to get right, and let’s see if he can be a healthy productive contributor. I love Jesse “The Outlaw” James, but he is not the player Green can be.

Nation, pretend you’re a defensive coordinator for a minute. Next season, the Steelers are coming to town. When they are in a 2 back set the show you Roosevelt Nix, Le’Veon Bell, Ladarius Green, Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant. When they go empty backfield, you get Bell split out, Green, Brown, Bryant and your choice of Sammie Coates, Wheaton or Eli Rogers. When they go five wide, you have AB, Bryant, Coates, Wheaton and Rogers.

How the hell do you defend that?!?

Seriously – you want an offense that has “weapons”, well that is what you have right there. You’d have trouble just using all of them.

This team is loaded offensively, and is getting to be dangerous defensively. A full year of Bud Dupree, and the return of Cam Heyward coupled with growth from Sean Davis, Artie Burns, Stephon Tuitt, Javon Hargrave and Ryan Shazier will make this a difficult defense to handle.

Nation, the future is bright. This is a young team, with budding stars all over the place. The Steelers as we all hoped they would be after last season’s loss to the Broncos were not the Steelers who took the field against the Patriots. Injuries and suspensions took their toll, as the often due, but don’t kid yourselves, this team is loaded with weapons. All we need to do is get them on the field together.

Truth be told, I don’t even care what we add in the draft – if we can field the team that we actually have, this is a Super Bowl contending team.