Is there something wrong with the Killer B’s?
Is there something wrong with the Killer B’s?
Le’Veon Bell still has not shown up to work and there is a buzz about him being traded. Ben Roethlisberger is washed up by throwing three interceptions in two games and can’t win a game. Antonio Brown has more off-field drama where he tweets about being traded and the cameras caught him spatting at Randy Fichtner. Chris Boswell has missed his only two field goal opportunities and missed an extra point attempt. Is there something wrong with the offensive firepower that is supposed to carry the Pittsburgh Steelers to Super Bowl 53?
Let’s find out.
Ben Roethlisberger
Another start to a football season, another disappointing result in the first few weeks of real football. Does this mean there is something wrong with Big Ben? In short, no there is not.
Ben had a rough outing to start out against the team he has dominated his entire career. Throwing three interceptions does not go over well for the hungry media who will find any excuse to write Ben off. Of course, Ben and the Steelers were not able to beat the Browns, but they did not lose either. Those Bud Light coolers did not open due to our Steelers, that embarrassment came from the New York Jets. Ben slugged through poor playing conditions and still put up 335 yards through the air and let an offense to put up 472 total yards. Again, there were many flaws we have already discussed about this game and how the Steelers could not win, but the very first game of the season does not negate what Ben can do for the rest of the season. That being said, Roethlisberger was not the issue in a frustrating loss against the Chiefs. Chalk the first quarter up to more preseason play. After that, Ben did just about everything he could do to try and win the game. 452 passing yards, 65% completion rate, 3 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown, do those stats look like something is wrong with QB1 of the Pittsburgh Steelers? No, there is nothing wrong with Ben Roethlisberger.
sometimes a simple “thank you” can go a long way…I feel like too many ppl take me for granted…
— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) September 23, 2018
Le’Veon Bell
Le’Veon could be an article in itself, and I think most Steelers fans are now on the same page in regards to how they feel about the star running back. If fans realize that the Steelers cannot pay him more money right now or that they should trade him, both of which they cannot physically do without Bell signing his tender, then most fans have shifted towards one way of thinking over Bell. I’ll repeat this once since it has been said one thousand times: the Steelers cannot give Bell more money or talk a long-term contract. They cannot officially trade him until he signs, and the Steelers are now, publicly taking calls for Le’Veon. What more can the Steelers do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Bell is galivanting on jet skis and partying while his team is doing their best to fight for their brothers on the battlefield, but Le’Veon wants to “save himself” for his next team. Is there something wrong with Le’Veon Bell? Of course, there is. He has distanced himself from the organization, and whether or not you agree with what the Steelers did in trying to negotiate a contract, Bell has become the villain in a city he once loved.
Antonio Brown
A very contradictory argument on Antonio Brown and if there is something wrong with him. The media is portraying him as a villain and twisting his every action into something that it is not.
Brown has had his fair share of bone-headed decisions. Videotaping the locker room after the game, throwing the water cooler, all decisions he could have thought about before he did them. His recent accusations, they are nothing like what he has done in the past.
Let’s start with the spat that he and Randy Fichtner had. First off, go back and look at the tape. Brown and Fichtner were having a conversation. Brown never shouted or got animated. You could tell he was frustrated, but that was because he was frustrated that the team wasn’t a winner. You are the best receiver in the NFL, getting triple teamed, not getting the yards you usually do, and your team is losing, how are you not frustrated with everything?
Later that week, Brown stated that he and Randy had a great relationship. He stated that Fichtner was the reason Brown is on the Steelers and is the player he is today, and he is never going to forget that. Randy was the one who went to Central Michigan and got the Steelers to get him.
Next, the “trade request.” This is another topic I could write an entire article on; mainly how dumb Ryan Scarpino was in how he framed the question. Someone was flushing all his hard work down the toilet by saying everyone else made him who he is today, and he was responsible for none of his accomplishments. That’s ludicrous to even think, and Brown would still be one of the better receivers in the NFL, even if he had someone like Blaine Gabbert throwing him the ball.
Brown has not had the yards or touchdowns for his normal, but if 18 receptions for 160 yards and a touchdown is his absolute worst, then I think we’re in good hands. There is nothing wrong with Antonio Brown, just give it a game or two.
Chris Boswell
Rough start to a season for a kicker who won multiple games for the Steelers last season in the final seconds. Boz has missed both field goals and one extra point attempt. Everyone is entitled to a bad game here and there. I will be worried if 5 or 6 games into the season and he has missed 7 field goals. We need to give him a pass for missing the game-winning field goal against the Browns when he did it time and time again last season, without fail. Just give him time to find his rhythm again. There is nothing wrong with Chris Boswell two games into the season.
To conclude, the Steelers have their problems to fix on and off the field, but Ben, Brown, and Boz are not one of them. Too much judgment is placed on the first two or three games of the season, good or bad, and teams change drastically from Week 1 to Week 17 and beyond. Let’s not freak out just yet.
