Is it too soon for sportsbooks to be predicting Steelers awards?
Like almost every sports reporting site today, we receive information from sportsbooks on a near-daily basis about favorable odds and possible stinkers that could sink a fan’s payout if they’re readily participating in wagering on the NFL. Providing this information to Pittsburgh Steelers fans naturally assists those we relate to, as fellow fans ourselves, if they opt to participate in an activity that has taken off in the most current era of modern sports.
It was a bit surprising that many sportsbooks are already predicting awards that Steelers players would be given at the end of the 2024 NFL regular season.
As a fan, do you think it’s too early to consider awards, or is the timing perfect to set up what you’ll be paying attention to throughout the season?
What is being predicted?
Offshore Sportsbooks, a site that allows fans to easily click here for the best NFL betting sites broached the awards topic by writing, “It used to be Super Bowl or bust in the NFL, and to a large degree it still is, but the rise of individualism and perhaps the growing partnership with betting companies has allowed a brighter spotlight to shine on the individual awards.”
Their predictive language mainly surrounds veteran quarterback Russell Wilson. His career has been filled with achievements, although most came before he joined the Steelers this year and enters his first official training camp with the team in Latrobe. They state he’s a “strong contender for the MVP, passing leader, Super Bowl champion, Walter Payton Man of the Year, and touchdown leader.”
Russell Wilson on his new team: “When I was with the Yankees, spring training and being around those guys, it was an organizational thing, the championships, the mentality. I believe the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s an organizational thing, the character of the men that we have.” pic.twitter.com/8YznUkbLz7
— Mike Prisuta (@DVEMike) July 25, 2024
While Wilson is not actually the most experienced player on the Steelers roster, Offshore Sportsbooks is correct that Wilson is the quarterback currently rostered who has the most NFL experience. They stated, “Bookmakers are betting (Wilson) to be the MVP, but he is considered a rank outsider.” That makes sense since fans have yet to see how Wilson fits into the new Steelers offense. There are a lot of factors that will have to go just right for him to enter real contention for that award.
They went further, stating, ” If (Wilson) can take the team to new heights and actually win the Super Bowl, he could be named MVP, Super Bowl MVP and be given the keys to the city of Pittsburgh.”
Personally, I think that’s a bit of an overreach at this point. Would it be exciting if those scenarios panned out? I can’t say that I wouldn’t be happy if they did. I think Steelers fans would all love to see Wilson jump-start a more effective Pittsburgh offense this upcoming season.
The other player they heavily focused on makes perfect sense: T.J. Watt. Watt has been named AFC Defensive Player of the Year three times.
“Astute Pittsburgh Steelers fans will appreciate that T.J. Watt has already won the Defensive Player of the Year moniker. That was back in 2021 when he matched the 22.5 sack record set by Michael Strahan in 2001,” the sportsbook pointed out. “If Watt can go a whole season without any injury, he has shown that he’s easily one of the best defensive players in the NFL.”
Where I disagree
The ‘Comeback Player of the Year’ is predicted by Offshore as potentially being Wilson or Justin Fields. Both quarterbacks certainly did struggle last season with the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears, respectively, but that hardly bumps them into consideration. Bad play and form isn’t anywhere near recovering from a season-ending injury only to come out the next season and make a major impact on the game.
I generally play the wait-and-see with this type of award. It’s nearly impossible to predict as early as training camp. Don’t let me dissuade you if you’re up to taking that on as your prop.
They also hypothesized that Mike Tomlin would win ‘Coach of the Year’ and that if there were a ‘Steeler of the Year Award’ – which there officially is not – it would be Steely McBeam. Yes, you read that correctly.
Let’s address the humorous item first. They stated, “In theory, Steely McBeam, as the mascot can do very little wrong, he could win it if all the players fail to perform.” No, no he couldn’t. And wouldn’t. And there’s no way I’d recommend that as an actual option to fans I was trying to advise, in a serious manner, about wagering. Ever.
I think it was said tongue-in-cheek due to the fact that Offshore admitted, “At present, it could be any of the roster…If the team are all terrible throughout the season, it seems disingenuous to name a ‘Steeler of the Year’.” I think they meant players on the roster and players on the team, but it was difficult to decipher beyond the fact that they took found it a less than ideal award to predict.
As for Tomlin, there are two sides to the coin. Half of ‘Steeler Nation’ has been wanting him fired for two seasons; the other half, and many players across the league see him as an important factor in Pittsburgh’s success.
How does Mike Tomlin overcome those 50/50 odds and win a ‘Coach of the Year Award’ then?
Tomlin’s sole pathway to winning that award for the 2024 season will be multi-faceted. One, he will have to command his new coordinators in order to have effective offense, defense, and special teams. Second, Tomlin will need to win back fans who believe he doesn’t require discipline or accountability from his players. The Steelers will have to have a win-loss record that far exceeds .500 and gets them into the playoffs. Finally, as far as fans and many award voters expressively feel, Tomlin will need the 2024 Steelers to go to the Super Bowl. A championship would all but seal the deal.
I’m more pragmatic on a personal level. I haven’t been one to blame any NFL head coach, including Tomlin, when an individual player refused to play to their best ability because, as a former competitive athlete, I was always coached that motivation, accountability, and effort were solely my responsibility, as was my attitude.
Offshore asked, “Will Tomlin rip up his blueprints to find a new way to win football matches? …If he can magically construct a postseason powerhouse out of a new team that is a direct product of his coaching, the NFL may consider him for this accolade.”
But will fans? My prediction is that there are fans who don’t like Tomlin, no matter what, and would never see him as ‘Coach of the Year’ regardless of how well the Steelers perform. I’m basing that on comments fans have publicly made, not just my opinion.
Ultimately, the question comes back to this: Is it too soon to be predicting NFL awards the Steelers may win in 2024?
