The Steelers talked the talk, but they definitely couldn’t walk the walk. Specifically, on defense. The 13-win season, the division title, the first-round bye; all for not. The season, in my estimation, is a failure.

The Black and Gold defense let them down against the Jaguars offense who is about as dynamic as a High School team in Allegheny County. The blue print to stop them is pretty simple. Stop Leonard Fournette and make Blake Bortles beat you.

Apparently, despite the fact that everyone with a pulse knew that, the Steelers couldn’t execute. Fournette gashed them and because of that, Bortles was able to make just enough plays to keep Jacksonville moving the ball. The Jaguars, who had already used this model to throttle the Steelers in October, garnered 45 points against a defense who showed weaknesses against the run as well as the pass. Stuffing the box did nothing. Don’t even get me started on third downs, they allowed 3rd-and-5’s to turn into 40-yard gains.

The offense isn’t without it’s blame, we’ll get there, but anytime the offense would get the team within striking distance, you could bet dollars to doughnuts the defense was going to fail. It was like clockwork. There is no question the loss of Ryan Shazier surely impacted this team defensively, he was their most dynamic playmaker on that side of the ball and would have made a difference against the run. He wasn’t available and most likely never will be again and the Steelers cannot use that as an excuse. They didn’t game plan well, period.

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Keith Butler should be fired. I don’t see it any other way. I don’t care that his defense led the league in sacks, they couldn’t get pressure on Bortles this past week, let alone a sack! I don’t care if there has been an increase in turnovers created since Butler took over, they didn’t get one in the win or go home scenario they faced on Sunday.

Let’s face it, there was a clear plan to stop the Jags and a sample sheet from October to tell them what to do and they failed, miserably. Because of that, the Steelers, and their fan base, must wait ‘til next year…again.

The defense came up miserably short in the postseason last year because Butler and Mike Tomlin for that matter, have no ability to adjust the plan in game. They are stubborn and would rather die by the original plan vs. making necessary adjustments to advance. Egos are getting in the way. I’ve written this before but the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over and getting the same result. Therefore Butler, and Tomlin are insane. At least insanely defiant and a bit ignorant.

Apparently, they don’t realize that the Super Bowl window for this team is closing, quickly and they allowed it to shut on the 2017 season.

But it’s not just the defense, the offense isn’t without blame. First and foremost, I believe Tomlin’s decision to sit just about all of the starters in week 17 backfired, not surprisingly. I guess he didn’t learn from his good buddy Jim Caldwell with the Colts a little less than a decade ago. They did the same thing and lost every time they were in the playoffs. The blueprint for failure was already laid out, Tomlin ignored it. I understand not playing them the whole game, but a quarter or even a half would have been fine.

The offense came out flat and it cost them.

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Ben Roethlisberger had an all-world game but he’s not without some blame either. The pick inside of their own red zone and the fumble returned for the touchdown can be considered the difference in the game. Yet, Todd Haley’s calls on 4th-and-1 are certainly questionable. Or how about the Steelers not kicking the field goal on fourth down early in the game? Think they’d like those three points now?

There is plenty of blame to go around but one thing is certain, in-between now and next season, things need to change.

The offense is in good shape with Roethlisberger committed to returning. I expect Le’Veon Bell to play for the Steelers in 2018 so they should be equally as potent. If that’s under a new offensive coordinator, so be it, Haley has certainly proven he’s capable of bone headed play calls. Big Ben is a coordinator on the field at this point anyway.

From a coaching standpoint, Butler should go. He’s terrible. If the Steelers fail to release him of his duties; Tomlin will be displaying his usual defiance and ignorance that costs this team regularly. He needs to make the right, sometimes tough decision. If he and the organization are committed to getting another Lombardi trophy, they need to prove this off-season that they are capable of doing the right thing. If they don’t, this team will continue to do what they are doing right now, waiting ‘til next year.