Overreactions from Steelers Nation: Is there time to be patient?
Welcome to my weekly edition of “Overreactions from Steelers Nation”. This week, I’m diving deep into the panic-induced fluster fans feel when their favorite team loses.
Once upon a time the Pittsburgh Steelers were a feared opponent. Teams would mark their date against the Black and Gold on the calendar – for many, a win over them would be their “Super Bowl”.
Their offensive explosiveness as well as sheer dominance from their defensive unit gave their opponents nightmares while also being a perfect pick for football fans who like to bet on NFL action.
Four weeks into the 2021 NFL season has served as an unexpected, yet kind of expected, outcome.
On the Steel City Underground podcast, myself and Zach Metkler warned fans that a 2-2 record following the first quarter of the season was all but likely – and that the team could end up even worse at 1-3, which is where they currently stand.
There’s no doubt that that we are all doubting the Steelers future, from this season to beyond. Mike Tomlin has pulled a rabbit out of his hat before, but he definitely has his hands full, as the yinzers are in near riot mode early on.
Here’s some of the overreactions from Week 4’s fallout in a loss to the Green Bay Packers.
The season is over
I get it, I do. It’s hard to look at the Bengals and Browns sitting atop the AFC North with 3-1 records.
Losing to the Bengals was also painful, and did the Steelers zero favors. However, the defense which played against Cincinnati hardly resembled that of the one that was on the field against Buffalo. In fact, the losses to the Raiders and Bengals saw the Steelers down such star players as T.J. Watt, Devin Bush, Joe Haden, Alex Highsmith and Tyson Alualu.
In-game and pregame injuries hindered the progress of this unit, and it’s not fair to say they are no longer elite when they haven’t been together for every game thus far. (This includes Stephon Tuitt, last year’s runner-up to Watt in the sacks category, who is still currently on IR.)
A healthy defense can prop up the offense, or at least that’s the hope.
Up next are the 3-1 Denver Broncos, who may be without QB Teddy Bridgewater (concussion) and won their games against both New York teams (bad teams) and the Jacksonville Jaguars (arguably the worst team in the league).
The Seattle Seahawks come to town next, sporting the NFL’s worth defense in just about every statistical category. A bye week, trip to Cleveland, and dates against the Bears and Lions could see the Steelers right the ship just as their schedule begins to tighten up towards winter.
Bench Big Ben
This reaction I’ll partially agree with: if he’s hurt, he has to sit.
This doesn’t mean that Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins will necessarily do better – and with the shape of the offensive line, they could do worse. However, there are throws that Ben Roethlisberger is easily missing that I feel either of these two quarterbacks could make.
There’s also a potential for disaster too, as either QB could throw picks or turn the ball over, seeing the Steelers defeat themselves. It’s not as if Pittsburgh can lean on a running game to allow their passers to throw 20 attempts either.
Therefore, Ben still gives the team the best chance to win. The only question remaining is at what cost?
Kevin Colbert didn’t do enough to fix the offensive line
This one boils me. Fans believe the Steelers shouldn’t have drafted Najee Harris or Pat Freiermuth. A running back and a tight end were a luxury.
Not really.
Both are positions that help support the quarterback – and looking ahead, that could mean Roethlisberger or his eventual replacement.
The truth is, the offensive linemen available at the Steelers selections in the first and second rounds wouldn’t have helped the line much, if at all, over the other skill positions.
The online “draft experts” all wanted OT Teven Jenkins, who had a lingering back injury and may not even suit up for the Chicago Bears this season.
It’s arguable that Liam Eichenberg (Dolphins), Walker Little (Jaguars), Jackson Carman (Bengals) or Sam Cosmi (Washington), and Dillon Radunz (Titans) would’ve been better contributors. All were selected after Harris, who would’ve been gone by the time the Steelers were on the clock in the second round.
I’m almost willing to bet they felt one of these players may have fell to them in round two also. When they didn’t, the Steelers opted for the best all-around tight end in the draft rather than the 11th tackle to come off of the board.
The Steelers were also counting on David DeCastro to return – and he did – saying he was walking away the day players reported to training camp. Pittsburgh had chump change to spend on free agents prior to DeCastro’s release, which further impended their ability to go after any “big name” linemen this offseason.
Trai Turner was the best of what was left, for what that’s worth.
Therefore, the picks were justified and we have to live with how this has played out. When we see Harris and Freiermuth used to their potential, you see excellent scoring drives like the one in Week 3 against the Bengals. (But for whatever reason, Freiermuth still hasn’t become the weapon he’s destined to be.)
Patience is virtue. The problem is, time might run out on this season before everything falls into place.
