PITTSBURGH STEELERS OPININON

The Pittsburgh Steelers are making changes this offseason, but if there’s no improvement the only person to blame is Mike Tomlin.

Ben Roethlisberger is a proven winning quarterback in the NFL. Two Super Bowls, a Super Bowl MVP and still winning passing titles at age 36; Big Ben has earned his place amongst the reliable QBs in the league.

Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell are filled with off-the-field issues, but on the field they’re two of the best offensive players in football. For years, these two have maintained a dominant presence in the NFL, but as their antics become more aggressive it’s become more difficult to keep them on the roster.

Now, both are likely on their way out. After the Steelers most embarrassing season in years, the downward spiral of Twitter posts, rap songs and media lash outs hit rock bottom. And when everything hit the fan, Kevin Colbert and Dan Rooney II turned to the two loudest players in the locker room to point the blame.

It’s about changing the culture. All you hear from analysts, former players and media outlets far and wide is how it’s not the talent it’s the atmosphere, and by removing Brown and Bell the Steelers are capable of changing that culture.

Once the two are gone the noise is expected to stop. Pittsburgh should become as boring as any team in the league, which should correlate to more wins and eventually a Super Bowl. But what if it doesn’t? What if Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell spend 2019 in new uniforms and the Steelers still miss the playoffs or lose before the Super Bowl?

If it isn’t Brown or Bell, and Ben is nearly irreplaceable, the next step of the ladder is Mike Tomlin.

As the story of the Steelers’ locker room unfolds, we’re learning more of how loose Tomlin kept his hold on Brown. A players coach who could talk his team out of any situation regarding the media, slowly dug himself a hole trying to keep the headlines away and the locker room noise low.

His seat becomes the most watched in the NFL once changes are made. Removing the noise should solve more problems than it creates. The depiction is that the team gets better after the drama is gone. If that’s not true, the only person to blame is Tomlin.