It will no longer
benefit the Pittsburgh Steelers to lock their doors at night because the New
England Patriots are already in the house.
The 2018 NFL season was a disappointing season for the Pittsburgh
Steelers, to say the least. Actually, the last handful of
seasons have all ended well short of expectations. Even though the Steelers
have been blessed for a number of years with some of the best skill position
players in the league, they have zero titles to show for it. The excuses have
been plentiful; ranging from injuries, suspensions, holdouts, etc. Through all
the underachieving seasons there have been two constant concerns breathing down
the Steelers neck, Father Time and the New England
Patriots.
The Patriots are like a masked killer in any slasher flick,
and the Steelers have represented the libido crazed teenagers. You know the
stereotype. Good looking, care free, over confident, and always engaging in
questionable behavior. The Patriots have been closing in on their status of
most Super Bowl titles
by a franchise, but the Steelers have proven incapable of doing anything to
stop the assault.
The Steelers have resembled a panicking teen who is running
aimlessly at full speed in no particular direction, repeatedly tripping over
their own feet for no apparent reason, as the theme music eerily gets louder as
the steady gait of the killer inexplicably allows him to overtake the victim.
That perfectly describes the Patriots in their pursuit; consistent unrelenting
pressure. The Patriots have finally caught the Steelers and a new question
arises. What will the Steelers do now?
The Steelers really only have two options, fight or die. The
Steelers can accept their fate and perish, similar to the scantily clad
cheerleader or the token virgin nerd who are always earmarked as the first to
die. The other option is to take a page from the mysterious, troubled loner
with a backstory that inevitably fights to survive. The realization that
survival may require mimicking your opponent's unfamiliar strategy. This off
season for the Pittsburgh Steelers will offer visual evidence of what type of
franchise they want to be.
As Anthony Defeo detailed in an article just this week, the
Steelers have already displayed an apparent shift in team building principles
during the past couple of drafts. After apparently getting their fill of the
talented me first players already under contract, the Steelers have narrowed
their search to potential draft picks of high character who possess reputations
of being good teammates. I fully expect that trend to continue this off season,
especially considering this past drama filled season of discontent.
While that is a good place to start, it really is only the
tip of the iceberg. The Steelers need to reexamine their entire modus operandi
if they intend on winning another Super Bowl in today's NFL.
The Steelers franchise is renowned for loyalty, to their
players and their coaches. But loyalty goes both ways, and society standards
have changed even though the Rooneys have not. At one time a man's word was his
bond, and a handshake was as good as a signed contract. Not being a man of your
word would bring disgrace to your family. That is no longer the case, nor how
business is done.
The Steelers have displayed loyalty to a few players lately
that haven't responded in kind. Instead of sacrificing their individual stats
and talents for the betterment of the team, these particular individuals have
been more concerned with setting salary precedents and their business
portfolios. Art Rooney II gambled on a couple of high risk propositions, and
lost. His father liked games of chance, but knew when he had a losing hand. Art
II may be able to hedge his bets, and still get something in return? Only time
will tell.
Although the off season has just officially started, the
Steelers have already made some huge decisions. The expected changes to the
coaching staff never materialized, and the changes were few and uneventful.
Hopefully this display of loyalty will prove enlightening when it is all said
and done.
The team has already verbally committed to extending Ben's
contract and made known their desire to keep the offensive line intact, but
decisions on some of their own UFAs remain. Those decisions, especially along
that offensive line, may prove vexing.
Also, will the Steelers finally utilize free agency to
obtain proven talent by offering more guaranteed money to free agents, or be
more aggressive in trading up for a preferred target in the draft? Answers to
these questions will undoubtedly shape the Steelers ability to contend in the
near future, and beyond.
Whatever the decisions may be, the Pittsburgh Steelers have
to find a balance between old school values and new age principles.
The Pittsburgh Steelers need an aggressive approach this off
season because the Patriots have proven to be far from finished. Just like all
the infamous killers from the movies, Brady and Belichick keep coming back when
you least expect it. Just ask the Atlanta
Falcons.
What hurts even more is I see the New England Patriots
getting their 7th Super Bowl Title before the Pittsburgh Steelers
get there’s.
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