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2023 Pittsburgh Steelers. Banged up team loses to Buffalo. Looking ahead to 2024 now (3 Viewers)

My money is on Matt Canada
That could be interesting. Not sure if that would be an improvement or not, but UMD was able to have some offense when he was involved there, just a terrible, terrible defense. 

At this point though, it doesn't seem like there's much worse than Fichtner. I might be reading things wrong, but it seems like when Ben takes over playcalling at the line in our no huddle offense, the team vastly improves...

 
Kevin Greene has passed away. Damn, he was a great player and great person. 

Hope they pay him an adequate tribute tonight during the broadcast. 
Yeah posted in his passing thread. Him and Lloyd were awesome together. Probably the best FA signing ever by Pittsburgh

 
haha ya I didn't wanna post that...

I still think they can win this game though.
Yeah not happening.  I stand by my post in the Eagles thread where I would love to see the Steelers make a trade for Wentz.  It won't happen but I can dream.

 
If I could put money on 11-5 right now I would.  The Colts are okay but they can score like crazy and frankly this offenses needed luck for 17.   The Browns are hot and maybe playing for a division.   

 I mean home field for playoffs doesn't mean anything in 2020 but seriously now they are fighting to play a road wild card game

 
If I could put money on 11-5 right now I would.  The Colts are okay but they can score like crazy and frankly this offenses needed luck for 17.   The Browns are hot and maybe playing for a division.   

 I mean home field for playoffs doesn't mean anything in 2020 but seriously now they are fighting to play a road wild card game
Yeah there is no way this team can beat the Colts or Browns.  Not sure who they would play in the first round of the playoffs but I think it probably won't matter.  There is no AFC playoff team that the Steelers could beat.  Gun to my head - not sure they would even beat the Jets at this point.  

 
Question to Steeler fans...what happens with Juju this offseason?  Do they let him walk?  The Steelers are tight against the cap and like the article below mentions he is probably in line for a Cooper Kupp type of deal (ballpark of 5/80)...also, while Juju is a good one the Steelers also have Johnson, Claypool and Washington and have proven to be the best team in the NFL at drafting WRs (as a Pats fan can you please let them in on the secret) so odds are they can figure things out if they lose him...thoughts?

https://stillcurtain.com/2020/11/28/4-reasons-steelers-juju-wont-resigned/

 
Plain embarrassing. Amazing how far this team has fallen since beating the Ravens a few weeks ago. If they can’t beat the Bengals, who can they beat?

I know the defense lost a few impact players but man, the offense is so terrible.

I don’t see any way they beat the Colts or Browns. 11-5 and go into the playoffs with a 5 game losing streak...not good. Not sure who they would play but unless something changes here in the next couple weeks, I don’t see how they win any more games.

Recorded  the game but not sure I am even going to watch it. I couldn’t watch it live but took a peek on my phone in the 3rd quarter and was SHOCKED to see the score was 17-7.

I try not to be too negative but geez, this is terrible!

 
Plain embarrassing. Amazing how far this team has fallen since beating the Ravens a few weeks ago. If they can’t beat the Bengals, who can they beat?

I know the defense lost a few impact players but man, the offense is so terrible.

I don’t see any way they beat the Colts or Browns. 11-5 and go into the playoffs with a 5 game losing streak...not good. Not sure who they would play but unless something changes here in the next couple weeks, I don’t see how they win any more games.

Recorded  the game but not sure I am even going to watch it. I couldn’t watch it live but took a peek on my phone in the 3rd quarter and was SHOCKED to see the score was 17-7.

I try not to be too negative but geez, this is terrible!
It actually started with the Ravens game.  They won but look how they played.  That should have been a harbinger of what was coming.

 
Question to Steeler fans...what happens with Juju this offseason?  Do they let him walk?  The Steelers are tight against the cap and like the article below mentions he is probably in line for a Cooper Kupp type of deal (ballpark of 5/80)...also, while Juju is a good one the Steelers also have Johnson, Claypool and Washington and have proven to be the best team in the NFL at drafting WRs (as a Pats fan can you please let them in on the secret) so odds are they can figure things out if they lose him...thoughts?

https://stillcurtain.com/2020/11/28/4-reasons-steelers-juju-wont-resigned/
He's leaving mate. At this point there's really no reason to keep him.

 
No real bye week.  3 games in 12 days.  Down to one starting LB and I don't know what string starting at the other 3 spots.  O-line has had no cohesion all season with injuries/covid.  Not to mention Connor cannot stay healthy; drops galore; too predicable play-calling.  But still 11-3.

I think that the lack of a bye week and all those games have really hurt Ben and the O-Line.  They needed to win last night in the worst way so that they could rest guys week 17.  Maybe they will anyway if nobody cares about homefield/bye

 
Not much to say but I hope they can fix everything that’s broken with this team.  This offensive line is awful
The line is playing very poorly. Is it 100% on the players, or is the scheme letting them down too? I don't have enough football knowledge to be 100% sure, but it looks like they're losing individual blocks. Yesterday there was a run on 3rd and 1 where a Cincy guy came through almost unblocked to crush Snell. It looked like Pouncey was going to the left to block further down field, but Snell was going to the right, exactly where the defender came through the line. I'm not sure he could have made it to the hole on the left side before that defender got him, but it seemed like he was completely in the wrong place. 

Also, I am 100% on the Fire Fichtner immediately train. The Ravens figured out that you just need to play close to the line because all we do is quick passes. So that's what the 3 teams since have done, and we've lost 3 times. And our offense has adapted by... doing nothing different. If we don't fire Fichtner and move on this week, I think we lose 3 more games to close out the season and turn what was once our most promising season in many years into garbage. 

Lastly, I know Ben's cap hit next year is huge at over $40 million, but I don't think the Steelers should extend him to decrease his cap hit next year, unless that's the only way we can resign TJ and Minkah. He appears to be showing his age and some of the throws last night he looked so flustered that he couldn't hit wide open guys. The worst part was his vision and decision making were off. There would be WRs breaking open, but he'd throw into triple coverage instead. 

 
The Steelers are getting a lot of practice running a red zone offense, because they are playing a red zone defense (who is only protecting 10-20 yards) all game long. The run game won’t improve without spreading the defense.
 

None of this gets fixed without Ben getting healthy and/or finding a fountain of youth.  It’s time to sit him the last two weeks and roll the dice that he’s a little rusty come playoff time.

 
With Ben’s health/age and poor o-line play,  I’m not sure they can throw the down the field effectively. I think they tried to some extent last night (1st play was deep to Washington but very poorly under thrown) but they almost always resulted in bad throws and hits on Ben. 
 

If rest will help Ben, then they should do it. I wish they could have gotten a capable backup in the off season. 

 
Not much to say but I hope they can fix everything that’s broken with this team.  This offensive line is awful
This really is what it boils down to.  It hasn't been 100% something they could control (e.g. injuries, COVID), but this has been the biggest difference between what they were able to achieve earlier in the year, and what we've seen the last 4 or 5 weeks.  OL play has been flat out brutal and that has had a cascade effect.

 
I assume there has never been a team that started 11-0 but didn't win the division.  
Best Wild Card record was a 1999 Titans 13-3 (did not start 11-0).  Worst record for 11-0 starting team is 69 Rams (11-3) but they won their division as did the 13-3 Saints Super Bowl winners.

So no 11-0 team ever failed to win their division.

-QG

 
In his talk with reporters Tomlin said that no changes will be made prior to next week. I really hope that's coach speak and he's just not tipping his hand. 

If they don't adjust the offense for a 5th straight week...

 
So, I know it's a bit early, but what are our biggest needs from the draft for next year (and beyond)? I assume that Big Ben is returning, but that doesn't mean QB isn't in play early. 

Positions of need:

  • RB: I don't think Snell, McFarland, and Samuels are enough, but idk if they'll add RB early or just roll with Snell and a late pick or UDFA.
  • WRs: With only Claypool, Dionate, and James Washington on roster, I think they draft a WR early if they want to make the most of Ben's final year. If they're focusing more long term, I think they go WR late or UDFA and focus on O-line and D early.
  • TE: I think they cut McDonald and maybe Ebron too for the savings and draft a TE. Might keep 1 though so we don't completely empty the cupboard. 
  • O-Line: Only Decastro, Pouncey, Okorafor, and Dotson on contract. The O-line needs lots of help, but Pouncey also needs replacing. I hope we use at least 2 picks on O-line, and if they go O-line early and don't pick a QB I think that's ok. Setting up for the next iteration of the Steelers with a strong D and strong O-line for a young QB.
  • D-Line: With Heyward and Tuitt signed, we just need depth and a DT in the center. I'd love to resign Alualu, but idk if we can afford to with all the holes on the team and the need to resign Watt and Minkah. 
  • LB: Is Highsmith or Ola the answer across from TJ? If not, we need another pass rusher. Also, I think we need to lock up Spillane. He's an exclusive rights FA and he played really solidly when Bush went down. Could use 1-2 picks here if they want to move on from Vince Williams and assuming we don't resign Dupree. 
  • Secondary: We're about to lose Hilton and Sutton, two guys who've played a ton of snaps for us this year. Also, Steven Nelson and Haden combine for $30 million in cap space. I'm not sure they're playing at a level that warrants that much money, but I also don't know if we could sign a new FA or draft someone to take their spots. 
I think the Steelers have their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th round picks, Bucs or Steelers 6th, Dolphins 7th, and Ravens 7th. It wasn't clear if we sent our pick or the Bucs pick in the 6th to Miami in the Minkah trade. That leaves us with 7 picks, but none in the 5th round. 

If we could leave this draft with OL, OL, LB, CB, RB, TE, QB, I'd be really happy. I'm sure that 20-50% of the picks will be busts, but a starting OT and solid CB would be pretty sweet. Also, I'd love to add Pitts from FL to the Steelers, but idk if those stars will align. 

 
You can see the run plays from your couch on third down from a mile away, so it's no wonder the opponents on the field know it as well, and blow it up consistently. This entire offense is predictable, and opponents are laughing at no adjustements being made. Play up close, and clog the zones underneath. Lineman have learned when to drop back and bat down passes. It's as if the coaches are telling themselves each week, "this is the way". Just keep trotting out the same plays and expect the players to make it work, no matter what.  It's become comical to witness. Thing is, the signs were there when they squeaked by some teams earlier in the season, but it was covered up by a healthy D that kept giving them short fields to work with. Now that D is lacking LBs and depth, and the O is hanging them out to dry.

I expect nothing to change since, “There won’t be sweeping changes in terms of our approach. . . . We just have to do it better". Yup, coach, you got it. Keep the same look because other teams don't watch film. Indy and Cle are salivating while they wait. 

 
If the Bills win tomorrow, do the Steelers have anything to play for next week?
Yeah the Steelers would still get the 2 seed with a win and a Bills loss but who cares about 2 vs 3.  Right now the most important thing is for the Steelers to get/stay healthy.  

 
fred_1_15301 said:
Yeah the Steelers would still get the 2 seed with a win and a Bills loss but who cares about 2 vs 3.  Right now the most important thing is for the Steelers to get/stay healthy.  
Agreed.  Get everyone as healthy as possible. 

The running game is still a major concern but the 2nd half yesterday shows they can beat a good team if they 1) open up the offense by throwing downfield, 2) stop the drops, 3) protect the ball and 4) force turnovers on defense.

 
Agreed.  Get everyone as healthy as possible. 

The running game is still a major concern but the 2nd half yesterday shows they can beat a good team if they 1) open up the offense by throwing downfield, 2) stop the drops, 3) protect the ball and 4) force turnovers on defense.
5)  Let Ben call all plays on offense

 
fred_1_15301 said:
Yeah the Steelers would still get the 2 seed with a win and a Bills loss but who cares about 2 vs 3.  Right now the most important thing is for the Steelers to get/stay healthy.  
I doubt Tomlin is going to mail-in the last game.  Its not in his DNA.

I expect to see the starters Sunday, not a smart move but it is what I expect of Tomlin.

 
fred_1_15301 said:
I really, really hope that we bench everyone next week.  Treat it like a preseason game.  
Agreed. Ben, Pouncey, Conner, Watt, Heyward, and Haden should not even dress. Probably even more folks depending on health and practice squad rules. 

 
Agreed. Ben, Pouncey, Conner, Watt, Heyward, and Haden should not even dress. Probably even more folks depending on health and practice squad rules. 
This is what I expect Tomlin will do.   Of course they will try to win next week but they cannot afford to risk the health of any of the above.

 
With that said, the one team I really, really hope we avoid playing in the first round is Baltimore.  
To be honest I don't care who we play.  We're going to have to deal with them or someone that beats them eventually anyway.

So does Tomlin rest the starters, play them for a half, or go for the win?

 
This team is tired and beaten up, why play them all in a meaningless game? They haven't had a bye week since being forced in week 4, and had to play 3 games in 12 days not long ago. 

 
Agreed. Ben, Pouncey, Conner, Watt, Heyward, and Haden should not even dress. Probably even more folks depending on health and practice squad rules. 
This is what I expect Tomlin will do.   Of course they will try to win next week but they cannot afford to risk the health of any of the above.
We are talking Mike Tomlin right?  Same guy who started Ben against the Browns years ago when Cleveland was literally starting their 5th QB signed off the street and hadn't scored a point in two consecutive games when Pittsburgh went on to win the SB that year but guess what happened in that game?

Tomlin started Ben and the Steelers were running-it-up on the Browns.  I guess it didn't sit well with a few Browns defenders who hit Ben so hard he suffered a 'spinal contusion' and had to be carried off in a stretcher.  Before it happened I was saying what the F' is Tomlin doing?  Could have cost him a SB and Ben his career/ability to walk.

Big Ben had spinal cord concussion Dec. 28, source says Monday, January 12, 2009

Ben Roethlisberger used the word "scary" when he saw several of the Steelers team doctors hovering over him on the field and he couldn't feel them sticking a pin in his numb arms two weeks ago against the Cleveland Browns. And for good reason...
THAT is Mike Tomlin.

I fully expect him to suit up and play everyone he can just because.... Tomlin.

 
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