2023 Pittsburgh Steelers. Banged up team loses to Buffalo. Looking ahead to 2024 now (10 Viewers)

[menobrown]

Where is the fan base with Kenny Pickett?
Is this a guy you want to go deep into Years 2 and 3?
Would you fault the Steelers if they drafted another QB in perhaps another Rd after the 1st? It's a deep QB draft and there will be gifts that fall down the board.

Curious NFL fan
Lot of good information posted by several of you, fills in a lot of blanks.

He's the guy next year. If the Steeler's draft a QB will be a day 3 kind of player but they need a good backup. Over 60 QB's started games this year in the NFL so most teams do but two concussions in just 11 starts is a little worrisome, as you are experiencing with your the QB of your team.

I would guess most of us saw improvement from him, but not many saw elite. Personally looks like the kind of QB you can win with, be a solid playoff team when the rest of the cast around is doing well. A lot of people who break down film, like Orlosvky, seem a lot higher on him then what you will find most here in this thread and that's because he does make a lot of good decisions and is fundamentally sound. But I think he has some physical/arm limitations.

Going forward I feel like at worst the team has a serviceable starter, good leader who won't lose games for you can has shown some clutch ability. That he's going be earning around $3.5m a year for next 3 seasons he does give the team the ability to bolster the roster around him and he should be at the center of a very competitive team. But I had a friend in Cincy back when Dalton was young and I remember telling him that Dalton might end up being the worst thing for the franchise because he's just good enough to make them think he's the answer as their long term QB, that he'll earn a nice extension, but he'll never been good enough to take the team far and marrying him in football terms is marrying mediocrity. I have some of the similar concerns and see Pickett's overall talent as on par with a young Dalton. Not that they are similar, just similar overall talent level which is solid, good at times, but the rest of the team will need to be loaded to overcome the gap between him and the elite's.

 

[Steelers4Life]

Ben looked like a first round QB immediately. He wasn't asked to do too much, but his arm was awesome and he looked like a guy who belonged.

Pickett is nothing like that to me. I think the fact that they passed on Marino almost 40 years ago partially dictated that they needed to take the star Pitt QB this time around, but no one in my group of friends really saw much of anything from him this year that made you feel like he was a 1st round QB type of talent.... not that we're scouts or anything, just few if any "wow" moments.

Solid QB, showed improvement, never looked rattled or uncomfortable, but just doesn't have the arm to make all the throws and needs to have an OC who can cater the offense to the shorter throws he's better at. They'll surely see what they can do while he's on his rookie contract at minimum, and I hope he improves enough to be worth a long term deal.

But, if he's good enough to keep the team competitive but not good enough to win, that'll fit in well with what the Steelers have become lol

I just saw that 6 years is the longest drought in the Super Bowl era for the Steelers to have not won a single playoff game, and the last streak this long was from 1966 through the Immaculate Reception. SInce 1972, the Steelers had never gone more than 4 years without winning a playoff game..... that includes the 1980's.

 

[Godsbrother]

Steelers 2023 opponents:

HOME GAMES:
Baltimore Ravens (10-7)
Cincinnati Bengals (12-4)
Cleveland Browns (7-10)
Arizona Cardinals (4-13)
Green Bay Packers (8-9)
Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8)
New England Patriots (8-9)
San Francisco 49ers (13-4)
Tennessee Titans (7-10)

AWAY GAMES:
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Houston Texans (3-13)
Indianapolis Colts (4-12)
Las Vegas Raiders (6-11)
Los Angeles Rams (5-12)
Seattle Seahawks (9-8)

Going to be logging some miles next year...

 

[Gold Fox]

Where is the fan base with Kenny Pickett?
Is this a guy you want to go deep into Years 2 and 3?
Would you fault the Steelers if they drafted another QB in perhaps another Rd after the 1st? It's a deep QB draft and there will be gifts that fall down the board.

Curious NFL fan
Lot of good information posted by several of you, fills in a lot of blanks.

I am riding with Pickett and willing to see where he can take us in year 2 & year 3. This is the window where many teams find success (low cost QB surrounded by talent). We should embrace it and lean into the talent we have at the position. We can do this while also pivoting away from Matt Canada. It's tricky, because I often see young QB's struggle with ever-changing OC leadership.

Regarding backups... we will still need a veteran QB on the roster (through retention or FA), and I would not be surprised if we also drafted a QB on Day 3.

 

[bryhamm]

And some will be excited with the 7-2 down the stretch, and claim Tomlin is God once again. This is the issue, and why this team will never leave mediocrity with this current staff.

Team went from a bottom feeder before the bye that couldn't beat anyone, to a mid tier after the break that showed they can hang with other mediocrity. Now guess what, they went 1-2 vs playoff teams down the stretch, (both in their division), and could only beat a Huntley-led Raven team once.

Wake me up when they can go toe-to-toe with any top tier team outside their division. In the meantime, let's celebrate another mediocre finish, and extend Tomlin for more of the same.

Pretty sure they beat the Bills last year.

 

[crushedspirit]

And some will be excited with the 7-2 down the stretch, and claim Tomlin is God once again. This is the issue, and why this team will never leave mediocrity with this current staff.

Team went from a bottom feeder before the bye that couldn't beat anyone, to a mid tier after the break that showed they can hang with other mediocrity. Now guess what, they went 1-2 vs playoff teams down the stretch, (both in their division), and could only beat a Huntley-led Raven team once.

Wake me up when they can go toe-to-toe with any top tier team outside their division. In the meantime, let's celebrate another mediocre finish, and extend Tomlin for more of the same.

Pretty sure they beat the Bills last year.

Yup, caught them sleeping week 1. Great victory while putting up 252 yards of offense, right?

Now quickly recall what happened vs KC week 16 and the playoffs.

Also, quickly recall what happened vs Buf and Phi this year.

Now let's also recall the last 3 playoff appearances in the last 6 years.

If you want to take my comment literally and ignore what you really know it means, that's fine. Bottom line is they have only beaten anyone relevant week 1 in the last 2 years. This current team would be cannon fodder to KC or BUF in any meaningful game. They could play CIN tough being it's a division rival, but would lose at the end of the day. They lost Mixon early, and had no Chase, and still won comfortably last matchup, and in Pittsburgh, with Watt back as well.

 

[bryhamm]

Steelers 2023 opponents:

HOME GAMES:
Baltimore Ravens (10-7)
Cincinnati Bengals (12-4)
Cleveland Browns (7-10)
Arizona Cardinals (4-13)
Green Bay Packers (8-9)
Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8)
New England Patriots (8-9)
San Francisco 49ers (13-4)
Tennessee Titans (7-10)

AWAY GAMES:
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Houston Texans (3-13)
Indianapolis Colts (4-12)
Las Vegas Raiders (6-11)
Los Angeles Rams (5-12)
Seattle Seahawks (9-8)

Going to be logging some miles next year...

This feels like a much better schedule to manage than the one they had this year. The only true scare games to me are CIN (even though we tend to play them tough) and SF. Maybe TEN if we don't improve on our run D.

 

[belljr]

Big Ben won OROY - he also threw for 2621 yards 17TD 11int (14 games)

I agree they limited him his rookie year - its just funny to see 2600 yards

 

[Steelers4Life]

And some will be excited with the 7-2 down the stretch, and claim Tomlin is God once again. This is the issue, and why this team will never leave mediocrity with this current staff.

Team went from a bottom feeder before the bye that couldn't beat anyone, to a mid tier after the break that showed they can hang with other mediocrity. Now guess what, they went 1-2 vs playoff teams down the stretch, (both in their division), and could only beat a Huntley-led Raven team once.

Wake me up when they can go toe-to-toe with any top tier team outside their division. In the meantime, let's celebrate another mediocre finish, and extend Tomlin for more of the same.

Pretty sure they beat the Bills last year.

Yup, caught them sleeping week 1. Great victory while putting up 252 yards of offense, right?

Now quickly recall what happened vs KC week 16 and the playoffs.

Also, quickly recall what happened vs Buf and Phi this year.

Now let's also recall the last 3 playoff appearances in the last 6 years.

If you want to take my comment literally and ignore what you really know it means, that's fine. Bottom line is they have only beaten anyone relevant week 1 in the last 2 years. This current team would be cannon fodder to KC or BUF in any meaningful game. They could play CIN tough being it's a division rival, but would lose at the end of the day. They lost Mixon early, and had no Chase, and still won comfortably last matchup, and in Pittsburgh, with Watt back as well.

What you find is that there are fans out there who give the Steelers a pass for everything. Media loves Tomlin and the Steelers' stability, and he's quotable and a players' coach. But some act like because they wear those uniforms, it automatically makes them relevant.

Fact is, the Steelers haven't been a real player for a while now. Tomlin has been the coach for 16 years, and the Steelers have only won a playoff game in 4 of them. 16 years isn't a small sample size, so historically, the Steelers have a 25% chance of winning a game in the playoffs. How is that number going to change now that he doesn't have a 1st ballot HOF QB under center?

A step further... they've won a playoff game in only 2 of their last 12 years.

Is that the standard? Because we're stuck with this for the forseeable future. It's frustrating to watch.

 

[belljr]

I like Tomlin but I definitely see the argument against him now that you put the numbers side by side but I don't want some 4-14 **** hole season either

		Simple Rating System	Playoffs		Challenges
Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	W	L	T	W-L%	SRS	OSRS	DSRS	G plyf	W plyf	L plyf	W-L%	Rank	Num	Won	Notes
1992	35	PIT	NFL	16	11	5	0	.688	3.6	-0.4	4.0	1	0	1	.000	1
1993	36	PIT	NFL	16	9	7	0	.563	1.5	0.1	1.5	1	0	1	.000	2
1994	37	PIT	NFL	16	12	4	0	.750	4.7	-0.2	5.0	2	1	1	.500	1
1995	38	PIT	NFL	16	11	5	0	.688	4.6	3.4	1.2	3	2	1	.667	1			AFC Champions
1996	39	PIT	NFL	16	10	6	0	.625	5.2	0.0	5.1	2	1	1	.500	1
1997	40	PIT	NFL	16	11	5	0	.688	5.3	2.7	2.6	2	1	1	.500	1
1998	41	PIT	NFL	16	7	9	0	.438	-3.8	-5.1	1.3					3
1999	42	PIT	NFL	16	6	10	0	.375	-2.4	-2.2	-0.2					4	2	0
2000	43	PIT	NFL	16	9	7	0	.563	3.9	0.6	3.3					3	7	4
2001	44	PIT	NFL	16	13	3	0	.813	7.4	1.5	5.8	2	1	1	.500	1	6	3
2002	45	PIT	NFL	16	10	5	1	.656	2.7	3.1	-0.4	2	1	1	.500	1	10	6
2003	46	PIT	NFL	16	6	10	0	.375	-1.1	-2.5	1.4					3	5	0
2004	47	PIT	NFL	16	15	1	0	.938	9.0	3.4	5.6	2	1	1	.500	1	9	3
2005	48	PIT	NFL	16	11	5	0	.688	7.8	3.8	4.0	4	4	0	1.000	2	9	6	Super Bowl Champions
2006	49	PIT	NFL	16	8	8	0	.500	3.4	3.0	0.4					3	11	5
15 yrs			240	149	90	1	.623				21	12	9	.571	1.9	59	27

 

[belljr]

		Simple Rating System	Playoffs		Challenges
Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	W	L	T	W-L%	SRS	OSRS	DSRS	G plyf	W plyf	L plyf	W-L%	Rank	Num	Won	Notes
2007	35	PIT	NFL	16	10	6	0	.625	5.2	0.9	4.3	1	0	1	.000	1	9	3
2008	36	PIT	NFL	16	12	4	0	.750	9.8	1.6	8.2	3	3	0	1.000	1	6	5	Super Bowl Champions
2009	37	PIT	NFL	16	9	7	0	.563	1.7	1.0	0.7					3	4	2
2010	38	PIT	NFL	16	12	4	0	.750	10.2	2.5	7.7	3	2	1	.667	1	7	3	AFC Champions
2011	39	PIT	NFL	16	12	4	0	.750	5.3	-0.8	6.0	1	0	1	.000	2	6	3
2012	40	PIT	NFL	16	8	8	0	.500	-0.7	-2.8	2.1					3	6	4
2013	41	PIT	NFL	16	8	8	0	.500	-2.0	-0.9	-1.0					2	6	4
2014	42	PIT	NFL	16	11	5	0	.688	2.2	4.4	-2.1	1	0	1	.000	1	6	2
2015	43	PIT	NFL	16	10	6	0	.625	8.7	5.1	3.6	2	1	1	.500	2	6	3
2016	44	PIT	NFL	16	11	5	0	.688	4.7	2.8	2.0	3	2	1	.667	1	5	2
2017	45	PIT	NFL	16	13	3	0	.813	5.0	3.2	1.8	1	0	1	.000	1	4	0
2018	46	PIT	NFL	16	9	6	1	.594	5.6	3.9	1.7					2	5	0
2019	47	PIT	NFL	16	8	8	0	.500	0.3	-4.3	4.6					2	8	3
2020	48	PIT	NFL	16	12	4	0	.750	4.7	0.3	4.4	1	0	1	.000	1	4	2
2021	49	PIT	NFL	17	9	7	1	.559	-2.5	-2.6	0.1	1	0	1	.000	2	2	0
2022	50	PIT	NFL	17	9	8	0	.529	-0.8	-3.0	2.3					3	2	0
16 yrs			258	163	93	2	.636				17	8	9	.471	1.8	86	36

 

[geneyus]

I am riding with Pickett and willing to see where he can take us in year 2 & year 3. This is the window where many teams find success (low cost QB surrounded by talent). We should embrace it and lean into the talent we have at the position. We can do this while also pivoting away from Matt Canada. It's tricky, because I often see young QB's struggle with ever-changing OC leadership.

Agree with this. Not all QB's jump into the league like Ben. He's a HOF'er. I'm ok giving Pickett another couple years to improve his game. Allen, Tua, Hurts, Lawrence, along with others, had forgettable seasons early in their careers which included rumblings of wasted picks. Pickett's done more than enough to warrant it in spite of the dreadful play calling. The past few games he lead some big time drives.

 

[Godsbrother]

What you find is that there are fans out there who give the Steelers a pass for everything. Media loves Tomlin and the Steelers' stability, and he's quotable and a players' coach. But some act like because they wear those uniforms, it automatically makes them relevant.

Fact is, the Steelers haven't been a real player for a while now. Tomlin has been the coach for 16 years, and the Steelers have only won a playoff game in 4 of them. 16 years isn't a small sample size, so historically, the Steelers have a 25% chance of winning a game in the playoffs. How is that number going to change now that he doesn't have a 1st ballot HOF QB under center?

A step further... they've won a playoff game in only 2 of their last 12 years.

Is that the standard? Because we're stuck with this for the forseeable future. It's frustrating to watch.

This thread is filled with criticisms of Tomlin, assistance coaches, players and the front office.

Most everyone knew this was going to be a rebuilding year. I think Tomlin did a pretty good job despite missing the playoffs and firing him would be a mistake.

 

[crushedspirit]

One major worry about Pickett is he sails deep passes to the sidelines, which was an issue in College as well. When I look at his stats broken down by depth,

20+ deep left......6-21, 162, 0-3
20+deep right....5-15, 151, 1-1
20+deep centre.7-11, 164, 3-1

10-19 intermediate centre.....12-30, 211, 0-2

Funny enough, he made a good living in College throwing deep down the middle, and that remains true now. He is struggling 10-19 intermediate zone down the middle though, where he's thrown 2 more picks. Teams will know this, so expect that he will be facing more zones next season. Kid has some tools to work with, but I think in Pittsburgh he will only be asked to manage the game with minimal errors. That philosophy requires 100% perfection, and much luck to fall your way to eek out victories.

It's not a winning formula in the AFC. The Titans came the closest with King, AJ, and Tanny in 2019 as the poster childs of this offensive philosophy, and were slapped out of KC after Mahomes and their offense lit them up for 28 unanswered. Steelers are nowhere close to even that 2019 Titan team, and already were slapped by Mahomes last year, twice.

 

[belljr]

What you find is that there are fans out there who give the Steelers a pass for everything. Media loves Tomlin and the Steelers' stability, and he's quotable and a players' coach. But some act like because they wear those uniforms, it automatically makes them relevant.

Fact is, the Steelers haven't been a real player for a while now. Tomlin has been the coach for 16 years, and the Steelers have only won a playoff game in 4 of them. 16 years isn't a small sample size, so historically, the Steelers have a 25% chance of winning a game in the playoffs. How is that number going to change now that he doesn't have a 1st ballot HOF QB under center?

A step further... they've won a playoff game in only 2 of their last 12 years.

Is that the standard? Because we're stuck with this for the forseeable future. It's frustrating to watch.

This thread is filled with criticisms of Tomlin, assistance coaches, players and the front office.

Most everyone knew this was going to be a rebuilding year. I think Tomlin did a pretty good job despite missing the playoffs and firing him would be a mistake.

I agree this year I was not expecting much at all.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

And some will be excited with the 7-2 down the stretch, and claim Tomlin is God once again. This is the issue, and why this team will never leave mediocrity with this current staff.

Team went from a bottom feeder before the bye that couldn't beat anyone, to a mid tier after the break that showed they can hang with other mediocrity. Now guess what, they went 1-2 vs playoff teams down the stretch, (both in their division), and could only beat a Huntley-led Raven team once.

Wake me up when they can go toe-to-toe with any top tier team outside their division. In the meantime, let's celebrate another mediocre finish, and extend Tomlin for more of the same.

Pretty sure they beat the Bills last year.

Yup, caught them sleeping week 1. Great victory while putting up 252 yards of offense, right?

Now quickly recall what happened vs KC week 16 and the playoffs.

Also, quickly recall what happened vs Buf and Phi this year.

Now let's also recall the last 3 playoff appearances in the last 6 years.

If you want to take my comment literally and ignore what you really know it means, that's fine. Bottom line is they have only beaten anyone relevant week 1 in the last 2 years. This current team would be cannon fodder to KC or BUF in any meaningful game. They could play CIN tough being it's a division rival, but would lose at the end of the day. They lost Mixon early, and had no Chase, and still won comfortably last matchup, and in Pittsburgh, with Watt back as well.

What you find is that there are fans out there who give the Steelers a pass for everything. Media loves Tomlin and the Steelers' stability, and he's quotable and a players' coach. But some act like because they wear those uniforms, it automatically makes them relevant.

Fact is, the Steelers haven't been a real player for a while now. Tomlin has been the coach for 16 years, and the Steelers have only won a playoff game in 4 of them. 16 years isn't a small sample size, so historically, the Steelers have a 25% chance of winning a game in the playoffs. How is that number going to change now that he doesn't have a 1st ballot HOF QB under center?

A step further... they've won a playoff game in only 2 of their last 12 years.

Is that the standard? Because we're stuck with this for the forseeable future. It's frustrating to watch.

How does that compare to every other NFL team during the same time frame?

 

[Steelers4Life]

What you find is that there are fans out there who give the Steelers a pass for everything. Media loves Tomlin and the Steelers' stability, and he's quotable and a players' coach. But some act like because they wear those uniforms, it automatically makes them relevant.

Fact is, the Steelers haven't been a real player for a while now. Tomlin has been the coach for 16 years, and the Steelers have only won a playoff game in 4 of them. 16 years isn't a small sample size, so historically, the Steelers have a 25% chance of winning a game in the playoffs. How is that number going to change now that he doesn't have a 1st ballot HOF QB under center?

A step further... they've won a playoff game in only 2 of their last 12 years.

Is that the standard? Because we're stuck with this for the forseeable future. It's frustrating to watch.

This thread is filled with criticisms of Tomlin, assistance coaches, players and the front office.

Most everyone knew this was going to be a rebuilding year. I think Tomlin did a pretty good job despite missing the playoffs and firing him would be a mistake.

LOL sorry, I don't post all that often like I did years ago so I haven't kept up with FBG opinions of any of it. Apologies if it's all repetitive.

If you've noticed, my opinions of him aren't based on what he did or didn't do this year. I had no expectations this year other than the team would have a good defense and an inconsistent offense. My criticisms are based on what he's done and hasn't done over the past 12 years.

This year doesn't do anything to change that because while it's great that the team came back from being 2-6, they were only 2-6 in the first place because his team got beat early in several home and winnable games because of lack of attention to detail and a lack of discipline. Those happen to be consistent traits of teams for a while now.

 

[Steelers4Life]

And some will be excited with the 7-2 down the stretch, and claim Tomlin is God once again. This is the issue, and why this team will never leave mediocrity with this current staff.

Team went from a bottom feeder before the bye that couldn't beat anyone, to a mid tier after the break that showed they can hang with other mediocrity. Now guess what, they went 1-2 vs playoff teams down the stretch, (both in their division), and could only beat a Huntley-led Raven team once.

Wake me up when they can go toe-to-toe with any top tier team outside their division. In the meantime, let's celebrate another mediocre finish, and extend Tomlin for more of the same.

Pretty sure they beat the Bills last year.

Yup, caught them sleeping week 1. Great victory while putting up 252 yards of offense, right?

Now quickly recall what happened vs KC week 16 and the playoffs.

Also, quickly recall what happened vs Buf and Phi this year.

Now let's also recall the last 3 playoff appearances in the last 6 years.

If you want to take my comment literally and ignore what you really know it means, that's fine. Bottom line is they have only beaten anyone relevant week 1 in the last 2 years. This current team would be cannon fodder to KC or BUF in any meaningful game. They could play CIN tough being it's a division rival, but would lose at the end of the day. They lost Mixon early, and had no Chase, and still won comfortably last matchup, and in Pittsburgh, with Watt back as well.

What you find is that there are fans out there who give the Steelers a pass for everything. Media loves Tomlin and the Steelers' stability, and he's quotable and a players' coach. But some act like because they wear those uniforms, it automatically makes them relevant.

Fact is, the Steelers haven't been a real player for a while now. Tomlin has been the coach for 16 years, and the Steelers have only won a playoff game in 4 of them. 16 years isn't a small sample size, so historically, the Steelers have a 25% chance of winning a game in the playoffs. How is that number going to change now that he doesn't have a 1st ballot HOF QB under center?

A step further... they've won a playoff game in only 2 of their last 12 years.

Is that the standard? Because we're stuck with this for the forseeable future. It's frustrating to watch.

How does that compare to every other NFL team during the same time frame?

Honestly, I don't know and I'm admittedly too lazy to research it lol

But, given the reputation of the Steelers and the high regard Tomlin is held in nationally, 2 seasons with a playoff win in 12 years is unacceptable. It's not like Ben was old the whole time and only 1 of those years was with a rookie QB.

No, I don't expect that the Steelers would ever consider replacing him. But if I told you that Team X has had 12 consecutive non-losing seasons but only 3 playoff wins and none in the past 6 years, you'd wonder why the coach still has the job. He has the job because it's the Steelers and because he won with Cowher's team for 4 or 5 years first to pad his resume.

 

[Steelers4Life]

And some will be excited with the 7-2 down the stretch, and claim Tomlin is God once again. This is the issue, and why this team will never leave mediocrity with this current staff.

Team went from a bottom feeder before the bye that couldn't beat anyone, to a mid tier after the break that showed they can hang with other mediocrity. Now guess what, they went 1-2 vs playoff teams down the stretch, (both in their division), and could only beat a Huntley-led Raven team once.

Wake me up when they can go toe-to-toe with any top tier team outside their division. In the meantime, let's celebrate another mediocre finish, and extend Tomlin for more of the same.

Pretty sure they beat the Bills last year.

Yup, caught them sleeping week 1. Great victory while putting up 252 yards of offense, right?

Now quickly recall what happened vs KC week 16 and the playoffs.

Also, quickly recall what happened vs Buf and Phi this year.

Now let's also recall the last 3 playoff appearances in the last 6 years.

If you want to take my comment literally and ignore what you really know it means, that's fine. Bottom line is they have only beaten anyone relevant week 1 in the last 2 years. This current team would be cannon fodder to KC or BUF in any meaningful game. They could play CIN tough being it's a division rival, but would lose at the end of the day. They lost Mixon early, and had no Chase, and still won comfortably last matchup, and in Pittsburgh, with Watt back as well.

What you find is that there are fans out there who give the Steelers a pass for everything. Media loves Tomlin and the Steelers' stability, and he's quotable and a players' coach. But some act like because they wear those uniforms, it automatically makes them relevant.

Fact is, the Steelers haven't been a real player for a while now. Tomlin has been the coach for 16 years, and the Steelers have only won a playoff game in 4 of them. 16 years isn't a small sample size, so historically, the Steelers have a 25% chance of winning a game in the playoffs. How is that number going to change now that he doesn't have a 1st ballot HOF QB under center?

A step further... they've won a playoff game in only 2 of their last 12 years.

Is that the standard? Because we're stuck with this for the forseeable future. It's frustrating to watch.

How does that compare to every other NFL team during the same time frame?

I couldn't find a list of how many specific years each team has won a playoff game in the past 12. But here's a list of each team's playoff game appearances and wins since 2011. The Steelers lost to the Packers in the Super Bowl in 2010, and 2011 was the loss to Tebow in the playoffs. It's been downhill ever since. 2/3 of the NFL has as many or more playoff wins since then.

No, the Steelers aren't a bottom feeder team. But this isn't the track record of a team who's coach should be untouchable, either.

New England Patriots	23​	16​
San Francisco 49ers	14​	9​
Seattle Seahawks	16​	9​
Kansas City Chiefs	16​	9​
Green Bay Packers	16​	7​
Baltimore Ravens	12​	7​
Los Angeles Rams	10​	7​
Denver Broncos	10​	6​
New Orleans Saints	11​	5​
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	6​	5​
New York Giants	5​	4​
Atlanta Falcons	8​	4​
Houston Texans	10​	4​
Indianapolis Colts	9​	4​
Philadelphia Eagles	8​	4​
Pittsburgh Steelers	10​	3​
Cincinnati Bengals	9​	3​
Carolina Panthers	7​	3​
Buffalo Bills	7​	3​
Tennessee Titans	7​	3​
Minnesota Vikings	6​	2​
Los Angeles Chargers	4​	2​
Dallas Cowboys	6​	2​
Jacksonville Jaguars	3​	2​
Arizona Cardinals	4​	1​
Cleveland Browns	2​	1​
Detroit Lions	3​	0​
Washington Football Team	3​	0​
Las Vegas Raiders	2​	0​
Miami Dolphins	1​	0​
Chicago Bears	2​	0​

 

[crushedspirit]

It really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things what some of us think. Tomlin stays as long as he wants, and mediocrity is acceptable for many.

Someone asked about other franchises? In the past 6 seasons, 20 other teams have won at least won 1 playoff game. Many of those franchises have been simply better, and no HOF QB required.

 

[menobrown]

Someone asked about other franchises? In the past 6 seasons, 20 other teams have won at least won 1 playoff game. Many of those franchises have been simply better, and no HOF QB required.

If we are going to cherry pick stats since Tomlin has been coach of the Steelers only 1 team in the entire NFL has won more Super Bowls.

 

[steelers1080]

The lack of playoff wins is concerning, and I think if Tomlin goes 9-8 or worse the next 2 years, and/or doesn't win a playoff game in the next 2 years, he might be gone. I think it could turn into an Andy Reid situation. Great coach, but the team just needs a change. Worked out for Reid and for the Eagles (first SB).

It seems obvious that the Rooneys will give Tomlin the chance to rebuild using Pickett and give him a few seasons to try and re-build post-Ben. The team has many needs, but 1-2 very good offseasons can completely revamp a team's outlook. Solid NT/ILB/CB and all of a sudden our run defense is much improved and so is our pass defense. Upgrades to LT & LG, and adding depth at WR and we have improved the offense significantly. Replace the OC and have someone take over for challenges and we're golden.

Pickett can't go shot for shot with Mahomes or Allen or Burrow, but if the Defense can get a few turnovers or key stops we can definitely beat any team in the NFL. See Bengals week 1 and Bills week 1 of last year.

 

[crushedspirit]

Someone asked about other franchises? In the past 6 seasons, 20 other teams have won at least won 1 playoff game. Many of those franchises have been simply better, and no HOF QB required.

If we are going to cherry pick stats since Tomlin has been coach of the Steelers only 1 team in the entire NFL has won more Super Bowls.

Cherry pick?

I said last 6 seasons in a row. Is that not consistent enough?

 

[menobrown]

Someone asked about other franchises? In the past 6 seasons, 20 other teams have won at least won 1 playoff game. Many of those franchises have been simply better, and no HOF QB required.

If we are going to cherry pick stats since Tomlin has been coach of the Steelers only 1 team in the entire NFL has won more Super Bowls.

Cherry pick?

I said last 6 seasons in a row. Is that not consistent enough?

Yes, hard to come up with a better example of cherry picking.You also never said "in a row" but does not matter as it's still cherry picking 101.

 

[crushedspirit]

Someone asked about other franchises? In the past 6 seasons, 20 other teams have won at least won 1 playoff game. Many of those franchises have been simply better, and no HOF QB required.

If we are going to cherry pick stats since Tomlin has been coach of the Steelers only 1 team in the entire NFL has won more Super Bowls.

Cherry pick?

I said last 6 seasons in a row. Is that not consistent enough?

Yes, hard to come up with a better example of cherry picking.You also never said "in a row" but does not matter as it's still cherry picking 101.

Really?

So quoting the last 6 seasons in a row of mediocrity is cherry picking? You realize what "current" success means right? I'm being generous even going back that far.

 

[crushedspirit]

I'll let you in on something as well, the Steelers have the 11th longest drought run without a playoff win. Is that stat cherry picking or reality?

 

[Godsbrother]

I'm not seeing how 20 teams winning one playoff game in the last 6 years is relevant. I mean does anyone want to trade Tomlin to the Browns for Kevin Stefanski?

If the Steelers would have managed to beat KC last year in the playoffs but lost in the second round would that make a difference in your evaluation of Mike Tomlin? Would that one playoff win mean he isn't a mediocre coach? If not how many playoff wins would it take if none resulted in a championship?

I think that Tomlin did a good job this season and I want to give him a year or two working with Omar Kahn to see if they can build this team up to a playoff contender. If not, I am fine with letting Tomlin go.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

And some will be excited with the 7-2 down the stretch, and claim Tomlin is God once again. This is the issue, and why this team will never leave mediocrity with this current staff.

Team went from a bottom feeder before the bye that couldn't beat anyone, to a mid tier after the break that showed they can hang with other mediocrity. Now guess what, they went 1-2 vs playoff teams down the stretch, (both in their division), and could only beat a Huntley-led Raven team once.

Wake me up when they can go toe-to-toe with any top tier team outside their division. In the meantime, let's celebrate another mediocre finish, and extend Tomlin for more of the same.

Pretty sure they beat the Bills last year.

Yup, caught them sleeping week 1. Great victory while putting up 252 yards of offense, right?

Now quickly recall what happened vs KC week 16 and the playoffs.

Also, quickly recall what happened vs Buf and Phi this year.

Now let's also recall the last 3 playoff appearances in the last 6 years.

If you want to take my comment literally and ignore what you really know it means, that's fine. Bottom line is they have only beaten anyone relevant week 1 in the last 2 years. This current team would be cannon fodder to KC or BUF in any meaningful game. They could play CIN tough being it's a division rival, but would lose at the end of the day. They lost Mixon early, and had no Chase, and still won comfortably last matchup, and in Pittsburgh, with Watt back as well.

What you find is that there are fans out there who give the Steelers a pass for everything. Media loves Tomlin and the Steelers' stability, and he's quotable and a players' coach. But some act like because they wear those uniforms, it automatically makes them relevant.

Fact is, the Steelers haven't been a real player for a while now. Tomlin has been the coach for 16 years, and the Steelers have only won a playoff game in 4 of them. 16 years isn't a small sample size, so historically, the Steelers have a 25% chance of winning a game in the playoffs. How is that number going to change now that he doesn't have a 1st ballot HOF QB under center?

A step further... they've won a playoff game in only 2 of their last 12 years.

Is that the standard? Because we're stuck with this for the forseeable future. It's frustrating to watch.

How does that compare to every other NFL team during the same time frame?

Honestly, I don't know and I'm admittedly too lazy to research it lol

But, given the reputation of the Steelers and the high regard Tomlin is held in nationally, 2 seasons with a playoff win in 12 years is unacceptable. It's not like Ben was old the whole time and only 1 of those years was with a rookie QB.

No, I don't expect that the Steelers would ever consider replacing him. But if I told you that Team X has had 12 consecutive non-losing seasons but only 3 playoff wins and none in the past 6 years, you'd wonder why the coach still has the job. He has the job because it's the Steelers and because he won with Cowher's team for 4 or 5 years first to pad his resume.

I find the coaching carousel to be borderline obscene. Only one team can win every year. I take solace in the Steelers doing things "the right way" and having an actual culture and stability.

 

[menobrown]

Someone asked about other franchises? In the past 6 seasons, 20 other teams have won at least won 1 playoff game. Many of those franchises have been simply better, and no HOF QB required.

If we are going to cherry pick stats since Tomlin has been coach of the Steelers only 1 team in the entire NFL has won more Super Bowls.

Cherry pick?

I said last 6 seasons in a row. Is that not consistent enough?

Yes, hard to come up with a better example of cherry picking.You also never said "in a row" but does not matter as it's still cherry picking 101.

Really?

So quoting the last 6 seasons in a row of mediocrity is cherry picking? You realize what "current" success means right? I'm being generous even going back that far.

Yes, not sure you understand what cherry picking means.

ETA-not looking to get into a big back and forth but when you are using an arbitrary stat to define mediocrity then choosing an artibtray timeline that 100% best fits that narrative I just don't know another way to view it. That to me is cherry picking.

I think we can both agree the teams playoff success has been lacking the last few years. I'm less certain that's been a Tomlin issue but I think a case can be made that Tomlin is a better culture builder and motivator then strategist/adjustor and that rears it's head in the postseason. I don't quite see it that way myself. I think the primary job of a coach, especially in-season, is to do the things that Tomlin does very well. Build the culture, motivate. The x's and o's should in theory fall more under the responsibility of the assistants and that's one of two areas that Tomlin may have been coming up short. We know about his lack of coaching tree and I think it's fair to examine his choices for a lot of the assistant jobs. They've not been overly inspiring. Secondly while I don't think any of us know the exact input he has on personnel decisions I think it's safe to say he has a lot so the roster not being in awesome shape does fall back on him to some degree. In short I think he's got great coaching ability, is not the reason for the lack of post season success, but needs to improve on his off-season with respect to making better coaching staff hires and personnel decisions regarding the roster.

 

[Steelers4Life]

And some will be excited with the 7-2 down the stretch, and claim Tomlin is God once again. This is the issue, and why this team will never leave mediocrity with this current staff.

Team went from a bottom feeder before the bye that couldn't beat anyone, to a mid tier after the break that showed they can hang with other mediocrity. Now guess what, they went 1-2 vs playoff teams down the stretch, (both in their division), and could only beat a Huntley-led Raven team once.

Wake me up when they can go toe-to-toe with any top tier team outside their division. In the meantime, let's celebrate another mediocre finish, and extend Tomlin for more of the same.

Pretty sure they beat the Bills last year.

Yup, caught them sleeping week 1. Great victory while putting up 252 yards of offense, right?

Now quickly recall what happened vs KC week 16 and the playoffs.

Also, quickly recall what happened vs Buf and Phi this year.

Now let's also recall the last 3 playoff appearances in the last 6 years.

If you want to take my comment literally and ignore what you really know it means, that's fine. Bottom line is they have only beaten anyone relevant week 1 in the last 2 years. This current team would be cannon fodder to KC or BUF in any meaningful game. They could play CIN tough being it's a division rival, but would lose at the end of the day. They lost Mixon early, and had no Chase, and still won comfortably last matchup, and in Pittsburgh, with Watt back as well.

What you find is that there are fans out there who give the Steelers a pass for everything. Media loves Tomlin and the Steelers' stability, and he's quotable and a players' coach. But some act like because they wear those uniforms, it automatically makes them relevant.

Fact is, the Steelers haven't been a real player for a while now. Tomlin has been the coach for 16 years, and the Steelers have only won a playoff game in 4 of them. 16 years isn't a small sample size, so historically, the Steelers have a 25% chance of winning a game in the playoffs. How is that number going to change now that he doesn't have a 1st ballot HOF QB under center?

A step further... they've won a playoff game in only 2 of their last 12 years.

Is that the standard? Because we're stuck with this for the forseeable future. It's frustrating to watch.

How does that compare to every other NFL team during the same time frame?

Honestly, I don't know and I'm admittedly too lazy to research it lol

But, given the reputation of the Steelers and the high regard Tomlin is held in nationally, 2 seasons with a playoff win in 12 years is unacceptable. It's not like Ben was old the whole time and only 1 of those years was with a rookie QB.

No, I don't expect that the Steelers would ever consider replacing him. But if I told you that Team X has had 12 consecutive non-losing seasons but only 3 playoff wins and none in the past 6 years, you'd wonder why the coach still has the job. He has the job because it's the Steelers and because he won with Cowher's team for 4 or 5 years first to pad his resume.

I find the coaching carousel to be borderline obscene. Only one team can win every year. I take solace in the Steelers doing things "the right way" and having an actual culture and stability.

As long as the Steelers continue along the path they've been on for 12 years, I'd bet the rest of the league appreciates the Steelers doing things the "right" way too.

Stability is nice when it leads to winning. Not just regular season winning and competitiveness, but playoff winning. Stability becomes complacency very quickly when it doesn't involve winning though.

 

[Godsbrother]

And some will be excited with the 7-2 down the stretch, and claim Tomlin is God once again. This is the issue, and why this team will never leave mediocrity with this current staff.

Team went from a bottom feeder before the bye that couldn't beat anyone, to a mid tier after the break that showed they can hang with other mediocrity. Now guess what, they went 1-2 vs playoff teams down the stretch, (both in their division), and could only beat a Huntley-led Raven team once.

Wake me up when they can go toe-to-toe with any top tier team outside their division. In the meantime, let's celebrate another mediocre finish, and extend Tomlin for more of the same.

Pretty sure they beat the Bills last year.

Yup, caught them sleeping week 1. Great victory while putting up 252 yards of offense, right?

Now quickly recall what happened vs KC week 16 and the playoffs.

Also, quickly recall what happened vs Buf and Phi this year.

Now let's also recall the last 3 playoff appearances in the last 6 years.

If you want to take my comment literally and ignore what you really know it means, that's fine. Bottom line is they have only beaten anyone relevant week 1 in the last 2 years. This current team would be cannon fodder to KC or BUF in any meaningful game. They could play CIN tough being it's a division rival, but would lose at the end of the day. They lost Mixon early, and had no Chase, and still won comfortably last matchup, and in Pittsburgh, with Watt back as well.

What you find is that there are fans out there who give the Steelers a pass for everything. Media loves Tomlin and the Steelers' stability, and he's quotable and a players' coach. But some act like because they wear those uniforms, it automatically makes them relevant.

Fact is, the Steelers haven't been a real player for a while now. Tomlin has been the coach for 16 years, and the Steelers have only won a playoff game in 4 of them. 16 years isn't a small sample size, so historically, the Steelers have a 25% chance of winning a game in the playoffs. How is that number going to change now that he doesn't have a 1st ballot HOF QB under center?

A step further... they've won a playoff game in only 2 of their last 12 years.

Is that the standard? Because we're stuck with this for the forseeable future. It's frustrating to watch.

How does that compare to every other NFL team during the same time frame?

Honestly, I don't know and I'm admittedly too lazy to research it lol

But, given the reputation of the Steelers and the high regard Tomlin is held in nationally, 2 seasons with a playoff win in 12 years is unacceptable. It's not like Ben was old the whole time and only 1 of those years was with a rookie QB.

No, I don't expect that the Steelers would ever consider replacing him. But if I told you that Team X has had 12 consecutive non-losing seasons but only 3 playoff wins and none in the past 6 years, you'd wonder why the coach still has the job. He has the job because it's the Steelers and because he won with Cowher's team for 4 or 5 years first to pad his resume.

I find the coaching carousel to be borderline obscene. Only one team can win every year. I take solace in the Steelers doing things "the right way" and having an actual culture and stability.

As long as the Steelers continue along the path they've been on for 12 years, I'd bet the rest of the league appreciates the Steelers doing things the "right" way too.

Stability is nice when it leads to winning. Not just regular season winning and competitiveness, but playoff winning. Stability becomes complacency very quickly when it doesn't involve winning though.

Playoff wins without a championship is as useless as regular season wins

 

[menobrown]

Playoff wins without a championship is as useless as regular season wins

Agree.

 

[Steelers4Life]

And some will be excited with the 7-2 down the stretch, and claim Tomlin is God once again. This is the issue, and why this team will never leave mediocrity with this current staff.

Team went from a bottom feeder before the bye that couldn't beat anyone, to a mid tier after the break that showed they can hang with other mediocrity. Now guess what, they went 1-2 vs playoff teams down the stretch, (both in their division), and could only beat a Huntley-led Raven team once.

Wake me up when they can go toe-to-toe with any top tier team outside their division. In the meantime, let's celebrate another mediocre finish, and extend Tomlin for more of the same.

Pretty sure they beat the Bills last year.

Yup, caught them sleeping week 1. Great victory while putting up 252 yards of offense, right?

Now quickly recall what happened vs KC week 16 and the playoffs.

Also, quickly recall what happened vs Buf and Phi this year.

Now let's also recall the last 3 playoff appearances in the last 6 years.

If you want to take my comment literally and ignore what you really know it means, that's fine. Bottom line is they have only beaten anyone relevant week 1 in the last 2 years. This current team would be cannon fodder to KC or BUF in any meaningful game. They could play CIN tough being it's a division rival, but would lose at the end of the day. They lost Mixon early, and had no Chase, and still won comfortably last matchup, and in Pittsburgh, with Watt back as well.

What you find is that there are fans out there who give the Steelers a pass for everything. Media loves Tomlin and the Steelers' stability, and he's quotable and a players' coach. But some act like because they wear those uniforms, it automatically makes them relevant.

Fact is, the Steelers haven't been a real player for a while now. Tomlin has been the coach for 16 years, and the Steelers have only won a playoff game in 4 of them. 16 years isn't a small sample size, so historically, the Steelers have a 25% chance of winning a game in the playoffs. How is that number going to change now that he doesn't have a 1st ballot HOF QB under center?

A step further... they've won a playoff game in only 2 of their last 12 years.

Is that the standard? Because we're stuck with this for the forseeable future. It's frustrating to watch.

How does that compare to every other NFL team during the same time frame?

Honestly, I don't know and I'm admittedly too lazy to research it lol

But, given the reputation of the Steelers and the high regard Tomlin is held in nationally, 2 seasons with a playoff win in 12 years is unacceptable. It's not like Ben was old the whole time and only 1 of those years was with a rookie QB.

No, I don't expect that the Steelers would ever consider replacing him. But if I told you that Team X has had 12 consecutive non-losing seasons but only 3 playoff wins and none in the past 6 years, you'd wonder why the coach still has the job. He has the job because it's the Steelers and because he won with Cowher's team for 4 or 5 years first to pad his resume.

I find the coaching carousel to be borderline obscene. Only one team can win every year. I take solace in the Steelers doing things "the right way" and having an actual culture and stability.

As long as the Steelers continue along the path they've been on for 12 years, I'd bet the rest of the league appreciates the Steelers doing things the "right" way too.

Stability is nice when it leads to winning. Not just regular season winning and competitiveness, but playoff winning. Stability becomes complacency very quickly when it doesn't involve winning though.

Playoff wins without a championship is as useless as regular season wins

Agree to disagree on that point.

Regular season wins aren't meaningless. How much they're worth depends on how high the standard is. If the goal is to get to the playoffs about half the time and be a one and done afterthought in January, Tomlin has been a huge success.

Anyone who considers what Tomlin has done since Tebow's OT TD pass in 2011 a success has seriously lowered their standards compared to the level of talent that's been on his team.

 

[Steelers4Life]

I think we can both agree the teams playoff success has been lacking the last few years. I'm less certain that's been a Tomlin issue but I think a case can be made that Tomlin is a better culture builder and motivator then strategist/adjustor and that rears it's head in the postseason. I don't quite see it that way myself. I think the primary job of a coach, especially in-season, is to do the things that Tomlin does very well. Build the culture, motivate. The x's and o's should in theory fall more under the responsibility of the assistants and that's one of two areas that Tomlin may have been coming up short. We know about his lack of coaching tree and I think it's fair to examine his choices for a lot of the assistant jobs. They've not been overly inspiring. Secondly while I don't think any of us know the exact input he has on personnel decisions I think it's safe to say he has a lot so the roster not being in awesome shape does fall back on him to some degree. In short I think he's got great coaching ability, is not the reason for the lack of post season success, but needs to improve on his off-season with respect to making better coaching staff hires and personnel decisions regarding the roster.

Forgive me if Im oversimplifying this, but this sounds at least in part like:

Tomlin is not good at strategic decisions, but that's the assistants' fault.
Tomlin is not good at X's and O's, but that's the assistants' fault too.
Tomlin is not good at in game adjustments
Tomlin is not good at personnel decisions, but that's not entirely his fault.
And, Tomlin is not good at hiring quality assistants

But he's a real good cheerleader, motivator, and creator of culture because players like him lol

 

[Bozeman Bruiser]

Maybe Pickett can go to Jordan Palmer's QB Camp.

Alumni: Mahomes, Watson, Allen, Burrow

 

[crushedspirit]

If there was success in the last 6 seasons somewhere, yet I discounted it and only point at the other 5 years, then yes it's cherry picking.

I didn't do that at all, and the point is recent success, which again, has disappeared in the last 6 years. How long does a guy get a pass for some success 7 years ago?

Again, 11th longest active drought without a playoff win.

 

[pghrob]

Reading some recent posts on what guys think about the prospects of Pickett, cititng his arm talent as essentially meh.

Yes, there are plenty of those types of guys who litter the pages of first round QB busts in recent nfl draft history.

But every now and then, once in a while, like every 30 years or so, some actually pan out.

So dream a little and have some irrational fun with your Fandom.

Rather than seeing Kenny Pickett as a Chad Pennington or Ryan Tannehill or J.P. Losman or Brandon Weedon or E.J. Manuel type of prospect, why not get a little more fantasy-like with your hopes for Pickett? Put on some rose colored glasses.

See a Joe Montana

The Untold Truth Of Joe Montana - Grunge

Here are some little-known facts about Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback -- and four-time Super Bowl winner -- Joe Montana.

www.grunge.com

Or

See a Drew Brees (I know, I know... he was first pick in 2nd round, 32nd overall, but cut me some slack).

Dream on, be a fan. Aim for the stars.

Here we go!

 

[Godsbrother]

The reality is that barring serious injury, Pickett is the man for 2023 and probably 2024.

Draft a quality LT, maybe add a WR, and fill holes on defense and see where he takes the team.

If he sucks then go back to the drawing board.

 

[humpback]

Canada has "led" 2 bad offenses in a row and it's not like he has any NFL track record to hang his hat on. He should have been fired yesterday IMO.

 

[steelers1080]

Mike Tomlin has been the coach of the Steelers since the 2007 Season. They missed the playoffs in 6 of those seasons and made the playoffs in 10 of them. 5 of those playoff misses occurred when only 6 teams made the playoffs. Now that 7 teams make the playoffs, the Steelers would have made the playoffs in 4 of those 5 seasons. The NFL was considering adding an 8th playoff team this year as an exception, and the Steelers would have been that team. Only in 2013 would we have missed the playoffs if a 7th team was added. Again, if they had 7 playoff teams since 2007, the Steelers would have made the playoffs in 14 of 16 years. That is incredible.

The Steelers are in the hunt every single year since Tomlin has been head coach. There are so many teams that don't even sniff the playoffs for years in a row. 3 playoff wins since our last Super Bowl is disappointing, but things could be so much worse, and not that much better. The Eagles winning the Super Bowl after firing Andy Reid is the exception, not the rule. It might be the path we take if Tomlin's Steelers don't improve over the next 2 seasons, but he has more than earned the right to try and rebuild post-Ben. If he keeps Canada, my fuse does get shorter.

The grass isn't always greener. I'd rather be in the hunt and winning games every year than win 1 playoff game every 5 years.

 

[steelers1080]

2023 way too early game prediction. Assumes we improve O-line slightly, get a decent WR or Austin plays well, that we get an ILB or DL to help with run defense, and get a CB & re-sign Sutton.

• Ravens - Split
• Bengals - Split
• Browns - Sweep
• Cardinals - Win
• Packers - Win (with or without Rodgers)
• Jags - Lose
• Pats - Win
• 49ers - Lose
• Titans - Win
• Texans - Win
• Colts - Win
• Raiders - Win (over Tom Brady)
• Rams - Win
• Seahawks - Lose

12 - 5
Rams I think Win if we face them late in the season and lose if we face them early, assuming Stafford is their starter but won't last a full season.

Steelers Ravens will be last game of the season and we'll beat them to knock them out of the playoffs in Lamar's final game as a Raven.

 

[bryhamm]

2023 way too early game prediction. Assumes we improve O-line slightly, get a decent WR or Austin plays well, that we get an ILB or DL to help with run defense, and get a CB & re-sign Sutton.

• Ravens - Split
• Bengals - Split
• Browns - Sweep
• Cardinals - Win
• Packers - Win (with or without Rodgers)
• Jags - Lose
• Pats - Win
• 49ers - Lose
• Titans - Win
• Texans - Win
• Colts - Win
• Raiders - Win (over Tom Brady)
• Rams - Win
• Seahawks - Lose

12 - 5
Rams I think Win if we face them late in the season and lose if we face them early, assuming Stafford is their starter but won't last a full season.

Steelers Ravens will be last game of the season and we'll beat them to knock them out of the playoffs in Lamar's final game as a Raven.

This lines up very similar to what I am thinking. Even with a sweep by the Bengals, we'd be 11-6. And I personally think we can beat the Seahawks. Much easier schedule next year vs this year.

 

[crushedspirit]

Mike Tomlin has been the coach of the Steelers since the 2007 Season. They missed the playoffs in 6 of those seasons and made the playoffs in 10 of them. 5 of those playoff misses occurred when only 6 teams made the playoffs. Now that 7 teams make the playoffs, the Steelers would have made the playoffs in 4 of those 5 seasons. The NFL was considering adding an 8th playoff team this year as an exception, and the Steelers would have been that team. Only in 2013 would we have missed the playoffs if a 7th team was added. Again, if they had 7 playoff teams since 2007, the Steelers would have made the playoffs in 14 of 16 years. That is incredible.

The Steelers are in the hunt every single year since Tomlin has been head coach. There are so many teams that don't even sniff the playoffs for years in a row. 3 playoff wins since our last Super Bowl is disappointing, but things could be so much worse, and not that much better. The Eagles winning the Super Bowl after firing Andy Reid is the exception, not the rule. It might be the path we take if Tomlin's Steelers don't improve over the next 2 seasons, but he has more than earned the right to try and rebuild post-Ben. If he keeps Canada, my fuse does get shorter.

The grass isn't always greener. I'd rather be in the hunt and winning games every year than win 1 playoff game every 5 years.

You make a good point, and I would be more of a Tomlin supporter if the offense was left to someone else. He has too much control over it, and until I see a QB-friendly OC given free reign to run a current offense, then I don't see any playoff success in the future. You're a smart fan, and you know how this team clicked with Arians and Haley running the show their way on offense. Tomlin is a motivator, and players will play for him, but he lacks the ingenuity to develop a proper offense. He relied on Ben to pull wins out over the years when the games went off script, and that plan failed come playoff time.

At some point, he needs to be held accountable for a long streak without any playoff success. Wins stacked in the regular season that amounts to nothing are like an empty promise that never gets delivered. This current drought is not good, and fans fearing that someone worse will come along is a little weird, even if true. Do many really not have faith that this franchise can find a good young coach, just like they have before?

 

[irish eyes]

Mike Tomlin has been the coach of the Steelers since the 2007 Season. They missed the playoffs in 6 of those seasons and made the playoffs in 10 of them. 5 of those playoff misses occurred when only 6 teams made the playoffs. Now that 7 teams make the playoffs, the Steelers would have made the playoffs in 4 of those 5 seasons. The NFL was considering adding an 8th playoff team this year as an exception, and the Steelers would have been that team. Only in 2013 would we have missed the playoffs if a 7th team was added. Again, if they had 7 playoff teams since 2007, the Steelers would have made the playoffs in 14 of 16 years. That is incredible.

The Steelers are in the hunt every single year since Tomlin has been head coach. There are so many teams that don't even sniff the playoffs for years in a row. 3 playoff wins since our last Super Bowl is disappointing, but things could be so much worse, and not that much better. The Eagles winning the Super Bowl after firing Andy Reid is the exception, not the rule. It might be the path we take if Tomlin's Steelers don't improve over the next 2 seasons, but he has more than earned the right to try and rebuild post-Ben. If he keeps Canada, my fuse does get shorter.

The grass isn't always greener. I'd rather be in the hunt and winning games every year than win 1 playoff game every 5 years.

You make a good point, and I would be more of a Tomlin supporter if the offense was left to someone else. He has too much control over it, and until I see a QB-friendly OC given free reign to run a current offense, then I don't see any playoff success in the future. You're a smart fan, and you know how this team clicked with Arians and Haley running the show their way on offense. Tomlin is a motivator, and players will play for him, but he lacks the ingenuity to develop a proper offense. He relied on Ben to pull wins out over the years when the games went off script, and that plan failed come playoff time.

At some point, he needs to be held accountable for a long streak without any playoff success. Wins stacked in the regular season that amounts to nothing are like an empty promise that never gets delivered. This current drought is not good, and fans fearing that someone worse will come along is a little weird, even if true. Do many really not have faith that this franchise can find a good young coach, just like they have before?

Yeah it's bizarre to me everyone saying who will you hire that would be better. People content with this regular season over .500 garbage and major lack of playoff success is mind boggling.

 

[belljr]

Mike Tomlin has been the coach of the Steelers since the 2007 Season. They missed the playoffs in 6 of those seasons and made the playoffs in 10 of them. 5 of those playoff misses occurred when only 6 teams made the playoffs. Now that 7 teams make the playoffs, the Steelers would have made the playoffs in 4 of those 5 seasons. The NFL was considering adding an 8th playoff team this year as an exception, and the Steelers would have been that team. Only in 2013 would we have missed the playoffs if a 7th team was added. Again, if they had 7 playoff teams since 2007, the Steelers would have made the playoffs in 14 of 16 years. That is incredible.

The Steelers are in the hunt every single year since Tomlin has been head coach. There are so many teams that don't even sniff the playoffs for years in a row. 3 playoff wins since our last Super Bowl is disappointing, but things could be so much worse, and not that much better. The Eagles winning the Super Bowl after firing Andy Reid is the exception, not the rule. It might be the path we take if Tomlin's Steelers don't improve over the next 2 seasons, but he has more than earned the right to try and rebuild post-Ben. If he keeps Canada, my fuse does get shorter.

The grass isn't always greener. I'd rather be in the hunt and winning games every year than win 1 playoff game every 5 years.

You make a good point, and I would be more of a Tomlin supporter if the offense was left to someone else. He has too much control over it, and until I see a QB-friendly OC given free reign to run a current offense, then I don't see any playoff success in the future. You're a smart fan, and you know how this team clicked with Arians and Haley running the show their way on offense. Tomlin is a motivator, and players will play for him, but he lacks the ingenuity to develop a proper offense. He relied on Ben to pull wins out over the years when the games went off script, and that plan failed come playoff time.

At some point, he needs to be held accountable for a long streak without any playoff success. Wins stacked in the regular season that amounts to nothing are like an empty promise that never gets delivered. This current drought is not good, and fans fearing that someone worse will come along is a little weird, even if true. Do many really not have faith that this franchise can find a good young coach, just like they have before?

Everyone wanted Haley fired. And Canada too

 

[crushedspirit]

I do get the stability angle for sure, and it's better than getting into a coaching carousel. I guess I just have more faith that the franchise will once again pick someone up and coming. Their track record states they should be given the benefit of the doubt.

 

[menobrown]

The grass isn't always greener. I'd rather be in the hunt and winning games every year

Yes and obviously mix in for some championships. I think thee people here saying we are content with mediocrity don't understand how difficult it is to win a championship and how much worse things could be.

NE/Bellichick is the only coach and team to win more SB's then Tomlin since he became our coach. That same coach/team has just peeled off 2 losing seasons in the last 3 years with zero playoff wins. Obviously this started with losing Brady but BB is still universally considered one of the best head coaches ever with possible exception of some people in this forum. People want to say Tomlin should have won more with prime Ben. Green Bay has had 30 years of Rodgers/Favre and won 2. New Orleans and Indy got one apiece with Peyton and Brees. It's tough business winning a SB.

 

[crushedspirit]

Mike Tomlin has been the coach of the Steelers since the 2007 Season. They missed the playoffs in 6 of those seasons and made the playoffs in 10 of them. 5 of those playoff misses occurred when only 6 teams made the playoffs. Now that 7 teams make the playoffs, the Steelers would have made the playoffs in 4 of those 5 seasons. The NFL was considering adding an 8th playoff team this year as an exception, and the Steelers would have been that team. Only in 2013 would we have missed the playoffs if a 7th team was added. Again, if they had 7 playoff teams since 2007, the Steelers would have made the playoffs in 14 of 16 years. That is incredible.

The Steelers are in the hunt every single year since Tomlin has been head coach. There are so many teams that don't even sniff the playoffs for years in a row. 3 playoff wins since our last Super Bowl is disappointing, but things could be so much worse, and not that much better. The Eagles winning the Super Bowl after firing Andy Reid is the exception, not the rule. It might be the path we take if Tomlin's Steelers don't improve over the next 2 seasons, but he has more than earned the right to try and rebuild post-Ben. If he keeps Canada, my fuse does get shorter.

The grass isn't always greener. I'd rather be in the hunt and winning games every year than win 1 playoff game every 5 years.

You make a good point, and I would be more of a Tomlin supporter if the offense was left to someone else. He has too much control over it, and until I see a QB-friendly OC given free reign to run a current offense, then I don't see any playoff success in the future. You're a smart fan, and you know how this team clicked with Arians and Haley running the show their way on offense. Tomlin is a motivator, and players will play for him, but he lacks the ingenuity to develop a proper offense. He relied on Ben to pull wins out over the years when the games went off script, and that plan failed come playoff time.

At some point, he needs to be held accountable for a long streak without any playoff success. Wins stacked in the regular season that amounts to nothing are like an empty promise that never gets delivered. This current drought is not good, and fans fearing that someone worse will come along is a little weird, even if true. Do many really not have faith that this franchise can find a good young coach, just like they have before?

Everyone wanted Haley fired. And Canada too

Yes, many did. I was not one of them. People complained Arians was getting Ben killed, but his game was predicated on scrambling and making things happen. Haley because Ben simply didn't like him. Both were successful, and the Tomlin hires since Haley have been bad.

 

[Steelers4Life]

Mike Tomlin has been the coach of the Steelers since the 2007 Season. They missed the playoffs in 6 of those seasons and made the playoffs in 10 of them. 5 of those playoff misses occurred when only 6 teams made the playoffs. Now that 7 teams make the playoffs, the Steelers would have made the playoffs in 4 of those 5 seasons. The NFL was considering adding an 8th playoff team this year as an exception, and the Steelers would have been that team. Only in 2013 would we have missed the playoffs if a 7th team was added. Again, if they had 7 playoff teams since 2007, the Steelers would have made the playoffs in 14 of 16 years. That is incredible.

The Steelers are in the hunt every single year since Tomlin has been head coach. There are so many teams that don't even sniff the playoffs for years in a row. 3 playoff wins since our last Super Bowl is disappointing, but things could be so much worse, and not that much better. The Eagles winning the Super Bowl after firing Andy Reid is the exception, not the rule. It might be the path we take if Tomlin's Steelers don't improve over the next 2 seasons, but he has more than earned the right to try and rebuild post-Ben. If he keeps Canada, my fuse does get shorter.

The grass isn't always greener. I'd rather be in the hunt and winning games every year than win 1 playoff game every 5 years.

You can play with the numbers however you want, but being in the playoffs doesn't mean being in the hunt for a championship. Having a HOF QB and good defensive talent will generally keep you competitive for the playoffs, but that doesn't mean a helluva lot when it never leads anywhere.

If it's considered successful as a Steelers head coach to have 3 playoff wins in 12 years, then so be it. If they had inferior talent or inconsistent QB play, that'd be different. I'd expect more with what he's had to work with.

16 teams have more playoff wins than the Steelers in the past 12 years. 4 other teams have just as many.

Tomlin won early in his career with the core of talent he inherited, but he hasn't earned the right to do anything given his lack of success since then. It's lazy in my opinion to to say he's earned it based on success he had a between 12 and 16 years ago, and most organizations - good and bad - would have turned up the heat or canned him already.

 

[crushedspirit]

The grass isn't always greener. I'd rather be in the hunt and winning games every year

Yes and obviously mix in for some championships. I think thee people here saying we are content with mediocrity don't understand how difficult it is to win a championship and how much worse things could be.

NE/Bellichick is the only coach and team to win more SB's then Tomlin since he became our coach. That same coach/team has just peeled off 2 losing seasons in the last 3 years with zero playoff wins. Obviously this started with losing Brady but BB is still universally considered one of the best head coaches ever with possible exception of some people in this forum. People want to say Tomlin should have won more with prime Ben. Green Bay has had 30 years of Rodgers/Favre and won 2. New Orleans and Indy got one apiece with Peyton and Brees. It's tough business winning a SB.

You're right, it's tough business and that's why I'm not in the "SB or bust" crowd.

I'm in the, "let's not go 1-and-done 3 times since 2017 with a top D and HOF QB crowd"

Being a regular season competitive team is not enough for me, especially with the roster they had in place. It's good foundation to start with, and much better than suffering countless losing seasons with no hope, but is finishing in the top 44% of all AFC teams the satisfying goal? So, it's not bad enough to suffer greatly, but it's never good enough to celebrate. Franchise is stuck in NFL purgatory status.