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

steelers1080 said:
Looks like Dalvin Cook might play tonight. It's going to be a hard fought game I think. 
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I think the Steelers defense is going to have their hands full with the Vikings offense, especially if Cook plays but even if he doesn't.  On the other hand the Steelers offense should be able to score on the Vikings defense which is also no bueno.

I think you're right on the money with this being a game decided by turnovers.  I'm glad that we have TJ watt on our side...

 
Godsbrother said:
I think the Steelers defense is going to have their hands full with the Vikings offense, especially if Cook plays but even if he doesn't.  On the other hand the Steelers offense should be able to score on the Vikings defense which is also no bueno.

I think you're right on the money with this being a game decided by turnovers.  I'm glad that we have TJ watt on our side...
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The Vikings are getting back like 5 starters on defense...

Also, should the Steelers have interest in Zach Cunningham? I'm not sure what he did to be let go, but he definitely has talent. We don't want someone who is a problem, but the Texans organization is one big mess, so there might be extenuating circumstances. 

 
steelers1080 said:
The Vikings are getting back like 5 starters on defense...

Also, should the Steelers have interest in Zach Cunningham? I'm not sure what he did to be let go, but he definitely has talent. We don't want someone who is a problem, but the Texans organization is one big mess, so there might be extenuating circumstances. 
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They should be interested in any LB with a pulse that can stop the run. If Cunningham can do that, no harm in kicking tires.

 
I liked that the Steelers went all in this year for Bens last hurrah.

Now they need to spend the next couple years getting their cap in shape. Going to be a rough few years.

 
Ben is that old guy at the gym who still gets picked first.  He’s still our best chance to win.

if only we could get to the opposing d being tired quicker.  Our remaining schedule doesn’t look so hard all of a sudden

 
That is one abysmal defense and offensive line.  Ben is saving this team right now.  How many wins do they have with Rudolph?  Maybe 3?  Major, major rebuild needed on both sides. Get ready for a stretch of ugly football in the years to come.

 
Valiant effort by Ben last night.  Down 29-0 and taking an absolute beating he nearly pulled it out.  

This team blows though...

 
Godsbrother said:
Valiant effort by Ben last night.  Down 29-0 and taking an absolute beating he nearly pulled it out.  

This team blows though...
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So does the rest of us in the AFCN.  Everyone sucks because we all have terrible offensive lines right now.  I think the main reason the Steelers came back late last night is because the Vikings pass rush got gassed.  

I don't know who you play next but if TJ is out then ...

The division title is up for grabs up unless the Browns offense remains completely inept and don't even make it a game and give it away to the Ravens Sunday.  

 
Chase Claypool may be one of our best receivers but man he had one of the dumbest games I have seen in a while.  The penalty in the 1st quarter RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE OFFICIAL was just terrible.  Then he gets away with a fumble almost immediately.  Then at the end of the game we lose about 10 seconds of play because apparently Claypool felt it was more important to do the FIRST DOWN celebration with less than a minute.    

We are still technically in the playoff hunt but this team just doesn't really deserve it.   I guess limping into the final spot is better than nothing.   

 
hammerva said:
Chase Claypool may be one of our best receivers but man he had one of the dumbest games I have seen in a while.  The penalty in the 1st quarter RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE OFFICIAL was just terrible.  Then he gets away with a fumble almost immediately.  Then at the end of the game we lose about 10 seconds of play because apparently Claypool felt it was more important to do the FIRST DOWN celebration with less than a minute.    

We are still technically in the playoff hunt but this team just doesn't really deserve it.   I guess limping into the final spot is better than nothing.   
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He cost the team 10 seconds.  Unacceptable.  You run the ball to the ref and line up!!

Any detail on what he and Trai Turner "discussed" during and after that play/celebration?  Would like to hear Claypool try to justify ANY of it.

 
fred_1_15301 said:
That is one abysmal defense and offensive line.  Ben is saving this team right now.  How many wins do they have with Rudolph?  Maybe 3?  Major, major rebuild needed on both sides. Get ready for a stretch of ugly football in the years to come.
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100%.  Makes me feel bad for Najee Harris, who said something like "we are getting there" because I agree, but without Ben making throws and running the offense, who knows how bad things would look.

There was an instance where the Steelers had to call a timeout because of getting the play in and then trying to audible it seemed -- Ben came over to the sideline and was visibly upset with a coach -- not sure who it was?

The team is literally starting 4th stringers and guys from various practice squads on both sides of the ball.  It is a miracle that they are .500.

 
Any chance they deactivate Claypool for the next game? Obviously depends on being healthy, since basically all of the inactives last night were due to injury, but we have the WR depth to take the hit.

The season is all but lost, so they can try to send a message for next season.

 
ThaPenguin said:
Any chance they deactivate Claypool for the next game? Obviously depends on being healthy, since basically all of the inactives last night were due to injury, but we have the WR depth to take the hit.

The season is all but lost, so they can try to send a message for next season.
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0%.  But Washington should see the field more.  Maybe there is an offseason decision regarding trading Claypool and re-signing Juju and Washington?

 
ThaPenguin said:
Any chance they deactivate Claypool for the next game? Obviously depends on being healthy, since basically all of the inactives last night were due to injury, but we have the WR depth to take the hit.

The season is all but lost, so they can try to send a message for next season.
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I doubt it.   They need the kid, in all honesty. 

Claypool made some spectacular catches in last night's game that maybe 4 guys in the league could make.   

 
hammerva said:
Chase Claypool may be one of our best receivers but man he had one of the dumbest games I have seen in a while.  The penalty in the 1st quarter RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE OFFICIAL was just terrible.  Then he gets away with a fumble almost immediately.  Then at the end of the game we lose about 10 seconds of play because apparently Claypool felt it was more important to do the FIRST DOWN celebration with less than a minute.    

We are still technically in the playoff hunt but this team just doesn't really deserve it.   I guess limping into the final spot is better than nothing.   
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Assuming this team doesn't get healthy, I seriously shudder to think what would happen to them in a playoff game.  I guess we'll find out as they're about to face 2 of the better teams in the conference.  In their current state, they're closer to the Lions and Jets than they are to being a playoff team.  It would honestly be better for them to just lose it, get the higher draft pick and infuse some talent into the defense/offensive line.

 
Leeroy Jenkins said:
The team is literally starting 4th stringers and guys from various practice squads on both sides of the ball.  It is a miracle that they are .500.
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Aside from Juju and his 5 yard crossing patterns, the only member of the starting offense who's hurt is Dotson. The rest of the line is exactly what it was expected to be, it's just not very good anywhere. Wouldn't be QUITE as big of a deal if Ben could move around a little.

Not sure that missing Haden is that big of a deal at this stage, and while Watt has missed a little time the rest of the linebackers have been mostly healthy, just not very good. The only area where injuries have played a huge role is along the defensive line, but I don't think this defense would be good enough to carry the team even if Alualu and Tuitt were both miraculously healthy.

Their .500 record is more of a result of an experienced HOF QB, an easier 1st half schedule, and overwhelming parity in the league right now. Seems like everyone has 4, 5 or 6 losses. I think it's going to be a really rough 2nd half unless the OL and DL improve in a hurry. 

Hate seeing Ben go out on a team like this. Even if his body isn't going to hold up beyond this year, his arm has shown some extra pop lately.

 
dcgangstas said:
I doubt it.   They need the kid, in all honesty. 

Claypool made some spectacular catches in last night's game that maybe 4 guys in the league could make.   
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He also had three critical mistakes that cost his team possession and time they could not afford to lose. Is breaking even on f*** ups vs positive plays good enough?

 
Balco said:
I liked that the Steelers went all in this year for Bens last hurrah.

Now they need to spend the next couple years getting their cap in shape. Going to be a rough few years.
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This is just patently not true lol. Their cap space is just fine. The Steelers have $9 million in cap space right now that they could roll over into next year, then $40 million in cap space next year without including possible cuts. The Steelers then have $140+ million in cap space in 2023, that's just 1 season and 4 games away. They have plenty of cap space, now we just need the stars to spend the money on. 

 
Leeroy Jenkins said:
He cost the team 10 seconds.  Unacceptable.  You run the ball to the ref and line up!!
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It feels like the team often doesn't have situational awareness. Diontae did, making sure to get out of bounds was crucial, but there have been many times in the past where the hurry up offense wasn't that fast, players didn't get out of bounds or went out of bounds when we were trying to run the clock out. Just basic things that make it seem like they didn't know what they should do in specific scenarios. 

 
steelers1080 said:
It feels like the team often doesn't have situational awareness. Diontae did, making sure to get out of bounds was crucial, but there have been many times in the past where the hurry up offense wasn't that fast, players didn't get out of bounds or went out of bounds when we were trying to run the clock out. Just basic things that make it seem like they didn't know what they should do in specific scenarios. 
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At least it appears Claypool was mad that a penalty wasn't called for a Viking knocking the ball from his hands, rather than being mad a Trai Turner.

What appears to be 100% true -- and consistent with the last few years as well -- is that the Offense is better when Ben is calling the plays and using no-huddle, rather than whatever the OC is calling.  And at least this season Ben loves his RB in Najee Harris.

 
WOOF! This F***in team, man. 

If we play like we did in the final 1.5 quarters we could literally beat any team in the league and win the Super Bowl this year. But the problem is that we play closer to the first 2.5 quarters more often, and that team would lose to every NFL team and many college teams. The tackling and positional discipline was just a joke. Seeing Bush and Edmunds out of position or taking terrible angles over and over and over is just exhausting. 

The Steelers should have put in a waiver claim for Cunningham to see if he's the answer because Bush is not and Schobert doesn't appear to be either. 

Next year could be a dumpster fire, the team should cut/replace the following players for minimal cap savings: 

  • Derek Watt - $2.7 mil
  • Zach Banner - $5 mil
  • Stephon Tuitt - $4 mil (only if he's done/still out)
  • Joe Schobert - $8 million (also avoids 2 more years at $11+ mil each)
The players above are either hurt often or don't provide the value we're playing for. Also, don't give Bush a 5th year option because it's guaranteed for injury. 

The Steelers should extend Diontae, Minkah, Gentry (vet min), Chuks (only if cheap contract to be backup), Wormley (cheap extension), Taco Charlton (looks like an ok backup), Killebrew (ST mostly), Maulet (cheap), ####z (he's fine, need a LS). 

We need a ton of new talent through FA and the draft: QB, 2 WR, TE, G, T, C (arguably), DE, NT, 2 ILB, SS, CB. 

 
Godsbrother said:
Valiant effort by Ben last night.  Down 29-0 and taking an absolute beating he nearly pulled it out.  

This team blows though...
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+1, pretty much.  It's worth keeping in mind that the Vikings aren't a very good team either (especially on defense), so that factors in, but Grandpa Ben did just about everything he could have possibly done to come back from that huge deficit other than block for himself.  

Overall, the team pretty much sucks.  OL detracts from just about any talent they actually have on O, and on D they have at most a handful of players that can be depended on to consistently hit assignments, and literally three guys that can actually make a play.  No ILBs that can tackle or stack/shed worth a damn.  It's damn near criminal to watch a Steelers defense look that bad against the run.

 
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Also wanted to add....

That last throw from Ben to Pat was a)perfectly placed, and b)GUNNED in there.  Arm looked fine on that one.  Hell, arm looked fine on about 5 or 6 deep balls that they actually attempted in the 2nd half, where he had time to plant and let it go.  I've thought the poor OL has had as much, or more, to do with Ben's apparent nosedive in arm strength as anything physical, but this game sort showed it may be a larger part than even most of us might have thought.  That OL is bad.  Like, '86-'88 level bad.

For all the crap Ben gets (arm strength issues, lack of mobility, etc.) he's still able to do what a lot of other players can't.  Just not as often as he used to.  I feel pretty frustrated for him.  There was one point in the game where just about every shotgun snap was headed for the space six feet above his right shoulder.  No idea how he wasn't grabbing Green's facemask in the huddle and screaming directly into his gob.

Also...it's starting to feel like Claypool may just be a knucklehead.  Peacocking at the end instead of running back to line up, shoving the finger into a dude's face after a catch earlier, etc., etc.  Was kinda disheartening we didn't see any vet getting on him for any of it (although that doesn't mean someone didn't at some point).   Conversely, when whathisface on the Vikings did the "flex" thing on a key series, Anthony Barr was in his face in a nanosecond reminding him how ####### selfish that sort of stuff is.

 
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5-ish Finkle said:
Also...it's starting to feel like Claypool may just be a knucklehead.  Peacocking at the end instead of running back to line up, shoving the finger into a dude's face after a catch earlier, etc., etc.  Was kinda disheartening we didn't see any vet getting on him for any of it (although that doesn't mean someone didn't at some point).   
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He certainly needs to mature, that's for sure.

I don't know if any of his teammates got on him but Tomlin certainly did get in Claypool's face at one point.

 
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It was interesting to hear Buck and Aikman talk about what a physical game the Steelers were coming off vs Baltimore and how it affected them. Traveling on a short week is tough, but I didn't think the Ravens game was all that physical - and the Steelers were on fire down the stretch last night. If fatigue was such an issue in the first half, how did they get stronger in the fourth quarter? They looked more like a team that had finally gotten in synch during a short week

But I've heard Ryan Clark and Torrey Smith and others talk about how beat up they were to have to play the week following Ravens-Steelers, so I looked at the numbers during the Harbaugh era (since 2008) to see if there was any kind of hangover.

From 2008-2016
Steelers vs Ravens: 8-10
Steelers in games the week after playing Ravens: 8-10
That 16-20 record is a .444 winning percentage. In their other 108 games over those 9 seasons, the Steelers were 77-31, a .713 winning percentage. Seems like a big impact!

During that same stretch, the Ravens were 10-8 vs. Pittsburgh, and 9-9 the week after playing Pittsburgh, a .528 winning percentage, vs a .611 mark (66-42) in all other games. 

Since 2017 the effect hasn't been that dramatic and I think fans of both teams would agree a lot of the hatred and physicality has gone out of the rivalry. Since 2017, Baltimore is 6-1 the week after the Steelers game (including 4-0 with Lamar) but only 3-6 vs the Steelers themselves (including a current 3-game losing streak). Meanwhile the Steelers are 6-3 vs the Ravens, and from 2018-20 went 4-1 in the week after playing Baltimore (there's an odd number since 2019's Week 17 matchup means there was no game afterward).

I guess this is all a long way of saying that from 2008-2016 these teams clearly put a huge hurting on each other that continued into the next week, but that no longer seems to be the case. 

 
steelers1080 said:
It feels like the team often doesn't have situational awareness. Diontae did, making sure to get out of bounds was crucial, but there have been many times in the past where the hurry up offense wasn't that fast, players didn't get out of bounds or went out of bounds when we were trying to run the clock out. Just basic things that make it seem like they didn't know what they should do in specific scenarios. 
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Been that way for a while now. Lack of situational awareness, lack of discipline, puzzling in-game decisions, showing up flat, and drama.

But God forbid Tomlin is put on the hot seat. I mean, he was successful a decade ago and who could be better? Who else could've led this team to an 0-2 playoff record in the past 5 years and total of 3 playoff wins in a decade?

It's time for him to start feeling pressure.

 
Claypool definitely needs to mature, but he doesn't get enough separation for my liking.  The deep ball is his specialty and it seems the DB is always right there with him stride for stride.  He comes down with contested catches at times but more separation would make his life and the QBs life easier.  Also, he seems to push off a lot which shouldn't be necessary... with his larger frame he should be able to box out a bit better to shield the defender rather than extending his arms to get that separation.

Hopefully this is some kind of sophomore slump or whatever and he can back on track.

 
Steeler said:
Claypool definitely needs to mature, but he doesn't get enough separation for my liking.  The deep ball is his specialty and it seems the DB is always right there with him stride for stride.  He comes down with contested catches at times but more separation would make his life and the QBs life easier.  Also, he seems to push off a lot which shouldn't be necessary... with his larger frame he should be able to box out a bit better to shield the defender rather than extending his arms to get that separation.

Hopefully this is some kind of sophomore slump or whatever and he can back on track.
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Agreed.   

That said the Steelers have a lot of fixing to do before they get to Claypool being their biggest problem.

 
Godsbrother said:
Boy that tie with Detroit really hurts.
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Better than a loss...

Also, the Ravens and Bengals lost! We just need to get a few wins to end the season to keep our hopes alive, don't think we can beat KC though for sure. Ten, Bal, and Cle are all possible, especially if Lamar's injury is serious. 

 
5-ish Finkle said:
Bracie Smathers said:
Steelers take PIT QB Kenny Pickett in latest mock
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I just threw up in my mouth.
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Ya never know.

Some thought moving-up to take Mac Jones wasn't a good idea a few months back.

God's Bro, not picking on him but just one of the anti-Mac takes that 'seemed reaonable' at the time.

If Ben had retired or parted ways with the Steelers our starting QB for 2021 would be Mason Rudolph backed up by Dwayne Haskins.   Now they could have moved up and drafted Mac Jones which would have cost them their 2022 #1 and more but I'm not sure that would have been a good thing.

I think the Steelers made the right move unless you are suggesting they should have tanked 2021 in an effort to get a top 3 or 4 pick.  
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It feels like the 2022 draft will be one of those years where we have so many needs that the team could go in any direction and not shock anybody. We need QB, OG, OT, WR, S, CB, ILB, OLB, DE, NT, and possibly C... hope we just go BPA. I haven't watched a ton of college football this year, but all I keep hearing is that this is a weak draft class for QBs. Hope we don't reach while we need so much. 

 
Bracie Smathers said:
Ya never know.

Some thought moving-up to take Mac Jones wasn't a good idea a few months back.

God's Bro, not picking on him but just one of the anti-Mac takes that 'seemed reaonable' at the time.
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You're right I was not so sure about Mac Jones.  Looks like he is the best of the bunch and could be special but still not convinced he would have been worth our #1 picks in 2021 & 2022 and probably a 3rd in 2022 as well.  There are just way too many needs on this team.

I still believe the best step forward is to build the offensive line first, both through the draft and FA and concentrate on the defensive line and ILB as well.  worry about QB later unless one just drops in your lap

 
Godsbrother said:
You're right I was not so sure about Mac Jones.  Looks like he is the best of the bunch and could be special but still not convinced he would have been worth our #1 picks in 2021 & 2022 and probably a 3rd in 2022 as well.  There are just way too many needs on this team.

I still believe the best step forward is to build the offensive line first, both through the draft and FA and concentrate on the defensive line and ILB as well.  worry about QB later unless one just drops in your lap
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I'd argue that Mac fell into the best situation and definitely remains to be seen if he's the best of the bunch. He was an "nfl ready" QB, whatever that means, but he also has a talented team around him and an amazing head coach. Now that Urban is fired, I think the opportunity for Lawrence to thrive is there. Changing offensive schemes can hamper a young QB, but if the Jags pick a solid NFL coach I think he'll still end up being the best of the group. They'd be smart to hire Bienemy or Daboll just because they've recently been involved in the development of young QBs. I think Byron Leftwich and Kellen Moore would be other solid options for them. 

For the Steelers, it should just be BPA next year and signing young FAs at key positions if there's value. It would be great to have a solid D-line and O-line prior to getting a star QB, but if the Steelers think a star has landed in our lap obviously don't pass up that opportunity (but don't sell the farm to prevent potential for building around the young QB). 

 
The Steelers need to rebuild, or retool, or whatever. That's obvious to most Steelers' fans. We're actually in a pretty good position to do so because we have more cap space next year, and then a ton of cap space in 2 years. We need to fix the QB position, with Mason looking like he'll be the holdover. Some interesting free agents at positions we could use; I won't be listing any players that would be over 30 when we sign them because our team is not in win-now shape, we need young players to build around:

  • JC Jackson (CB) - Very solid man corner, would replace Joe Haden.
  • Harold Landry III (OLB) - Would be costly for a rotational OLB and would battle with Highsmith to start. Also, Watt has been injured so having a 3rd strong OLB is important. Unlikely due to cost.
  • Connor Williams (G) - He's talented, but likes to hold too much. Would be a risky sign, but if they could get him to stop committing penalties he would be solid.
  • James Daniels (C/G) - He's very young and still improving, playing RG this season and will be 24 in week 1 of 2022. Needs to improve against power, but overall solid. Could compete for C role. 
 
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