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2023 Pittsburgh Steelers. Banged up team loses to Buffalo. Looking ahead to 2024 now (14 Viewers)

Leeroy Jenkins said:
Not sure I agree. They have some skilled players on both sides of the ball. Oline, dline, and replacing edmonds are top priority for next year. Maybe Ben comes back — he hasn’t been terrible, but the play calls have been.  Doesn’t appear a Ben replacement is in this draft anyway. 
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They have a skilled RB, TE, and maybe a WR or two if Claypool can get his head out of his ###. But being weak on the OL makes those skill position players far less effective, and Ben isn't good enough anymore to lead this team to competitiveness. His arm isn't accurate or consistent enough and he's a statue 5 to 7 yards behind the line. I know the playcalling has been bad, but Ben's lack of mobility and a line that can't run or pass block well doesn't help matters. That line is more than a one offseason fix.

Can't rely on AluAlu or Tuitt, Heyward is getting older, Haden's as good as gone, and aside from Watt and Fitzpatrick, there's not another player on the defense who you can say is even average. The defense is thin and lacks talent, and I don't see that changing quickly either.

Combine that with a coach who's led the team to only 3 playoff wins in the past decade and hasn't led his team to a playoff win since Obama was halfway through his 2nd term as president, and I expect some rough years ahead. 

 
Couldn't have been a starker contrast between those two teams.  One that's figured it out and is just peaking and one that is far beyond that point.  Oline, QB, and WR have to be priorities.  Maybe they can sign JuJu back to play the slot.  No one else on the team can do it.  I've all but given up on Claypool.  You have to be able to run more than a go route.

 
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The Steelers have been help without a first-half touchdown for five straight games. It’s the first time that’s happened since 1940.

The Steelers have been outscored 114-19 in the first half of their last six games. That’s just over a field goal per half by the offense

This plainly shows the offensive game planning has been horrid.  
 

Just don’t even bother with a game plan, go no huddle, and let Ben call the plays. That’s about the only way the Steelers win next Monday

 
Godsbrother said:
The Steelers have been help without a first-half touchdown for five straight games. It’s the first time that’s happened since 1940.

The Steelers have been outscored 114-19 in the first half of their last six games. That’s just over a field goal per half by the offense

This plainly shows the offensive game planning has been horrid.  
 

Just don’t even bother with a game plan, go no huddle, and let Ben call the plays. That’s about the only way the Steelers win next Monday
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Sure.  That will work if they get a new online and WRs.  The games are basically over by halftime. If the other team played defense in the second half the same way in the first, they wouldn’t score in the 2nd either. 
 

They only have a chance when the defense get turnovers. 

 
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Blick said:
Sure.  That will work if they get a new online and WRs.  The games are basically over by halftime. If the other team played defense in the second half the same way in the first, they wouldn’t score in the 2nd either. 
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Given what they have it is their best chance.

 
So the Steelers need to sweep Cleveland and Baltimore and have the Jags beat the Colts.   Very unlikely to happen and probably for the best as they would likely have to go to KC and face the Chiefs in the wildcard and we know what that looks like.

I am going to game tonight in what will almost certainly be Ben's last home game.   Honestly I would have preferred to stay home but I had to buy additional tickets for my brother-in-laws from Ohio that insisted the Browns were going to make the playoffs.  I'm just hoping to see one last good performance and see end his career at Heinz with a victory.

 
Yes playoff hopes are over.  I see a win tonight as being very unlikely.  I see a Colts loss next weekend as being nearly impossible.  Best scenario for the Steelers is to lose the next 2 games.  Though I'm rooting for them to win both so Ben goes out on a high note.

 
fred_1_15301 said:
Yes playoff hopes are over.  I see a win tonight as being very unlikely.  I see a Colts loss next weekend as being nearly impossible.  Best scenario for the Steelers is to lose the next 2 games.  Though I'm rooting for them to win both so Ben goes out on a high note.
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At this point I think the Steelers are sitting around 17th pick overall.    Losing the next 2 would probably get them to 12-13.

 
As per usual, mock drafts are all over the place with 4+ months to go before the NFL draft. That said, it seems like the Steelers are being mocked OTs about 70% of the time, cycling through a lot of different options. If I had my pick today, it would be Nakobe Dean, ILB Georgia. He's mocked anywhere from top 7 to pick 32, but seems to always be a first rounder. He's not huge (225) but he can stuff the run and play all over the field. One of the biggest weaknesses of our team this year was our run defense. This is often blamed on losing Tuitt and Alualu for the year, but it didn't help that both our ILBs got washed out or were out of position on every run play. By the time the draft rolls around Dean will probably go top 8 and be out of reach, but if he falls to us, I think that a defensive general who roams the middle of our D is just as important as any position.

Steelers draft needs:

  1. Quarterback - Ben is done, Mason stinks, Dwayne is TBD but QB is a major need. Unfortunately, this class is just ok so it's not the time to go all-in. 
  2. Offensive Guard/Center - Trai Turner is not coming back (hopefully) and Green was pretty terrible. We need at least a Center or Guard, probably both. 
  3. Defensive Line - Alualu and Tuitt were sorely missed, both should be back next year but we obviously need to find their replacements since both contracts end after the 2022 season. I wouldn't mind re-signing Alualu for depth assuming he stays healthy in 2022, but Tuitt has been injured too often to re-sign to a major contract. His cost/value is just not worth it. Also, the pieces we've drafted and picked up have not been good enough, our run defense is plain terrible. 
  4. Inside Linebacker - Schobert and Bush are ok, but not reliable. They both made some amazing plays this season, but the majority were negative with coverages blown, gaps missed, tackles missed, or bad instincts. If we can get a star ILB I would prioritize that because it can cover a lot of faults elsewhere in the D. 
  5. Wide Receiver - Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, Cody White, that is the extent of our signed WR room. If possible I'd like to bring in a Vet and a rookie, but we'll probably just re-sign Rayray and draft someone and call it a day. Honestly, it doesn't make sense to go after an expensive Vet because our team will probably be mediocre at best next year. 
  6. Cornerback - James Pierre has had good moments and terrible moments, but him and Sutton won't be enough if Haden leaves (and with his age an expensive re-signing wouldn't be smart). We need more CB help, but I'm hopeful it comes through a FA signing because we have sucked at drafting CBs over the last decade. 
  7. Safety - Minkah Fitzpatrick, aka our only safety signed for 2022. Tre Norwood is a swing CB/S but I'm not sure he's fit to be starting SS, though I know Edmunds isn't fit to be our SS so I really hope they don't waste money on him. 
  8. Offensive Tackle - I'd love to see what Moore can do with a full offseason and a better O-line coach, I'm still hopeful he can turn into a good player. Also, Banner could be a good RT, but agree that we should get another tackle in the draft or FA. 
  9. Outside Linebacker - We need depth, though I think that Taco Charlton looked ok in a reserve role, but I wasn't watching his play closely. We need more than just 2 OLBs though with injury risk and the need to rotate. 
  10. Tight End - Not as pressing a need with Freiermuth looking great (assuming concussions don't ruin his career), and Gentry is a very solid blocking tight end, but we probably need a 3rd TE. Ebron was out most of the year and wasn't sorely missed, but another pass catching TE would be nice. Definitely a luxury compared to most of the positions above. 
 
Good summary.    I am not opposed to drafting an ILB at number one because we must improve the run defense but the most critical need is on offensive line.   I am not smart enough to know if any of these guys are worth keeping but every position on the line was an unmitigated disaster.

We must improve the line both through the draft and through FA.  We have some cash so use it to secure one or two offensive lineman that aren't on the downsides of their careers.

 
Godsbrother said:
Good summary.    I am not opposed to drafting an ILB at number one because we must improve the run defense but the most critical need is on offensive line.   I am not smart enough to know if any of these guys are worth keeping but every position on the line was an unmitigated disaster.

We must improve the line both through the draft and through FA.  We have some cash so use it to secure one or two offensive lineman that aren't on the downsides of their careers.
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Are there any can't miss centers in this draft?  If they give up on Green there, he could move to LG and Dotson to his more natural RG position.

Dan Moore hasn't been an all-pro, but he has performed better than you could have expected for a reach of a pick starting at LT.

 
Godsbrother said:
Good summary.    I am not opposed to drafting an ILB at number one because we must improve the run defense but the most critical need is on offensive line.   I am not smart enough to know if any of these guys are worth keeping but every position on the line was an unmitigated disaster.

We must improve the line both through the draft and through FA.  We have some cash so use it to secure one or two offensive lineman that aren't on the downsides of their careers.
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Brandon Scherff is a free agent, but he could cost a very high amount for a guard. Orlando Brown is technically a free agent, but after trading a 1st for him I think there's 0 chance KC lets him out the door. Cam Robinson is a potential fit, and writers seem to already be connecting the dots to the Steelers. His run blocking isn't great, but he's above average... not sure we want to give a monster contract to above-average, but we might have to. 

At SS we could get Quandre Diggs, he's an upgrade over Edmunds, but he's not a star. 

 
Leeroy Jenkins said:
Are there any can't miss centers in this draft?  If they give up on Green there, he could move to LG and Dotson to his more natural RG position.

Dan Moore hasn't been an all-pro, but he has performed better than you could have expected for a reach of a pick starting at LT.
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Linderbaum is the best center prospect in a while. Not sure he lasts to the Steelers pick. I am not ready to give up on Green at C, but if he was available I would like the pick.

 
Man this is pretty bleak :)

Lose the next 2 and get a better pick.

Then start cutting people and find a 10 million QB to hold us off until we can find the next Ben.  That allows us to build a D.

 
Godsbrother said:
Good summary.    I am not opposed to drafting an ILB at number one because we must improve the run defense but the most critical need is on offensive line.   I am not smart enough to know if any of these guys are worth keeping but every position on the line was an unmitigated disaster.

We must improve the line both through the draft and through FA.  We have some cash so use it to secure one or two offensive lineman that aren't on the downsides of their careers.
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1st round picks should be at premium positions generally. ILB isn't one

 
Whitherspoon has been pretty decent in the last few games, wonder if he gets re-signed. 

Lots of mocks have Linderbaum as a top 10 pick, usually top 8. The draft appears to be deep at OT, might make sense to go OC or Def in the 1st. Thoughts on taking Williams (WR) if he's there at our pick?

 
Godsbrother said:
The Steelers have been help without a first-half touchdown for five straight games. It’s the first time that’s happened since 1940.

The Steelers have been outscored 114-19 in the first half of their last six games. That’s just over a field goal per half by the offense

This plainly shows the offensive game planning has been horrid.  
 

Just don’t even bother with a game plan, go no huddle, and let Ben call the plays. That’s about the only way the Steelers win next Monday
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I have been screaming for this all year. Even if Canada wasn't horrible, and he is, Ben has always been much better in the no huddle. 

 
Blick said:
Sure.  That will work if they get a new online and WRs.  The games are basically over by halftime. If the other team played defense in the second half the same way in the first, they wouldn’t score in the 2nd either. 
 

They only have a chance when the defense get turnovers. 
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You can call plays that protect a bad line. Canada is just unwilling or unable to do so 

 
Drunken Cowboy said:
You can call plays that protect a bad line. Canada is just unwilling or unable to do so 
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The only way you call plays to protect the line is either to run the ball, throw screens, or run quick routes.  Its part of the reason there are so many 2 yard outs when they need 5 yards.

 
It was nice to see Ben close out his career at Heinz with a win.

The fans were absolutely awesome, especially considering this was likely a meaningless game in terms of playoffs.   Very few people left early which is unusual for a cold Monday night in January.

I think Watt proved he should be the AFC defensive player of the year

For as much maligned as the Steelers offensive line has been, they played a pretty solid game yesterday.  They clearly outplayed the much ballyhooed Cleveland Browns offensive line, which was pretty shocking to me.

I said before in this and a couple other threads that if Mayfield throws the ball 30-40 times the Browns would lose and it came true.  That doesn't make me a Nostradamus it just showed once again that Mayfield  is ordinary at best.  I hope the Browns are foolish enough to sign him to a long term big money contract.

Najee was great last night.  I know it was an unpopular pick but I liked it at the time and am still liking it.   Now the have to make drastic improvements to the offensive line.

 
Drunken Cowboy said:
I have been screaming for this all year. Even if Canada wasn't horrible, and he is, Ben has always been much better in the no huddle. 
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They seemed to run a lot of no-huddle earlier in the game yesterday too.  They should have let Ben just call plays all night -- I am sure he did a few of those deep balls on his own . . . .

Claypool needs to get on his details . . . 

 
DocHolliday said:
Interesting.   Something seems broken in Pittsburgh but Tomlin has seemed like a good coach.   Players work hard for him.   Are the expectations unrealistic every year?  
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That's a part of it but his detractors will point to his 8-8 playoff record and that he hasn't won in the post season since 2016.  Ironically that was the same complaint about Cowher before he finally won Super Bowl XL

 
So, how banged up were Cleveland's DLs/LBs last night?  I thought I heard someone mention Garret being less than 100%, but what about otherwise?  Missing a bunch of starters to COVID or anything?  I think they may have lost some guys during the game too, but not sure I heard that right either.

Or was a simple switch at C, and running what was clearly a very, very basic set of looks by the new OL coach, all it really took to make their run game more viable?

If it's the latter....why they hell did it take 17 weeks to get rid of Adrian Klemm?

 
Godsbrother said:
Many do
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As someone who doesn't think Tomlin is infallible, but also thinks he isn't among their top 5 biggest problems at the moment either, I don't think it's really that many. 

The minority that do feel that way are just very, VERY, VERY vocal on stuff like local sports talk, Twitter, message boards, etc, etc.

If players were quitting on him, or bemoaning him consistently in the press, I'd probably feel differently, but that really doesn't happen with him.

DocHolliday said:
 Are the expectations unrealistic every year?  
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This is part of it, for sure.  Any year that doesn't result in a SB title is likely viewed as a "failure" to a lot of fans league-wide, but particularly so in the case of many Steelers fans.

I wish his playoff record was a lot better too, but Tomlin isn't the whole issue there.  Players make (or don't make) plays.  Coordinators make (or don't make) calls.  They all share culpability.

 
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Godsbrother said:
It was nice to see Ben close out his career at Heinz with a win.

The fans were absolutely awesome, especially considering this was likely a meaningless game in terms of playoffs.   Very few people left early which is unusual for a cold Monday night in January.

I think Watt proved he should be the AFC defensive player of the year

For as much maligned as the Steelers offensive line has been, they played a pretty solid game yesterday.  They clearly outplayed the much ballyhooed Cleveland Browns offensive line, which was pretty shocking to me.

I said before in this and a couple other threads that if Mayfield throws the ball 30-40 times the Browns would lose and it came true.  That doesn't make me a Nostradamus it just showed once again that Mayfield  is ordinary at best.  I hope the Browns are foolish enough to sign him to a long term big money contract.

Najee was great last night.  I know it was an unpopular pick but I liked it at the time and am still liking it.   Now the have to make drastic improvements to the offensive line.
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Nice to see Ben go out with a win, but he looked (to me) like the weakest link last night.

Agreed the o-line played above expectations and Najee was fantastic.

Watt is just amazing... hoping he breaks the sack record, if only because we all know the current record-breaker was a staged moment between Favre and Strahan.

As a Steelers fan, I hope Cleveland keeps Baker.

 
Godsbrother said:
Many do
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I don't want Tomlin gone, but I do want him to get a clock management specialist, get a challenge specialist, and get a new OC. He's horrendous at challenges and seems to often waste time when it is critical in games. Also, Canada has just not done well at all this year with the play calling and I think it's time to replace him from outside the organization. 

And people should stop blaming Butler if our Defense plays poorly for 2 reasons. 1 - It's often poor execution rather than poor design. Tackles missed, gaps not secured, or players out of position. 2 - He hasn't called the defensive plays in at least 2 years, Tomlin took over the defensive play calling a while ago during games. 

I think the biggest changes the Steelers need for success is new OC and additional young personnel. Even though the Steelers look like they'll have lots of cap space in coming years, I'm not sure this year is the year to heavily invest. The talent available at FA doesn't appear to be a match to what we need in the age ranges we should be looking for. Lots of 30+ year old players are going to be available, but I'm not sure we're super competitive over the next 2 years so it would be better to stash funds, invest in younger players, and draft.

Wonder if there will be any interest in trading back this year since there seems to be a lot of depth at positions we need. 

 
I read that since Mike Tomlin became head coach the Pittsburgh Steelers have played in 2 games that did not matter (i.e. games where they were out of playoff contention).  That's out of 224 games.

As a season ticket holder there is nothing worse than having tickets to meaningless games, especially in the cold weather so I appreciate that

 
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The Steelers activated 6 players from the COVID list today:  starting inside linebackers Devin Bush and Joe Schobert, starting defensive lineman Chris Wormley, No. 1 nickel cornerback Arthur Maulet, reserve offensive tackle Zach Banner and change-of-pace running back Anthony McFarland.
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I don't know about you but I kinda liked the Steelers defense and running game on MNF without these guys.

 
Godsbrother said:
I don't know about you but I kinda liked the Steelers defense and running game on MNF without these guys.
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Yeah, Adams was playing lights out, but Wormley has been very solid for our pass rush this year. Not sure if he's a run game liability or not. And Spillane was pretty bad, not sure he was an improvement over Schobert or Bush... Allen was really good though! Maybe use Allen and mix Schobert and Bush?

 
Steelers place CB Joe Haden on Covid list.  DC Keith Butler also in Covid protocol

 
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What if our D-line is amazing next year without adding any personnel? Starters Heyward - Alualu - Tuitt, with Adams and Loudermilk as the main backups. I think Adams is a FA so we'd have to re-sign him, but so far in several games he's looked really good. Wormley is signed too and has shown flashes in pass rushing. It could be a personnel group that has looked terrible because it was down 2 starters, but has shown potential improvement and could improve further with a full offseason. 

Maybe it's just our O-line that's in desperate need of talent (though we probably need more young D-line talent for 2023 and beyond). 

 
If we don't draft Dean (ILB Georgia) in the first, I want us to get Sauce Gardner, CB CIN. He's a great CB who is a lock-down man corner, and with Jamar Chase in our division we'll need one. Gardner allowed 0 touchdowns against him in his entire college career, only allows ~20 yards per game this year in receptions, and QBs had a better rating throwing directly into the ground than throwing in his direction. That's ridiculous for a college CB. He's mostly a man press guy, but I think that's what we need. 

 
steelers1080 said:
If we don't draft Dean (ILB Georgia) in the first, I want us to get Sauce Gardner, CB CIN. He's a great CB who is a lock-down man corner, and with Jamar Chase in our division we'll need one. Gardner allowed 0 touchdowns against him in his entire college career, only allows ~20 yards per game this year in receptions, and QBs had a better rating throwing directly into the ground than throwing in his direction. That's ridiculous for a college CB. He's mostly a man press guy, but I think that's what we need. 
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He isn't playing a high level of competition generally though. I think he would be a bit of a reach. However CB would be a good pick. Linderbaum or Green would be first choice for me. Although trading down would be amazing. 

 
Drunken Cowboy said:
He isn't playing a high level of competition generally though. I think he would be a bit of a reach. However CB would be a good pick. Linderbaum or Green would be first choice for me. Although trading down would be amazing. 
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I can't remember the last time they traded down in the first. 

 
Ben with some interesting comments on the o-line:

He thinks Dan Moore is a long-term solution at LT, and apparently he suffered a high-ankle sprain and played through it on Monday.

He thinks Kendrick Green will move to guard . . . .

 
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Leeroy Jenkins said:
Ben with some interesting comments on the o-line:

He thinks Dan Moore is a long-term solution at LT, and apparently he suffered a high-ankle sprain and played through it on Monday.

He thinks Kendrick Green will move to guard . . . .
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It was only one game but I thought J.C. Hassenauer did a nice job at C against Cleveland.

 
Steelers activate Joe Haden, Dionte Johnson and Kendrick Green off Covid list
 

James Washington placed on Covid list, Buggs was released 

 
Gold Fox said:
It would seem fitting to see the Jaguars win the game tomorrow, only for the Steelers to squander the opportunity by losing to the Ravens. Wouldn’t surprise me at all.
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Thanks Debbie Downer.

My expectation is the Colts will be up by a couple scores pretty quickly which will take the drama out of the Ravens Steelers game before halftime 

 
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