I think they had to go for it there just like you said. A TD would have put pressure on CLE. Instead he put pressure back on PITT.Thought they had a slim shot for one of greatest comebacks ever before Tomlin decided to punt on 4th and 1 to close the 3rd quarter. Probably not what lost the game, but certainly felt that killed off the momentum the team was building at the time. You go for it and if you convert and ultimately score you've made it a one score game to a team with no playoff experience and you got ALL the momentum and ALL the pressure on Cleveland. Instead you punt instead of trying to pick one freaking yard.
Going for it was a no brainer there. Put the game on the line to get 1 yard and not rely on a pretty bad defense to make another stop. Steelers had all the momentum at that point and can you imagine how tight Clevelands' sphincters would have been if the Steelers drove down the field again to score? Also, Tomlin's decisions on 2 vs 1 point was a little arbitrary to say the least. Doesn't seem like h really has a thought process for those decisions.I think they had to go for it there just like you said. A TD would have put pressure on CLE. Instead he put pressure back on PITT.
100% agree. Tomlin dropped the ball punting on 4th and 1, but this game is 100% on Ben's shoulders (and Pouncey). You shouldn't win a game when you lose the turnover differential 5-0.Going for it was a no brainer there. Put the game on the line to get 1 yard and not rely on a pretty bad defense to make another stop. Steelers had all the momentum at that point and can you imagine how tight Clevelands' sphincters would have been if the Steelers drove down the field again to score? Also, Tomlin's decisions on 2 vs 1 point was a little arbitrary to say the least. Doesn't seem like h really has a thought process for those decisions.
Regardless, Tomlin was not the biggest issue last night. Ben stinks and the defense fell apart after the injuries to Dupree and Bush (and Haden).
Let's face it - the team on the field last night was not a legit playoff team. They would have gotten their ### handed to them by any of the other AFC playoff teams. Cleveland was probably the only team they had a shot against (and that was just because of injuries).
Obviously Ben should take much of the blame but the defense stunk.100% agree. Tomlin dropped the ball punting on 4th and 1, but this game is 100% on Ben's shoulders (and Pouncey). You shouldn't win a game when you lose the turnover differential 5-0.
and in the previous three plays, all passes had been completed.Thought they had a slim shot for one of greatest comebacks ever before Tomlin decided to punt on 4th and 1 to close the 3rd quarter. Probably not what lost the game, but certainly felt that killed off the momentum the team was building at the time. You go for it and if you convert and ultimately score you've made it a one score game to a team with no playoff experience and you got ALL the momentum and ALL the pressure on Cleveland. Instead you punt instead of trying to pick one freaking yard.
IMO they need to ask Ben to retire (cutting him would be awful) to save the $19 million in cap space and just eat the $22 million dead money for 2021 only. Go with Rudolph and Dobbs next season and take your lumps or try to sign one vis FA.I have finally reached the point where I view Ben as a liability instead of an asset. It's time for the team to make some tough decisions, and I think they should finally start "retooling" or whatever they want to call it. I've covered it in a few previous posts, but our cap situation is not great next year, but we have almost no players signed for 2022 so our salary cap could be cleared up within 1 season if we're willing to make difficult decisions.
Current Cap Allocation for 2021: $202 million with 35 players signed.
- Ben is owed $41.25 million next year and at this point he's not worth it. The ONLY reason to keep him, is if we draft a QB in the 1st or 2nd round in April and want Ben to mentor him. They can't extend Ben to decrease his cap hit, that will kill us moving forward. Retire him or keep as mentor for 1 year. (Save $19 million if cut)
- Draft WR and RB. Can't afford to resign Conner or Juju. I hate that we have to let Juju go, I still believe he's an asset, and that a competent OC could find a way to get explosive plays out of him again. We need to draft RB because Snell is not the answer, and in the WR room we lose Washington in 2022.
- Cut at least 1 TE. If we draft TE early, cut both Ebron and McDonald. If we don't just cut McDonald. Save $5 million cutting Vance. (Cutting Ebron saves $6 mil but he's been more useful in our offense)
- O-Line: Draft a Tackle and Center. Resign Feiler for cheap if you can, extend DeCastro by 2-3 years to reduce cap hit, let Big Al walk, resign Banner if healthy, try Chuks or Feiler or Banner at LT/RT and Dotson at LG. Cut Pouncey. Pouncey has played like trash. They won't let him go while Ben plays, but I hope they don't resign him. Save $8 million if let go.
- D-Line: Would love for Alualu to come back but idk how we could afford it. Move forward with Heyward, Tuitt, Buggs, Davis and Mondeaux. Probably draft more depth.
- OLB: For the love of all that is holy, extend Watt. Preferably backloaded with lots guaranteed, maybe even reduce cap hit next year a little. Dupree is gone, sucks but no way we can afford him. Highsmith looks like the real deal, but we need depth. Marsh was so crappy last night, he couldn't get off a single block by the OT. Not sure why we used him instead of Ola.
- ILB: Spillane is a ERFA, they need to lock him up, not to be a starter, but for depth. Bush is an allstar, but we need someone new next to him. Vince Williams is pretty good against the run, but a coverage liability. Could see us drafting someone.
- CBs: Haden played well this year, but even though his cap hit is $15.6 million next year, I hope they don't extend him to reduce the hit. I'm just not sure how many years he has left and I'd rather get out early than late. Nelson wasn't great this year, but his contract next year is $14 million, cut him and save $8 million towards the cap. Hilton and Sutton are free agents, I'm not sure we'll be able to afford to keep either of them, but if possible keep 1 with the savings from releasing Nelson.
- S: Give Minkah the 5th year guarantee, NOT Edmunds. So many long plays this year are a direct result of Edmunds being out of position or missing a tackle. He's just mediocre and not worth resigning. Use a draft pick here to groom for a year.
- Special teams: Bos redeemed himself this year, in my eyes at least. Resign Berry to multi-year contract for as cheap as possible.
Current allocation for 2022: $56 million with 19 players signed.
The next few years could get us out of salary cap hell and lock in key defensive talent like Watt, Minkah, and Bush. We'll have to make hard decisions, but if we cut Pouncey, Vance, and Nelson, and extend DeCastro we can remove ~$27 million in Salary Cap. That gets us to $175 million, the approximated salary cap for 2021... So we'll just need more cuts or restructures if we want to sign any rookies or vets.
It doesn't look great at RB this year, the last thing I saw was 5 RBs ranked in the top 100 upcoming rookies. I would prefer the Steelers use a 3rd or later on RB just because we have so many other needs (Hubbard maybe?). The Steelers frequently try to draft at positions where they are losing people the following year (I.E. Highsmith to replace Dupree). That said, we're losing so many in the next 2 years that there's so many positions open. I could see them going QB, TE, WR, C, OT, ILB, S, or CB in the early rounds. In many past years we could get some kind of idea where they're going, but this year feels like BPA all the way, unless they are really sold on a QB.I'm not sure what the RB class is like but I would not be opposed to taking one early in the draft.
Actually the RB talent looks to be better than last year and maybe the strongest in several years.steelers1080 said:It doesn't look great at RB this year, the last thing I saw was 5 RBs ranked in the top 100 upcoming rookies.
Who? Etienne and Harris at the top, but with all our needs an RB in 1st or 2nd seems crazy.Actually the RB talent looks to be better than last year and maybe the strongest in several years.
I agree with that last part x100steelers1080 said:It doesn't look great at RB this year, the last thing I saw was 5 RBs ranked in the top 100 upcoming rookies. I would prefer the Steelers use a 3rd or later on RB just because we have so many other needs (Hubbard maybe?). The Steelers frequently try to draft at positions where they are losing people the following year (I.E. Highsmith to replace Dupree). That said, we're losing so many in the next 2 years that there's so many positions open. I could see them going QB, TE, WR, C, OT, ILB, S, or CB in the early rounds. In many past years we could get some kind of idea where they're going, but this year feels like BPA all the way, unless they are really sold on a QB.
The WR class is crazy good again this year, it feels like we should try and nab one in the 2nd or 3rd to take advantage of talent falling, especially since Juju is gone this year and James Washington could be gone after next year. I know it won't happen, but my hope was Kyle Pitts. His talent is undeniable, but I think that he'll go in the top 15 picks.
Because we need so many pieces, unless a star falls to 24, I'd definitely be interested in trading back to 30-32 and picking up extra picks.
Want to stay in the 1st though, especially if we're getting an OL or QB so that we have the 5th year option.I agree with that last part x100
Too many pieces required
Yes Travis Etienne and Najee Harris top the list, depending on who you listen to. Other players I like are Javonte Williams and Kylin Hill. Micahel Carter, Chubba Hubbard and Trey Sermon have a chance to be good.Who? Etienne and Harris at the top, but with all our needs an RB in 1st or 2nd seems crazy.
I can go for that. It's a deep OL draft. Would be nice to grab someone like Slater, who can start day 1 anywhere on the line.Want to stay in the 1st though, especially if we're getting an OL or QB so that we have the 5th year option.
That first quarter was just a disaster. Bad snap. Bad INTs. Field position put D in a bad spot, but they needed to do better. Spillane looked terribly slow -- they should have had him and Feiler dressed as backups and kept the rotation from last week in tact.hammerva said:No ####### excuses. This was exactly like the Jaguars playoffs where they didn't take the game seriously and their opponent and got beat up.
Sorry Juju but same old Steelers so far. I am begging for at least effort
It definitely looked like Ben, Pouncey, and Juju all knew it was their last game as Steelers. Juju and Claypool just sat together on the bench for like 10 minutes after the game was over. It is definitely the end of an era, one to mostly be celebrated. We didn't get a Super Bowl in the last 10 years, but we had a lot of really talented teams and got to watch more excellent football than most fanbases.The way Ben and Pouncey stayed on the bench crying last night, I think they may both retire.
I was yelling this at the TV at one point. Ola only came in when Watt went out, pretty much. And every single play Marsh was getting manhandled by the OT on the left side. The only thing I can guess is that Marsh played better in practice so they thought he gave them a better shot, but it looked obvious to me.Why was MARSH out there so much? The few plays Ola was in on that side, the D seemed to perform better.
100% this. Spillane wasn't back to 100% healthy and should have been the backup. And I thought Dotson looked better the last few weeks than Feiler ever did when healthy, but maybe my eye test was missing things. I would have preferred Feiler at RT, Chuks at LT, and Dotson at LG, but that's just because I think Big Al is a blob who can't block backup pass rushers... which he again failed to do last night.Spillane looked terribly slow -- they should have had him and Feiler dressed as backups and kept the rotation from last week in tact.
Hey it happens to every city from time to time. As a city, we have had way more ups than downs over the past 3 decades compared to most other cities (and that’s with us forced to acknowledging the Pirates). It’s going to get ugly for a few years but no need to switch allegiances. Lots to be proud of.As if things weren't bad enough in general, losing to the Browns in back to back weeks to start 2021 was not how I wanted to get a fresh start. Like the Jags playoff game, it was one of those games that makes you question your fandom and if it is worth it. It just really isn't fun anymore.
Being dramatic yes, but makes me wonder if my energy is better spent elsewhere. Pittsburgh sports is just depressing right now.
I'm not so sure it'll even get that ugly. We played all of last year with Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges, and if 7 teams made the playoffs we would have been the 7th...Hey it happens to every city from time to time. As a city, we have had way more ups than downs over the past 3 decades compared to most other cities (and that’s with us forced to acknowledging the Pirates). It’s going to get ugly for a few years but no need to switch allegiances. Lots to be proud of.
As a fan, this sucks.Report out that Pouncey plans to retire: From Steelers Wire USA Today
He previously said he would retire when Ben does, but I think that's reading a bit much into it. Pouncey has been an amazing Steeler and has had as amazing a career as any of us could have hoped for when he was picked. Wish we'd gotten more Championships while we had an All-Pro center, but it just didn't work out that way.
Maybe a new OC can reinvigorate him, but if the Steelers keep Fichtner we're done. If we keep Ben we need to go all in on OL in the draft, and probably go OT, C, RB in the first 3 picks. If we move on to a younger QB, they'll have to be more mobile than Ben and can extend the play when the OL crumbles.Ben deserves one more year. Hopefully he takes the offseason seriously and gets in the best shape of his life.
Apparently someone jumped the gun. A beat writer speculated that Pouncey might retire, and another writer took that and wrote "Pouncey to retire." So, still definitely possible, but the original source has stated that he still thinks he will retire, but that it is definitely not official: Beat Writer SourceReport out that Pouncey plans to retire: From Steelers Wire USA Today
He previously said he would retire when Ben does, but I think that's reading a bit much into it. Pouncey has been an amazing Steeler and has had as amazing a career as any of us could have hoped for when he was picked. Wish we'd gotten more Championships while we had an All-Pro center, but it just didn't work out that way.
Geez...weren't you guys like 11-0 or something before the covid stuff hit? I know Ben didn't have a great game this week, but he did throw for a gazillion yards. I may be off base, but if the guy takes the off season seriously I think he has one more decent year in him.Maybe a new OC can reinvigorate him, but if the Steelers keep Fichtner we're done. If we keep Ben we need to go all in on OL in the draft, and probably go OT, C, RB in the first 3 picks. If we move on to a younger QB, they'll have to be more mobile than Ben and can extend the play when the OL crumbles.
If Mason Rudolph is our starter next year, the best we can hope for is 9-7 IMO. Also, his contract is up soon and he'll be owed money (if he does adequate), it's cheaper, and I think a better idea, to get a rookie instead.
Yep, long time since a playoff winSo are we all happy with Tomlin and his great regular season record? Is that enough? I mean, 3-7 in the last 10 playoff games, means what? What has he done without Cowher's players? What is the goal? Aside from a semi-successful 2016 run, what do you see in the last 10 years? Many questions that need to be answered. I'm not one who thinks successful regular season records are enough, especially for such an historic franchise. I know it's harder now, but something is amiss come playoff time. It needs to be fixed.
2011, 12-4, and lose to a Tim Tebow led team
2014, 11-5, and get trounced by Ravens
2015, 10-6, and survive an AJ McCarron led team and lose to Den
2016, 11-5, and beat up on a Matt Moore led team, survive an Alex Smith led team, then get smoked by NE
2017, 13-3, and lose to a Blake Bortles led team that hung up 45 on you
2020, 12-4, and lose to a Baker Mayfield led team that hung up 48 on you
Be careful what you wish for. Clint Hurdle had 4 winning seasons with the Pirates and made the playoffs three times . Do you think his predecessor is going to be able to do that? IJoe Starkey's mailbag: Is it time for the Steelers to move on from both coordinators?
The Steelers collapse more than the average Clint Hurdle team. They have won fewer playoff games in the past 10 years than the Houston Texans.
We were 11-0 and Big Ben was a huge part of that, but starting in Week 11, opponents shifted how they defended us. They started keeping more defenders close to the line of scrimmage to prevent our short passing attack. In that week and the ones following we scored 19, 17, 15, and 17. We started to turn things around a bit against the Colts when we had a huge 2nd half, but that was because we switched to the no huddle and Ben passed a ridiculous amount. My main point was that if Ben AND Fichtner are back, we don't have a hope of going all the way next year. Fichtner didn't alter the game plan for over 4 weeks, and the only reason we won the Colts game was because Ben started calling plays at the line. If we bring back Ben and have a new OC, we definitely have a shot.Geez...weren't you guys like 11-0 or something before the covid stuff hit? I know Ben didn't have a great game this week, but he did throw for a gazillion yards. I may be off base, but if the guy takes the off season seriously I think he has one more decent year in him.
I don't like it either but good luck trying to keep 50+ players respectful and humble. Look at what the Ravens did in Tennessee. I am 60 and therefore an old guy ("keep off my lawn!") so maybe it is a generational thing.Tomlin needs to once and for all, stop this garbage culture. Didn't he learn after AB? JuJu dancing gone wild this season, and his trash talk before the loss, and now I see a Claypool tweet trashing the Browns after being embarrassed.
Maybe it's just me and my old school ways, and maybe I just don't get the new generation of players that always resort to these actions. Respect, and being humble, seem too much now.
I think I just don't get it being in my 50s. I think this generation resorting to social media to "vent" their frustrations in unusual ways might be something I can't get used to. After the AB fiasco though, you would think the team would be on high alert and stomp out these types of actions before they spiral into something else.I don't like it either but good luck trying to keep 50+ players respectful and humble. Look at what the Ravens did in Tennessee. I am 60 and therefore an old guy ("keep off my lawn!") so maybe it is a generational thing.
That said I don't think it has much to do with winning/losing. The Steelers turned the ball over 5 times and had 0 takeways on defense. That was pretty much the whole story against Cleveland.
If Ben wants to come back he's going to need to be flexible with his contract. I know there are limitations to what can be done but you can't take a $44 million cap hit and still sign the players needed to field a competitive team.I know it's a tough call on Ben, but it all comes down to the direction Steelers want to take. There's 19m to free up if they want. Ben staying at his salary puts the team in a very bad cap situation, which means I wouldn't be surprised if they re-structure an extension if he wants to stay.
Some people are talking about voidable years to lessen the hit in 2021, but that worsens our situation in 2022 and beyond. I hope they either take the full hit this year, or let him go.If Ben wants to come back he's going to need to be flexible with his contract. I know there are limitations to what can be done but you can't take a $44 million cap hit and still sign the players needed to field a competitive team.
I think he probably does have a decent year left in him but not at that price tag.