What we've learned...

[ZoneBlitzer]

The Steelers are dull and dimwitted. They are shockingly predictable and their losses are telegraphed right from the outset. Just as in the Raider game, I knew that they were going to lose right from the kick off.


What we learned from last night...

Thursday night football is murder, it sucks for both teams and it is a crippling disadvantage to have to play. Every team in the league should be forced to play a Thursday night game to even the playing field.

Apparently, the Steelers went in the game last night with no offensive gameplan. They decided to just wing it. That was cute.

The "Standard" is mediocre and average at best. This year's Steelers are just not that good and that's putting kindly. The only reason they won against the Eagles last week was because of Santa Claus, aka Mike Vick.

Tomlin is a chummy cheerleader. He's not a disciplinarian or master tactician. He's more like an Amway representative who reads tea leaves and believes in "The Secret". Consequently, the Steelers have an undisciplined ADD team that space out throughout games. It has been the signature of Tomlin's teams for quite some time now.

The Steelers have piss poor talent in the secondary. Ike Taylor has been pass interfering for the last few years. Now the league is catching up and calling him out on it. Any defensive back who can't catch the simplest of balls should be cut immediately.

The Steelers have the most poorly conditioned Oline in the league supported by the worst training staff. You could initially chalk it up to bad luck but now it is a serious trend. I've never seen such frail athletes. They need some beef up front who are flexible and athletic not just strong lumbering oafs who can't touch their toes.

Ben, who had an incredible run at it...is no longer clutch. He just isn't. He choked in the Super Bowl and he has been choking for the last couple of seasons. I used to feel confident for the Steelers when it came to late 4th quarter drives but not anymore. It seems that things are evening out for Ben in his career. The guy you could always count on now struggles to get it done. Moving your kicker for a 54 yarder is not getting it done. He was just off last night. He forced a lot of balls and was just barely over a 50% completion percentage.

This team can't win on the road. Why? Because the crowd noise really affects the slow offensive line. They can't burst off the ball quickly on their chosen count like they can at home. They will continue to lose road games.

Finally, this team can no longer play situational football. Get a good return to the 50? Offense goes three and out. Get a turnover at midfield? Offense moves it 8 yards and kicks. Drive to the red zone to close out the half. Ben craps the bed and throws a telegraphed interception. They consistently fail to read the game. They lack concentration and discipline. This all comes down to coaching. If the chummy coach lets them get away with it in practice, it is going to show up in games.

The season is indeed over...as far as playoffs are concerned. The Steelers are painted into a very tight corner. With injuries, age, ADD coaching, bad play calling and poor conditioning and discipline, you can stick a fork in this year's edition. Let the downward slide begin.

[austinfrench76]

I agree with some of this, disagree with most but Tomlin is definitely not a disciplinarian and Ike is God awful for some reason. Gilbert needs to stop killing his own teammates and Ben is off in crunch time lately. Playoffs are a dream, I hope they play for the draft!

[Curtain_of_Steel]

Haley called the crunch time plays. Its not all Ben, the dude cant bail them out of every game.

[tanda10506]

Zone, you called this downfall out after Week 1 vs Baltimore last year. Nobody was ready to call it how it looked because the Steelers have surprised us so much in the past, but you were dead on then and you are now. Ben is an excellent QB, but he's no longer clutch as you said. Didn't get it done last night, couldn't get the TD vs the Eagles, threw the pick 6 to seal the game in Denver...he just doesn't have the magic any more and he hasn't had it since not being able to move the ball at all on the last drive of the SB vs the Packers. You mentioned Tomlin then and now as part of the problem and there's no doubt that he is. This "standard" stuff is nonsense, there's a reason you have starters and there's a reason other guy's are riding the pine, not everybody can just step up and fill the role, that's why they are not a starter in the first place. The cliche's and the lack of emotion is ridiculous too. He reminds me of a "cool dad" who has a son in high school and instead of being a father, he goofs around and tries to just be the kids friend, usually screwing up the kid in the long run. May not be the best analogy, but that's what I see. As far as the situational football, it's as if a TO or a big defensive stop actually lulls our offense to sleep instead of firing them up. I don't think we lose on the road because of the O line not hearing as well, I think we lose on the road because the players play like they have a hang over when on the road. At home our players get fired up (not like they used to but more then on the road) and it usually translates into a few plays being made. The team used to be like that on the road, knowing that they need to be fired up for each other, but that died in 2010 too.

Most people will disagree, but I don't see this team being dominant again under Tomlin. When Cowher's players were still elite in 2008, they were possibly the best defense to ever play and we won a SB. As Cowher's players declined we were able to make it to the SB, but couldn't win it, and got lucky that the Ravens collapsed against us and the Jets somehow beat the Patriots who pulled our pants down earlier that year. Now we are pretty much left with a few guys well past their prime from Cowher's team (except Ben), and a lot of new guys from Tomlin's team, and it's not good. These newer guys like Hood, Lewis, Allen, McClendon, Worilds, etc. came in under Tomlin, and they just don't have the heart that Cowher inspired his teams to play with. On top of that, our draft picks under Tomlin have not panned out: Hood is average, none of our CB's are worth a crap, Worilds played well when filling in last year but can't stay healthy and definitely hasn't shown he's ready to be our next pass rusher. Carter isn't either. On the O line we have drafted young guys that can't stay healthy and spent a #2 pick on a guy (Adams) who looks lost on the field. The jury is still out on Heyward, but that pretty much sums up what our defensive drafts have been like under Tomlin. Timmons is the only one looking like he was worth a top pick, but we had to wait a long time to see that and I'm not convinced his great play will continue.

Enough of the not "rebuilding, only reloading". We don't have the foundation to reload on defense and we don't have the coaching staff to be able to only reload again. IMO we don't even have the coaching staff to choose the right players to reload with.

[tanda10506]

Originally Posted by austinfrench76

I agree with some of this, disagree with most but Tomlin is definitely not a disciplinarian and Ike is God awful for some reason. Gilbert needs to stop killing his own teammates and Ben is off in crunch time lately. Playoffs are a dream, I hope they play for the draft!

It's unrealistic, but being that we're not going anywhere this year, I say we just game plan for the Ravens games starting now. They planned for us all last season and it worked, let's try the same starting now. If we go 4-12 but beat the Ravens twice and get a #2 or #3 pick I'd be happy. Better then getting swept by Baltimore, winning a few home games against scrub teams, and getting another "further down the list" pick.

[Rockonsteel]

Originally Posted by tanda10506

Most people will disagree, but I don't see this team being dominant again under Tomlin. When Cowher's players were still elite in 2008, they were possibly the best defense to ever play and we won a SB. As Cowher's players declined we were able to make it to the SB, but couldn't win it, and got lucky that the Ravens collapsed against us and the Jets somehow beat the Patriots who pulled our pants down earlier that year. Now we are pretty much left with a few guys well past their prime from Cowher's team (except Ben), and a lot of new guys from Tomlin's team, and it's not good. These newer guys like Hood, Lewis, Allen, McClendon, Worilds, etc. came in under Tomlin, and they just don't have the heart that Cowher inspired his teams to play with. On top of that, our draft picks under Tomlin have not panned out: Hood is average, none of our CB's are worth a crap, Worilds played well when filling in last year but can't stay healthy and definitely hasn't shown he's ready to be our next pass rusher. Carter isn't either. On the O line we have drafted young guys that can't stay healthy and spent a #2 pick on a guy (Adams) who looks lost on the field. The jury is still out on Heyward, but that pretty much sums up what our defensive drafts have been like under Tomlin. Timmons is the only one looking like he was worth a top pick, but we had to wait a long time to see that and I'm not convinced his great play will continue.

Enough of the not "rebuilding, only reloading". We don't have the foundation to reload on defense and we don't have the coaching staff to be able to only reload again. IMO we don't even have the coaching staff to choose the right players to reload with.

You forgot about Ryan Mundy's stinking ass. They had the nerve to actually make him the two-way go at backup safety, behind Troy and Ryan, first off the bench for either guy, like he's that good. Hell, he's not good at either SS or FS, let alone being backup for both. I don't even understand why he's still on the team. Golden showed enough in the preseason, IMO, that I would've gone with Golden over Mundy for the final 53.


Rockon

[Millers the sh!t]

All true... The Steelers are in a recession. We are all in for at least ten years of mediocrity. Tomlin extinguished one hell of a good team.

[FanSince72]

[lipps83]

Originally Posted by FanSince72

This is not only funny, but very very true.

Uncle Richie has been riding the coattails of Polamalu for the last 5 years.

When Troy is out, it is really starting to show that he clearly does not know what to do and seems to call a completely different type of game defensively.

If your entire defensive scheme needs ONE PARTICULAR PLAYER to be healthy to actually be somewhat effective....

IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO RETIRE.

[Steel_Bus_24]

Man someone needs to hang that s*** in the locker room

This is as flat as I can ever remember our team being in the last decade or so