After the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off a 34–31 win against the New York Jets last week, they headed home to face the Sam Darnold-led Seattle Seahawks. And today was a game to forget.
The defense, even with two turnovers, looked awful. The offensive line is offensive. The offense is as stale and predictable as it’s ever been. Who would’ve thought that a 42-year-old quarterback wouldn’t be able to play well behind one of the most inconsistent offensive lines in football? Almost as if Pat Meyer is bad at his job. Then again, he’s Mike Tomlin’s buddy—and as we all know, Tomlin loves his yes men.
I understand it’s only Week Two, and the sky isn’t falling. But this game was not good. Seattle was beatable. There’s no reason for this team to come out so unbelievably flat in front of all their fans at home. But as Tomlin supporters would have you believe: coaches coach, and players play. Whatever the hell that means. If coaches have no influence on how players perform, why hire them?
The AFC North is wide open—and that’s good. But you should be taking advantage of these situations as they come. The running game looked a little bit better, but that’s about it. The offensive line was abhorrent. The offense had a couple of moments, but it didn’t amount to anything.
Has Roman Wilson actually caught an NFL pass yet? Turns out, yes. He finally hauled in his first NFL reception today—for a whopping seven yards. So now he’s not just eye candy in pre-snap motion, he’s got a stat line. Still, it begs the question: is that really the best way to use him?
Who was the genius who decided to put rookie Kaleb Johnson on kick returns when you have Calvin Austin and Jaylen Warren as your main two guys?
I don’t mean to be overly negative, but I’m sick of these losses. I’m tired of Tomlin doing nothing but talk. I’m tired of hearing this defense—which has cost a small portion of the GDP to assemble—talk about “miscommunications” and “being late to making adjustments.” What an absolutely awful indictment of your coaching staff.
What does Teryl Austin do? Is he just a stooge for Tomlin? How can a defense this expensive, with so much talent, be this bad? Sixty-five points given up in two games. And yet... everything is OK. Have they told us about the standard? Have they reminded us that Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season?
This city deserves better. The fans deserve better. The last time we won a playoff game? I was in high school. I’m 26 now. And yes, I understand we’re only in Week Two. But this is a horrible indictment of the team and the coaching staff.
Remember George Pickens? He had a pretty good game today. The Steelers could’ve used a guy like that. Would’ve taken a lot of pressure off Metcalf. Then again, what do I know?
I love this team. I bleed these colors. And I’m sick of feeling stuck in mediocrity. The fans do not deserve this. It’s time for Tomlin to put his money where his mouth is. Eight years without a playoff win? Pathetic—for a team and a coach who do nothing but talk about “the standard” and “not living in our fears.”
Was it not Einstein who said doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity?
The season is young, and there is time for growth. I’m not giving up on this team under any circumstance. But my God, this is unbelievably aggravating.
I’m not mad. I’m just... disappointed.
They’re in New England next week. And if things don’t change, we’ll be having the same conversation. Much like in Spinal Tap, the outside noise will be turned up to 11.
(photo courtesy of Steelers.com)