I’m back to write about my beloved Steelers. I needed some days to digest the bad loss last week in Oakland. I’m not a glass half full fan that constantly thinks optimistically about my team even when all hope is probably lost. I can’t sit there and say with confidence the Steelers have a shot to win even if they are facing a horrible matchup. The truth is, I’m a realist about my Steelers. Last week proved that the wins against the Jets and the Ravens were mirages for Steelers fans. As fans the thought was maybe the Steelers will go ahead and right the sinking ship. Maybe they can sneak into a playoff chase they had no business being a part of in the first place. I said after the Ravens win if the Steelers are to be taken seriously as being back from the dead, they would have to exorcise the demons by the “almighty” Oakland Raiders and what happens? Before I even sat down to watch the game, 14-0 Raiders. Contain was broken on a 93 yard long touchdown run by Terrell Pryor, Ben Roethlisberger was yet again harassed all day to the tune of five sacks, and now David DeCastro is injured. After the game was over and I began to process what I just watched, a couple of glaring issues stuck out in my head.
1) Again the lack of a pass rush is disturbing. Is it the players? Is it coaching? I’m not sure. I am however of the belief that great players can make coaches look better than what they are at their job. This sentiment leads me to Mr. $60 million pass rusher LaMarr Woodley. His stat line from the Oakland game: zero tackles, zero sacks, and one quarterback pressure. Don’t get me wrong, the Steelers woes aren’t entirely fault but he certainly isn’t doing his part. He needs to show some life against the Patriots this week against a mediocre offensive line and a statuesque Tom Brady. The matchup for him is similar to 2011 when before he injured his hamstring against the Patriots, he had 2 sacks and had double the amount of pressures. If he can’t generate anything this game, I would not be against trading him after this season. He’s becoming not worth the money.
2) Roethlisberger is a warrior for the Steelers. He honestly is the reason the Steelers aren’t Jacksonville Jaguars embarrassing this season. He never quits and I have to respect that as a fan. That being said, he has done a terrible job of protecting the ball this season. Lost fumbles and interceptions kill momentum and drives. He knows the Todd Haley offense isn’t sustainable in today’s NFL. He hates having the deep pass taken away from him. He hates having to constantly question coaching decisions after the game through the media. However, Roethlisberger needs to be a better football player for his team. Throw the ball away! Live to fight another play Big Ben. Again, this isn’t all Roethlisberger’s fault because his offensive line is a turnstile in pass protection but he has to be better in what he controls.
Overall the 2013 Steelers season is becoming a countdown to the NFL draft in May 2014. They will have a top 8 pick. They will have too many holes with not enough cap room to recover with free agents. Finally they have a two-time Superbowl winning quarterback whose contract will be ending at the end of 2014 and is due almost $18 million next season. The Steelers constant restructuring and back logging contracts is coming back to bite them. Remember the 2004-2010 when Steelers fans were one of the luckiest fan bases in the league. Hold those memories closely, because the Steelers are heading into the dark ages if they don’t make wholesale changes after this season is officially over.
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