The Pittsburgh Steelers have always had one identity: a tough, hard-nosed organization. No other sporting franchise matches the community that surrounds it quite like how the Steelers had and continue to have. Whether or not it is purely coincidence, the city, which itself is renowned for being blue collar and workmanlike, molded itself around their football team. The Steelers have always been at their best when they are at their most physical and when they impose their will on others, and Pittsburgh residents wouldn’t want it any other way.
But last year was a different story, as for the second consecutive season the Steelers finished with an average 8-8 record. For some teams that might be acceptable, but for a fan base who has come to expect great things regularly, two straight years of mediocrity is anything but acceptable.
Watching the Steelers play last year, the problem was quite evident: they just couldn’t make enough plays. Seems simple, yet it’s true; when the game was on the line they fell just short. While they finished as one of the hottest teams in the league, an awful first half doomed them to mediocrity. It forced the club this off-season to go searching for consistency.
They continued with the ‘Steeler’ way, moving on from the veterans who they felt weren’t capable of performing the way they once could, which leads to some sad goodbyes. But in the long run, you can’t argue with the results, and sometimes bad things happen to good people. One of those players was defensive leader Ryan Clark, who at 34-years old was allowed to walk and signed with the Washington Redskins via free agency. He was quickly replaced by the younger Mike Mitchell, who played the previous season with the Carolina Panthers.
Mitchell, 26, was a second round pick by the Oakland Raiders in the 2009 draft out of the University of Ohio where he gained a reputation as a hard hitter. He failed to adjust to the NFL immediately and, after struggling in his time with Oakland, he became a free agent last offseason, signing with the Panthers on a 1-year deal.
It paid off as after a bounce back season he earned himself a 5-year contract to be the replacement for Clark and help anchor a Steelers secondary that really needed to get younger.
The addition of Mitchell also brings back something that the team has been missing the past few seasons: a player with a true edge to his game. Watch any highlight reel and you will see not only the physicality, but also the passion he has for the game. And when I say passion for the game, I mean it in a little bit of a throwback Joey Porter/James Harrison kind of way – and what can be bad about that?
Sure, we get some extra sound bites that aren’t necessary, but you couldn’t argue that either Porter, Harrison or Clark hurt the team with any of their crude remarks. What matters is that when the game was on the line not only did they come through, but they were able to rally others around him.
Polamalu will always be the quiet leader of the team. He leads by example, not his voice. Mitchell will voice his opinion even if it lands him in hot water. After being fined for taunting an injured Sam Bradford, Mitchell expressed his opinion on how he thought he was a ‘targeted player’ by Roger Goodell.
The Steelers used the draft to add difference makers, and plenty of them. It is hard to argue that the first four picks will make some sort of an impact maybe as soon as this year, but in the end it will be Mike Mitchell that has been entrusted to lead the new generation of Steelers in their quest for a seventh Super Bowl.
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