Melted Steel
It's panic time in the Steel City.
When you hear Pittsburgh Steelers, you think defense, championships, and in your face football. That has seemed to go out the window.
The Steelers are now 1-2-1 after a tough sunday night loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The offense for the Steelers was shut down in the second half. They ran the ball 11 times for 19 yards. The Steelers averaged 4.8 yards per play and had the ball for just under 25:00 minutes. Defensively the Steelers still struggled, but managed to play better.
Their defense had only 2 sacks and no turnovers, but only gave up field goals in the second half. Which is an improvement compared to the week before when they almost gave up a 20 point lead to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The defense has been the weakest link for the Steelers this season. They have given up over 1,600 yards in 4 games. No Steelers defense in the history of the franchise has given up more yards in that span. The deep ball is a constant problem, along with senseless turnovers by the offense that almost guarantees a score every time. Players play, coaches coach, but is it on-field error or is it lack of discipline?
Mike Tomlin has a tough task ahead of him. He has had a worst start before. In 2013 the Steelers went 0-4 in their first 4 games and eventually went 8-8 to fall just short of making the playoffs (thanks to a missed field goal/missed call by the officials during the Chiefs, Chargers game). Many believe he should be gone. I personally believe in his ability to lead this team out of the darkness. Is Mike Tomlin on the hot seat?
He clearly cannot control his players antics on and off the field. Le'Veon Bell's holdout has been a distraction and you have offensive players with miscommunication and temper tantrums on the sideline. That is a coaching mistake. This once great franchise has been nothing but a soap opera.
Fortunately for the Steelers they still have Big Ben. When he has struggled and the people have lost hope, he tends to come out of nowhere. Go back and watch his final drive in Super Bowl XLIII. Or in 2015 against the Bengals in the Wild Card round. You can even make an argument for last year's controversial no TD call against the Patriots. Even though history is on Ben's side in these situations, he isn't getting any younger. Mike Tomlin needs to realize that his star players cannot take care of business alone anymore. Tomlin has to change something up whether it is how they practice, film study, maybe even a defensive coordinator change.
Maybe Tomlin needs to remember what his philosophy was during the late 2000s. As of now, I think it is safe to say it is not only panic time, it is playoff time for the Steelers.
About the Creator
Garrison Spangler
Trying to do a little side writing. I enjoy writing about sports, but will write about anything. I hope you enjoy!
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