Thank god for Cribbs the only entertaining guy, at the same time I kind of feel sorry he's stuck on our team.
I've also been surprised by the (low) quality of announcers this year. Weird. Are they trying to make people not feel as bad for not having NFL Network?
You guys should thank your lucky stars that i'm still alive and in one piece. This one was easily the most sickening and disheartening loss of them all. This game didn't follow the typical script of "Steelers play well enough to win through 3/4 of the game then fall apart in the 4th". This one we NEVER lead. In fact, if we weren't playing against the utterly abhorrent and absolute worst QB in football we would have lost this game by 20 points. You can't even blame this one on the Steelers playing without the best defensive player in football. For the second game in a row, their front seven was absolutely decimated. Nobody around Pittsburgh wants to admit it but some of these guys (Hampton, Farrior, etc) are getting pretty old. This season is shot, for all intents and purposes, but I have confidence that they'll retool this defense and get things on the right path. That said, I need more alcohol. I'll do my best to steer clear of the BBS as the night commences but you can all CONSIDER YOURSELVES WARNED!!!
Even after winning the Super Bowl last season, Tomlin might be coaching for his job next year. This kind of season collapse is stunning. Losing last week and tonight means they can lose to anyone. I would make the Steelers underdogs in each of their final 3 games.
I got in an argument with some drunk Yinzer tonight. He took offense to me saying Cowher never would have lost five in a row (off a Super Bowl, no less) with a team like this. I like Tomlin but he walked into a situation that coaches would absolutely KILL for. Now is the time flex your coaching muscles.
Steelers like to keep their coaches for 10-20 years. Tomlin's not leaving anytime soon unless he chooses to.
Maybe not 5 in a row, but the Steelers started out 2-6 the year after their Superbowl win under Cowher.
Right. But this team is in the midst of a major, largely self-imposed funk that completely baffles me. Tonight was the exception obviously, but this squad's tendency to completely fall apart in the 4th is entirely uncharacteristic of the identity that they had prior to 09-10. Bottom line: anybody that thinks intangibles aren't a major factor in football (or sports, in general) is kidding themselves. My point is that Cowher never would have lost the locker room and allowed this defeatist attitude to permeate the entire team the way Tomlin has. I still like Tomlin and I have confidence that he'll turn things around, but you have GOT to maintain control of your locker room and Tomlin seemingly just sees this team reeling and is unable to stop it.
Being an AFC North guy you should know enough about your rivals to realize this isn't the core issue. Ben is perhaps the most unorthodox QB in NFL history. He makes plays on the fly, he deviates from plays called and hangs onto the ball longer more than any other QB would dream. When you play that way you're bound to give up sacks. A lot, in fact. Hell, Ben basically redefined the term "coverage sack" from his tenure in the NFL alone. The offensive line isn't the problem. The problem is the defense. They've lost their mojo. They've lost that nastiness that we've all known them to have. Yeah, losing the best defensive player in football has a lot to do with that but this is the second game in a row that Steelers' front seven were absolutely abused. Age, intangibles and injuries are killing this team. Only one of those factories qualifies as an excuse and even that isn't good enough.
Their O-line has always sucked. Worse when Faneca left. Ben always made enough plays to win the game though, he has always excelled at scrambing and making CLUTCH plays. The problem is their defense, I haven't seen a defensive drop so low, coming from such a great defensive that has been exceptional for many years. Not having Troy definitely doesent help the problem, but there is no excuse for what is happening.
Yesterday, they scored 6 points on offense. Against Cleveland. That had nothing to do with the defense - outside of one one TD, the defense played outstanding.
