Still Curtain
FanSided

Pittsburgh Steelers: A house divided – a season’s end

By David Doswell

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 23: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers calls for a two point conversion during a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on December 23, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 23: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers calls for a two point conversion during a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on December 23, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 30: JuJu Smith-Schuster #19 of the Pittsburgh Steelers watches the Cleveland Browns play the Baltimore Ravens on the scoreboard at Heinz Field following the Steelers 16-13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on December 30, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – DECEMBER 30: JuJu Smith-Schuster #19 of the Pittsburgh Steelers watches the Cleveland Browns play the Baltimore Ravens on the scoreboard at Heinz Field following the Steelers 16-13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on December 30, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) /

Conclusions

I believe some things were blown out of proportion while others could of been construed as miscommunication. James Harrison and Ryan Clarks comments were particularly stinging considering how the Steelers stood behind them when they were “problems” in the locker room and with the team in general. But the players speaking to the media about situations that in the past warranted “no comments” were the straws that broke the camels back.

Every sound bite was a major story and each comment became headline news. There is enough blame to go around for everyone and a season with so much promise went up in a smoke of confusion. Too many missteps across the board on all levels that caused the season to crash and burn.

Management totally mishandled the Le’Veon Bell deal in spite of what some in the media tried to state otherwise. Even though James Connors filled in admirably, he wore down as the year progressed. With Bell in the fold, the backfield would of been one of the best in the league and the running game could of carried the team through the playoffs. Plus the cohesion of the offense would of been better and the passing game would of been more explosive.

Coaching strategies were also fragmented and saw a total offensive imbalanced that often left the team open for miscues and turnovers. Breaking passing records without wins to show for it has never been the Steelers way of playing football. The defense had issues with the offense not doing their job and the offense felt the same way about the defense.

So this season ended on a worse note then last years Jacksonville fiasco without even a chance to see how far they could of gone in the playoffs. Self evaluations, climate culture, and infusion of more talent will be the off seasons primary agendas that need to be addressed.

Next. Steelers 5 possible free agent targets for 2019. dark

As fans, we also need to look at supporting the team a lot better rather then piling on the media’s criticisms. To the real fans of the Steel City, we would rather have our team then any of the others because Steeler pride doesn’t twist with the wind. We are always Steel Strong. StrapUp thanks you guys for reading the articles and even though the seasons over…Black n’ Gold aint going anywhere. Until next time…Peace!

Home/Steelers News