Was the 2019 Steelers season a success or a failure?

The Steelers 2019 season ended in disappointment, but was it a success or a failure?

The Steelers 2019 season ended with a ‘thud’ against the Ravens.  We finished with 8 wins and 8 losses, so an average season, but was the season a success or a failure?  I guess the answer to that question depends on your perspective.  Are you an optimist or a pessimist?

Personally, I think the answer is not as straight forward as you would imagine.  Did we have a losing season?  No.  Did we make the playoffs? No, for the second straight season; that is disturbing to me, by the way.  Did we see marked improvement in the performance of individual players? Yes.  Did we trade for a player who not only made the Pro Bowl but was named All-Pro?  Yes.

I also think the answer is a product of whether or not you view the Steelers season in a vacuum.  In other words, do you look at just the season as a singularity or do you look at the season as a building block for the next season or as a building block from the previous season?

Whatever your perspective is, I think it’s fair to say the Steelers 2019 season was sprinkled with successes and with failures on both sides of the ball as well as from a coaching perspective.  Was the offense better than it was in 2018?  Not by any stretch of the imagination.  Was the defense better than it was in 2018?  You betcha.  Was the coaching better than it was in 2018?  Maybe, maybe not.

Let’s explore some of the successes and failures of the Steelers 2019 season.