7/27/17-Seven Reasons

By: Mike Pelaia

 

As training camp opens up today, it’s time for my annual “Seven Reasons” article. Hopefully next year it will be titled something different but until the Steelers hoist Lombardi number seven, this will continue to be an article discussing the seven reasons why the black and gold WILL win their seventh Lombardi trophy and the seven reasons why they WON’T win it this year.

Since I’d prefer to end the article on a high note as I hope the Steelers will end the season on the highest of notes, I’ll start out with the seven reasons that may prevent the team from achieving their ultimate goal this season.

Why they won’t win it all this year:

1. Le’Veon Bell-What? You’re surely asking; How can Le’Veon Bell be a reason why the team WON’T win? Don’t worry, he’s certainly going to be on the subsequent list below but he’s on this list due to his history of not playing a full season. Whether it be a suspension, an injury or now potentially a hold out into the season, Bell has not played a full season through the playoffs yet. If he can’t be there for all 16 games and specifically beyond, the team won’t win it all this year. 
2. The defense doesn’t take the next step-The young defense of the Steelers made excellent strides last season but the team needs to avoid sophomore hangovers from Artie Burns, Sean Davis and Javon Hargrave. They are all going to play big roles on this defense and if they take a step back this season, the Steelers could fall back with them. 
3. Vince Williams-I’ve always liked Vince Williams as a player and so have the Steelers. So much so they let Mike Tomlins’ very first pick ever, Lawrence Timmons leave via free agency. I’ll remind you that Timmons was the team’s leading tackler for several seasons running. It’s now on Vince Williams to fill that role. Williams doesn’t need to lead the team in tackling but he’ll certainly need to make enough plays to mitigate the loss of Timmons. If he doesn’t, well, you get the idea…
4.  Landry Jones-I’ve defended Landry Jones as a backup for a few years now and I’ll stand by that. I do think he’s solid backup, but, if Ben goes down and Jones needs to play multiple games or god forbid in the playoffs, it’s over.
5. The Patriots-I don’t think I need to cover this one too in depth, do I?
6. Mike Tomlin-I’ve long said Mike Tomlin mismanages the clock and lets arrogance get in the way when making decisions. I don’t care for the reckless nature in which he goes for two point conversions and I do believe he’s put the team in situations where they’ve had to play from behind or play with more urgency due to some of his calls. If he gets in the way by doing this again, the team will be handicapped and unable to go all the way.
7. The Secondary-I like Burns, I like Davis, and to a degree I can handle Mike Mitchell but beyond that, I don’t have much trust for the rest of the group. I still don’t buy Ross Cockrell and I’ll never believe in William Gay, no matter how many times he returns a pick for a TD. They need to find a better number two guy behind Burns, if they don’t or if the guys they have don’t step up and play to that level, guys like Brady will feast on them all day long.

Here are the Seven Reasons why they WILL win:

1.  Number 7-As always, the number one reason is Number 7. Big Ben Roethlisberger. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in all of football and somehow, he seems to get better every season. This team will go as far as he takes them and he can take them very far. He’s clutch, he’s smart and he’s a leader with two rings to prove it.
2. The arsenal-With Antonio Brown, the best receiver in football, Le’Veon Bell, the best running back in football and Martavis Bryant, the offense is stacked and can absolutely shoot for 30 points a game. If they score the way they’re capable of, they can go a very long way.
3. Players coming back-Assuming Bryant gets reinstated and stays on the field, he’ll be a big addition but let’s not forget that Cam Heyward is returning too. He missed the last 6 weeks of the regular season and the playoffs. Book ending him with Stephon Tuitt on the defensive line will be a huge (re)addition.
4. The offensive line-The line got big news today with Alejandro Villanueva signing a new four year deal. With him happy and back in the fold, this unit has spent a ton of time together over the past several seasons and in doing so have kept Big Ben upright more often. Under the leadership of Mike Munchak, this unit has become one of the best in the NFL.
5. The rookies-Like last year, rookies will play a big part of this team in 2017. OLB TJ Watt, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, CB Cameron Sutton and RB James Conner will all play big roles on this squad throughout 2017. These guys could find themselves in starting roles or at a very minimum as playing big roles as backups. They are all talented and are capable of helping this team win now.
6. Mr. Rooney-The death of Mr. Rooney should be a massive motivator for the team this season. They all want to win one for him and I fully expect this to be a factor that motivates them all season long.
7. James Harrison-Harrison, the freak of nature that he is, is on a mission to get one more ring before he retires. He’s a true leader and will be leading the young defense all season long. He brings passion, fire and motivation to a young team that needs it. 

No matter how far this team goes this season, it should be a great ride. They have the talent and skill set to go a very long way. As with any season, it could go in any direction and there are multiple factors that play out but these are the top seven reasons why they will or won’t get it done in 2017.

7/19/17-Are Egos Already Getting In The Way Of This Season

By: Mike Pelaia

With training camp starting in less than two weeks; it would be expected that the majority of the talk surrounding the Steelers would surround their chase to get Lombardi number seven. With the team on the rise over the past few seasons and a roster that appears to be loaded on offense and improving on defense, a Super Bowl season is not out of the question.

However, the talk that seems to keep bubbling up happens to be about things off the field. Egos are getting in the way, already. If there is one thing we’ve all seen before, it’s a big ego or two can derail a great team and ruin a season completely.

Hopefully that won’t happen in this case but there are already instances where the egos are popping up and causing unnecessary conversation. Mike Tomlin already has his work cut out for him in keeping the team focused.

The smallest case of ego is with Alejandro Villanueva and he has the power to squash the conversations very quickly but at the moment, he wants a new contract and there are several reports stating he will hold out of camp. The team can’t afford to have its’ starting left tackle out and Villanueva will not be well served in holding out. Players never win that battle with the Steelers. Even Hines Ward has stated he regrets doing so.

Next, you have Martavis Bryant telling the media that he needs to have a “man to man” with Ben Roethlisberger because he’s upset at Ben calling him out last year for letting the team down? Martavis, you can’t be serious, can you?  You DID let the team down. Had you been on the roster last year, it’s quite possible this team would have at least had a chance to get by the Patriots.  Ben is the leader of this team and while you may want to talk with him, you shouldn’t call him out like that. For Pete’s sake, you’re not even officially reinstated yet!  The team drafted your eventual replacement when your contract is up, JuJu Smith Schuster, so read the tea leaves my man. Don’t start unnecessary issues!

Lastly, LeVeon Bell.  Is he the best back in the league?  Absolutely. Should he be paid as such? Of course!  Was he offered to be paid as such by the black and gold? YES! He was. They offered him a 5 year deal, $42 million dollars in the first 3 years of it with $30 million in the first 2! He wanted 15 mil per season, well he would have gotten that for two seasons had he signed. Now he’s upset because he has to play for a ‘measly’ $12 mil this season on the franchise tag. He stated he wants to be paid as a “Number one RB and number two WR”. Well, I think you were offered that Bell. Number one RB’s make around $8 million per and number two WR’s make around $7 million per and that totals $15 million, which you were offered for the first two seasons.  Apparently Bell doesn’t realize how many games he’s missed over the years due to both injury and drug suspensions.  The Steeler did draft James Conner in the third round and it appears to me that he’s probably going to be Bell’s replacement in either 2018 or possibly 2019 should the team give Bell one more franchise tag.

These guys need to put all of these egotistical distractions behind them at this point. This team has the talent to go very far this year and it would be a shame if they didn’t even get the train out of the station due to a few egos getting in the way.