Who Are These Guys?

The Steelers sit at 2-2 after the first quarter of the season has ended and the questions are flying. The main one is, who are these guys? I think the answer is quite simply in their record. They’re a mediocre team, at best.

They barely held on to beat an average Browns team to open the season, they got the doors blown off at a solid Baltimore team, they  managed to pound a very good Panther team and then they lose at home to a horrific Buccaneers team.

The black and gold are consistently inconsistent. You never know what you’re going to get. So far, this team looks no different than the past two teams who produced an 8-8 record.

Through the first quarter of the season, they rank 12^th in the league in points scored per game, yet they went eight consecutive quarters without scoring a touchdown, spanning three games.  They’ve failed in clutch situations, like this past game vs. the lowly Buccaneers when they couldn’t get a first down to put the game away with just a little over a minute to play. Big Ben, LeVeon Bell, Antonio Brown and even Markus Wheaton have proved valuable, but they’ve seen little from anybody else. The offensive line that is supposed to be improved; really isn’t measurably better. They allow Ben to be hit too often, sacked more than enough and hurried more than needed. Offensively they have plenty of talent but they need to put it together consistently and in crunch time.

The defense is a massive problem. They are not creating the necessary turnovers, they aren’t getting to the quarterback often enough, they allow the big plays and they fold under pressure. Yes, they have three big injuries they are dealing with but losing to the Bucs is simply inexcusable, no matter who’s playing. Where’s the next man up, Coach Tomlin? Where’s the scheme Dick LeBeau? Where are the players Kevin Colbert?

I watched as many fans could barely contain their excitement when the team re signed Brett Keisel and then again this week James Harrison. I watched and I shook my head.  I shook my head because to me, signing these old vets symbolized something; it meant this team was lacking depth and talent. Yes, both Keisel and Harrison were amazing players, pivotal to the success of multiple championship runs and sure they both probably have something left in the tank, but how much? Is this defense so bad they needed to bring these guys that they made so clear they were willing to part with, back? The answer is yes. This defense is in trouble. And now, with the significant injuries they’ve obtained, they’re in bigger trouble than even I thought.

To make matters worse, this team continues to lack discipline, as they have in years past under Tomlin. It’s unacceptable and stale. Coach Tomlin vows to fix it, he better. To be flagged for six 15 yard penalties in one game is beyond embarrassing, it quite simply was the reason the team lost on Sunday. If they continue to play like that, they may not beat the winless Jaguars this coming Sunday either.

There was a time when this team was close to unbeatable at home. Boy have times changed. Teams feared coming to Pittsburgh for an away game. Not any more. In the past three seasons, the Steelers have suffered home losses to the Chargers in 2012 (who had never won a regular season game in Pittsburgh), the Titans, Bills and Dolphins in 2013 and now the Buccaneers (who had also never won in Pittsburgh) this season. Overall of the 18 home games since 2012 the team has lost 7 of those. There is no home field advantage there, at all.

It’s disheartening to see this team flush away a golden opportunity to go 3-1 when they had just beaten the Panthers on the road and were entering a stretch of very winnable games but that’s exactly what they did this past Sunday.

The good news is simply this, they have 12 games left and anything is possible. They get a shot to right the ship, even if just for one week, vs. winless Jacksonville on Sunday. Let the inconsistency continue…