OT: Stillers an' at.

[McKee Place]

The Steelers haven't had two dominant players on defense since Casey Hampton & Troy Polamalu retired, that's why they haven't been to a Super Bowl. All 6 Super Bowl wins happened when they had a DT would was doubled or triple teamed which opened things up for the LB's and DB who teams feared and couldn't eliminate.

Lot of truth here. They have some good players on D but the closest to elite in recent years was Shazier, now unfortunately no longer active.

Though the game continues to evolve and I think they had more than enough offensive talent in recent years to have advanced further. But the talent couldn't be adequately and efficiently leveraged. Lots of sloppy plays, picks, not enough red zone TD conversions etc. Especially, oddly against lesser teams. Blame whoever, OC, QB, HC, but they've had great lines, great skill players and a top echelon QB and a very offense friendly rules structure, but have too many bad losses.

 

[BuffetParrothead]

IMO and the opinion of PG writers, The Fan hosts, the Steelers had plenty of talent this past season it was mis-managed. Even P. Rivers said " we made real time and half time adjustments and they didn't."

Shazier was a big loss but he's one player and there was plenty of talent to atleast beat all of the teams the Steelers lost to with sub.500 records.

Issues included pre game player prep, lack of real time game plan and half time adjustments, not maxing performance of players, less than acceptable HC challenges, and overall locker room management and HC leadership!

"it's five o'clock somewhere"
Signed: Mr Buffett
Go PITT & CSU Rams!

 

[Fk_Pitt]

IMO and the opinion of PG writers, The Fan hosts, the Steelers had plenty of talent this past season it was mis-managed. Even P. Rivers said " we made real time and half time adjustments and they didn't."

Shazier was a big loss but he's one player and there was plenty of talent to atleast beat all of the teams the Steelers lost to with sub.500 records.

Issues included pre game player prep, lack of real time game plan and half time adjustments, not maxing performance of players, less than acceptable HC challenges, and overall locker room management and HC leadership!

"it's five o'clock somewhere"
Signed: Mr Buffett
Go PITT & CSU Rams!

There was a time when we felt good about our panthers after Jamie got the team to halftime. The guy was good for a long time. I’ve never got that feeling with the Steelers since Cowher left. Tomlin waterboys have this weird obsession with Cowher, yet the fan base was just as critical of Cowher as they are with tomlin. But the difference is when the Steelers had a halftime and 2nd half lead with cowher, you felt pretty good. And when they had a 4th quarter lead, it was over.

 

[Burgh15]

IMO and the opinion of PG writers, The Fan hosts, the Steelers had plenty of talent this past season it was mis-managed. Even P. Rivers said " we made real time and half time adjustments and they didn't."

Shazier was a big loss but he's one player and there was plenty of talent to atleast beat all of the teams the Steelers lost to with sub.500 records.

Issues included pre game player prep, lack of real time game plan and half time adjustments, not maxing performance of players, less than acceptable HC challenges, and overall locker room management and HC leadership!

Tomlin's Steelers win with talent and they go out there on a weekly basis with the mindset that we are going to win games because we have better players than you. It's why they have so many letdown games against bad competition.

 

[BuffetParrothead]

Tomlin's Steelers win with talent and they go out there on a weekly basis with the mindset that we are going to win games because we have better players than you. It's why they have so many letdown games against bad competition.

Well IMO that's a lack of preparation, planning and execution by the coaching staff and players.

This is also why the Patriots are so good, Belichick and team wins with a few starts and slightly above average talent because they prepare, plan, and execute on game day.
A Patriots opponent has no chance to out prep, out plan or out execute the Patriots. The only chance a team has against the Patriots is to flat out play them and bury them with talent.

"it's five o'clock somewhere"
Signed: Mr Buffett
Go PITT & CSU Rams!

 

[paulbl99]

Liberals appreciate satire.

Liberals are also insane.

And confused like you
SOP

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

Liberals are also insane.

And confused like you
SOP

Now that’s the kind of witty retort I’d expect

Tune off cable news and sports talk radio.
Your brain is baked

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Liberals appreciate satire.

If it's the right kind.

 

[McKee Place]

Nobody can rightfully expect the Steelers or any team to win every game, to make and go deep into the playoffs every year, challenge for the SB every year...if all positions were relatively equal. The league is set up to distribute opportunity equally.

Problem with that is that quarterback is such a critical position for success. And there are relatively few really great ones.
When you get one, you want to leverage as much as you can because they sometimes have limited shelf life.

The frustration i think (knowledgeable) fans have is that the clock is ticking with Roethlisberger and you might end up with another decade or two of jabronies at QB when he's gone. So you don't want these years wasted.

 

[jtownknowitall]

Shazier was a big loss but he's one player and there was plenty of talent to atleast beat all of the teams the Steelers lost to with sub.500 records.

Shazier was a big loss. He wasn't the best player the Steelers were missing in 2018.

 

[jtownknowitall]

Tomlin waterboys have this weird obsession with Cowher, yet the fan base was just as critical of Cowher as they are with tomlin. But the difference is when the Steelers had a halftime and 2nd half lead with cowher, you felt pretty good. And when they had a 4th quarter lead, it was over.

Cowher waterboys have this weird obsession with Tomlin.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

The Steelers haven't had two dominant players on defense since Casey Hampton & Troy Polamalu retired, that's why they haven't been to a Super Bowl. All 6 Super Bowl wins happened when they had a DT would was doubled or triple teamed which opened things up for the LB's and DB who teams feared and couldn't eliminate.

True. Well Shazier was on that way.....and Heyward and Tuitt ain't bad, neither is Watt. But I can throw it back to you and say "what dominant one player, let alone two has New England had on defense during this same time?"

 

[BigBird80]

View embedded media

The Steelers and Bell are officially moving on. Wonder if they’ll get a compensation pick for him and, if so, what round it’ll be.

Wonder how much his instagram pic/mistake played into this. They probably don't want to be stuck with him at any cost.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Cowher waterboys have this weird obsession with Tomlin.

People were just as critical of Cowher. He had his fair share of underachieving too, albeit a bit different. His underachievements were due to those home afc championship game loses. Tomlins are regular season losses vs bad teams that contribute to lower playoff seedings or in the case of this season, missed playoff appearances.

 

[jtownknowitall]

Bill Cowher lost to the expansion Houston Texans at home.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Wonder how much his instagram pic/mistake played into this. They probably don't want to be stuck with him at any cost.

They finally realize, albeit a year too late, that they have other needs and his price tag is too high. They finally realized that they don’t have to spend good money on a RB.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Bill Cowher lost to the expansion Houston Texans at home.

Outlier. Research and compare their records if you don’t believe me. I always compared Cowher to Paterno. He almost always won the games he was supposed to and found himself in favorable post season position because of it.

 

[jtownknowitall]

Outlier.

To a Cowher waterboy

 

[Fk_Pitt]

To a Cowher waterboy

Cowher and Tomlin are similar in my eyes. And if we had social media then, he’d look as foolish as Tomlin does today.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

To a Cowher waterboy

Cowher normally beat the teams he was supposed to. Split vs the good teams, and it translated into home playoff games. The problem is, he turned into Jamie dixon in the post season.

 

[pittman71]

Not sure why people believe Big Ben should have won as much as Brady did. He has never been as good as Brady.

NEVER. Hell I don't think he is better than Rivers.

 

[jtownknowitall]

Not sure why people believe Big Ben should have won as much as Brady did. He has never been as good as Brady.

NEVER. Hell I don't think he is better than Rivers.

The Steelers have been the second best team in football since the rise of the Patriots.

Rivers? You're funny.

 

[BigBird80]

They finally realize, albeit a year too late, that they have other needs and his price tag is too high. They finally realized that they don’t have to spend good money on a RB.

When since he rejected their offer last year was there talk about the Steelers wanting to spend a dime on L Bell?

 

[pittman71]

The Steelers have been the second best team in football since the rise of the Patriots.

Rivers? You're funny.

2nd best team? According to who?

Maybe I will do a comparison between Rivers and Big Ben. Mind you I only mentioned him because he is also in the AFC. The NFC has Rodgers and Brees right off the bat who are better.

 

[BigBird80]

That’s a good point. Definitely not a good optic for him. They probably realized the risk is higher than the reward to tag him and trying getting something for him at this point.

It's a guaranteed 3rd in 2020 for Bell. They were trying to use the transition tag to trade him to a team for either a pick THIS YEAR or a higher pick NEXT YEAR.

For example, next year's conpensatory pick might be pick #97 at the end of the 3rd round. They could trade him to lets say Philadelphia and get pick #90 next year. Why not do that?

 

[BigBird80]

2nd best team? According to who?

Maybe I will do a comparison between Rivers and Big Ben. Mind you I only mentioned him because he is also in the AFC. The NFC has Rodgers and Brees right off the bat who are better.

He said team not qb.
Ben has always been at the top of that tier 2 qb, right after Brady, Manning, Brees and Rodgers. No shame in that.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

If it's the right kind.

Yes-
Funny

 

[pittman71]

He said team not qb.
Ben has always been at the top of that tier 2 qb, right after Brady, Manning, Brees and Rodgers. No shame in that.

I disagreed with both of his comments. Pittsburgh hasn't been the 2nd best team in the NFL in quite a while. Their 13-3 season a few years ago was a mirage, they won plenty of games in the final minute that could have gone either way. Games they lost in 2018.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

When since he rejected their offer last year was there talk about the Steelers wanting to spend a dime on L Bell?

Not sure I understand your question.

They expected him to join the team and they were committed to have him play for that hefty paycheck. His salary could have been used on another RB and to sure up on the defense.

 

[pittman71]

Career Career

64.5 64.4 - Completion percentage
54,656 56,194 - Yards
374 363 - Touchdowns
178 190 - Interceptions


remarkably similar stats between Big Ben and Rivers. Of course then the question becomes who had better talent around them.

 

[McKee Place]

He said team not qb.
Ben has always been at the top of that tier 2 qb, right after Brady, Manning, Brees and Rodgers. No shame in that.

And far better off than most of the rest of the teams.

Think of outright junk some teams have had at QB for years if not decades.

And those being critical of Bill Cowher can look no further than his best Qbs being Neil O'donnell or Kordell Stewart, up to the end with Roethlisberger.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

I disagreed with both of his comments. Pittsburgh hasn't been the 2nd best team in the NFL in quite a while. Their 13-3 season a few years ago was a mirage, they won plenty of games in the final minute that could have gone either way. Games they lost in 2018.

Their 13-3 record last year supports my point. The Steelers faced all kinds of bad QB’s and back up QB’s that season. They had a tough time, but they found a way to win those games, and it translated into a bye and a home playoff game. It’s the NFL, so 13-3 should be commended. But even at that, they had team distractions and lost to a Mike Glennon led Chicago team in week 3. Glennon was benched after week 4 and never got his job back. If the Steelers win that game, they have homefield throughout the playoffs and maybe, just maybe, things would have been different.

 

[jtownknowitall]

2nd best team? According to who?

Maybe I will do a comparison between Rivers and Big Ben. Mind you I only mentioned him because he is also in the AFC. The NFC has Rodgers and Brees right off the bat who are better.

Their record. Only one team has been better. Since 2001.

Ben has won as many Super Bowls as Rodgers, Brees and Rivers combined.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

Career Career

64.5 64.4 - Completion percentage
54,656 56,194 - Yards
374 363 - Touchdowns
178 190 - Interceptions


remarkably similar stats between Big Ben and Rivers. Of course then the question becomes who had better talent around them.

Wins: Rivers 106 - Ben 147
Game winning drives: Rivers 26 - Ben 43

Rivers is a choke artist. He played with plenty of talent. End of comparison.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

Agreed, which was why I thought they were going to tag him.

They can't risk the cap money with the Brown trade and potential cap hit this year. What if they couldn't get better than a compensatory 3rd?

 

[pittdan77]

The Steelers haven't had two dominant players on defense since Casey Hampton & Troy Polamalu retired, that's why they haven't been to a Super Bowl. All 6 Super Bowl wins happened when they had a DT would was doubled or triple teamed which opened things up for the LB's and DB who teams feared and couldn't eliminate.

The problem with the defense was that it didn't generate turnovers and it committed the most penalties in the league (although the penalties definitely affected the turnover stat). They ended up giving up a lot of points because stupidity ended up extending drives. So discipline was an issue on both sides of the ball. There were enough stars on offense to offset the defense if it would have just gotten off the field when it should have.

 

[wbrpanther]

It's a guaranteed 3rd in 2020 for Bell. They were trying to use the transition tag to trade him to a team for either a pick THIS YEAR or a higher pick NEXT YEAR.

For example, next year's conpensatory pick might be pick #97 at the end of the 3rd round. They could trade him to lets say Philadelphia and get pick #90 next year. Why not do that?

Putting the transition tag on Bell would be a huge headache. First he would have to sign the tag. To trade him they would have to match an offer Bell received. Then they would not be allowed to trade him to the team that gave him the offer. And if they refused to match that offer he is gone and they receive no compensation. Better to just avoid the circus. Let him walk and get a 3rd next year.

 

[Ski11585]

People were just as critical of Cowher. He had his fair share of underachieving too, albeit a bit different. His underachievements were due to those home afc championship game loses. Tomlins are regular season losses vs bad teams that contribute to lower playoff seedings or in the case of this season, missed playoff appearances.

Outlier. Research and compare their records if you don’t believe me. I always compared Cowher to Paterno. He almost always won the games he was supposed to and found himself in favorable post season position because of it.

This is absolutely false and I went through Cowher's record and posted all the losses to terrible teams he had on the boards. I'm not shocked everyone pretended it wasn't there.

 

[BigBird80]

Not sure I understand your question.

They expected him to join the team and they were committed to have him play for that hefty paycheck. His salary could have been used on another RB and to sure up on the defense.

You commented about my comment about him not getting the transition tag THIS year. If he would have signed the offer they offered him, it would have been a great signing and well worth it.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

This is absolutely false and I went through Cowher's record and posted all the losses to terrible teams he had on the boards. I'm not shocked everyone pretended it wasn't there.

Well if you went through it and posted it, I’ll take your word for it because I don’t spend a lot of time on the football board and I likely missed it. I’m going off the feeling that I had living through it in the early 2000’s. Penn St would beat up on the Indiana’s, Purdue’s & illinois of the Big10, split or lose to the good teams, and plant themselves in a New Year’s Day Bowl every year. I felt the same about Cowher winning the games he was supposed to and that pathway got him to 6 afc championship games (off the top of my head). If he underachieved in the regular season, he would have a lot more one and dones in the playoffs and significantly less championship game appearances.