Starkey: Steelers could use a slice of reality

Joe Starkey: Steelers could use a slice of reality

October 27, 2016

Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell looks for room against the Patriots* in the second quarter Sunday at Heinz Field.
By Joe Starkey / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A curious belief has taken hold in the Steelers locker room. Players seem convinced they are everybody’s homecoming game.

Veteran guard Ramon Foster spoke to the idea recently, responding to a question about why the Steelers so often struggle against inferior competition. Defensive end Cameron Heyward reiterated the notion Tuesday.

“We understand there’s a target on our back,” Heyward said. “Everybody on the team has to understand that. Everybody wants to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. There are teams that throw celebrations just because they beat us.”

Then there was quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, asked on his radio show on 93.7 The Fan two days ago if he takes any stock in the “Steelers-play-down-to-the-competition” narrative.

“I think maybe people play up to us,” Roethlisberger said.

Play up?

Up to where?

Roethlisberger makes it sound as if the Steelers are living among the NFL’s elite. Like they are a standard by which others measure themselves.

Look, maybe there’s truth to the theory that teams get extra motivated for the Steelers — likely based on the franchise’s rich history and perhaps the current team’s brash demeanor — but claiming it publicly comes off as self-serving.

It’s as if the players are saying, “We’re the team everybody circles on the schedule. We’re special”

What, the Patriots* don’t get everyone’s best shot?

It almost sounds as if the Steelers are claiming to be victims of their own success, to which I would ask: What success?

The history speaks for itself. I’m not talking about the six Lombardi trophies behind glass on the South Side or Roethlisberger’s many accomplishments. I’m talking about the majority of players on this team. The current core.

I’m talking about the past five-plus years.

The Steelers since 2010 are little more than a garden-variety washout. They have to their credit — wait, let me count ’em — one playoff win since then. And they only won that game because the Cincinnati Bengals are stocked with morons. And because Rex Ryan got the Steelers into the playoffs after they lost to Ryan Mallet and the injury ravaged Ravens in Week 16.

Maybe one step toward correcting this team’s issues is for players to acknowledge their commonness as a group. And to admit that their high opinion of themselves might be part of the problem when it comes to ludicrous losses such as the one in Baltimore last season, or the one in Miami two weeks ago, or the one to Tampa Bay in 2014.

Maybe it’s time for this team to grow up.

to read rest of article:

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/joe-starkey/2016/10/27/Joe-Starkey-Steelers-could-use-a-slice-of-reality/stories/201610270026

I couldn't find the "KISS MY ASS " emoji.

solardave wrote:

I couldn't find the "KISS MY ASS " emoji.

"Other teams playing up to us."     Talk about a spin job.
I'd buy it if we were losing close games to the bottom feeders of the league.
But, that's not the case.
We usually shit the bed against those teams

that guy is spot on

FrancoLambert wrote:

"Other teams playing up to us."     Talk about a spin job.
I'd buy it if we were losing close games to the bottom feeders of the league.
But, that's not the case.
We usually shit the bed against those teams

I believe the phrase is, "Playing down to those teams!"

It has been commonplace with this team for some time now.

But elect me coach and I promise a change in direction. A new high powered offense, and a defense reminisent of the days of old!

oh wait, wrong thread

stlrtruck wrote:

solardave wrote:

I couldn't find the "KISS MY ASS " emoji.

Thanks Truck but I was leaning toward kiss my ass with malice.

The truth hurts every now and then so maybe this article will be a little motivation.

Wow thanks for finally confirming this crap steelers.....this is them basically whinning that they don't get any time to coast during the season.

Question now is, is there any force within the team that's as fed up with this as most of the fans are, who will bust some ass until this mindset is rooted out.....or are they going to continue to act shocked that teams aren't just going to roll over an play dead for them every week.

While I agree with some of what he says I take exception to the what have you done lately bullshit.There is a reason our first pick of every draft is in the back of the first round.
Part of our problem is injuries and I'm not making excuses for not taking care of business when we play teams we should dominate. I agree this "we just need to show up" mentality needs to go. This team needs to be merciless to the point where we're being accused of running up scores. Then maybe we will have the bulls eye on our backs. But it's not just the players mentality. Look at the dumb play calls in these games. Trying 54 yard field goals. Poor clock management.We're down by 2 scores with under 7 minutes to go and we're still running the ball. No blitzing allowed and on and on.

Here's another slice of reality.

The Steelers need more talented players and better coaching.        I'm a genius.  

solardave wrote:

stlrtruck wrote:

solardave wrote:

I couldn't find the "KISS MY ASS " emoji.

Thanks Truck but I was leaning toward kiss my ass with malice.

I'm only as good as the emoji's available to me

It's almost like this team became another version of the 2000's decade chargers. Possibly the most talented team in the league, but chronic underachievers.

After no-show in Baltimore, the Steelers aren't who we thought they were

Pittsburgh needs to get its act together fast with Cowboys up next

by Jason La Canfora



It wasn't that long ago the Steelers could make the case for being one of the NFL's top teams.

You could mention them in the same breath with the Patriots* and not risk getting a bizarre, sideways look. Somebody like my buddy Pete Prisco -- one of those poor souls charged with doing weekly Power Rankings (God, how I hate Power Rankings) -- could list them as the top team in the league and not engender more scorn, hate and ridicule on Twitter than he might normally encounter.

Go back merely a month, and the Steelers were 4-1 and coming off successive thrashings of the Chiefs and Jets by a combined score of 74-27. It looked as if they would run away with the AFC North by Thanksgiving in a year in which the division is decidedly pedestrian.

So what happened?

A few shorts weeks later, and the Steelers are now somehow looking up at the Ravens. Baltimore finally snapped its four-game losing streak by suffocating Pittsburgh on Sunday. All of a sudden the Steelers have lost three in a row (all to AFC teams) while failing to score even 17 points in any of those games despite possessing what many (including me) believed was the best offense in football.

The Steelers have amassed just 45 points over their past three games while displaying a tendency to play down to the level of opponents. On Sunday they were putrid in what should have been a great spot for them -- coming off the bye, getting the latest heroic return from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and getting a shot at their wounded rivals with a chance to send the Ravens' season into a potential death spiral.

Instead, all three units of the Steelers basically failed to show up. They let Mike Wallace take a slant for 95 yards early in the game. They allowed a blocked punt for a touchdown. They had their kicker try the most ridiculous epic fail onside kick attempt in NFL history. They failed to score a single point themselves until what amounted to garbage time, after the Ravens had stretched their lead to 21-0 late in the game and they could sit back and merely try to prevent the big play.

Make no mistake, this was a cumulative no-show, punctuated by a mind-numbing 10 penalties for 84 yards in the first half alone. Roethlisberger was not in sync with any of his weapons, he had like 50 yards passing at the half, and Antonio Brown barely seemed like he was on the field. Le'Veon Bell had nowhere to go, no matter how patient he remained. The frustration was obvious at times between him and coordinator Todd Haley, with the unit looking tentative and disjointed and lethargic all game.

All of the lofty things quasi-pundits like me said about the Steelers before the season -- potentially historic offense with a 5,000-yard passer and a 1,500-yard rusher and 1,800-yard receiver -- well, yeah, that ain't happening. At this point the Steelers would settle for getting at least one element of their offense on track. And fast. The Ravens get the lowly Browns on Thursday, the Bengals get into the underbelly of their schedule following their return from the bye and the Steelers face the soaring Cowboys next week.

It's not crazy to think they might be looking up at two division foes in the standings come a week from now, and that's a sentence I never could have imagined writing last month. Bell has yet to score a touchdown this season and has just 113 yards on 35 carries (3.23 yards per rush) the last two games. Brown is somehow averaging just 12.3 yards per catch.

And we really don't need to belabor the point about the defense. That was never going to be the strength of this team, it was just a matter of how big of a liability it would be. With the question becoming, not whether or not the Steelers will score into the 40s every week, but whether they can crack 20, that's not a winning equation for this outfit. They have no pass rush. They remain prone to coverage breakdowns. There has been mounting tension about the lack of aggression in the scheme and not blitzing as much as some veterans would like.

Problem is, the Steelers just don't have playmakers on defense who show up with much regularity and that only gets exposed the more they are on the field. And the offense isn't doing a good enough job of holding on to the ball and keeping their defense off the field. If this team was going to be Super Bowl-caliber -- and I thought it very well might and it perhaps still could be -- then the offense has to be transcendent and the defense has to be, at best, middle of the pack.

Fact is, neither side of the ball has lived up to that standard, and as a result the Steelers look like they'll be in another multiteam dogfight in the AFC North rather than dabbling with a potential top seed in the conference.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/after-no-show-in-baltimore-the-steelers-arent-who-we-thought-they-were/

Steelers and Packers are in the same exact boat. They have talent, franchise QB's, yet they go into the games ill prepared and lack execution in a full 60 min game. McCarthy and Tomlin have been extremely overrated as head coaches and their 1 super bowl win has had them ride the wave they have for a long time now. We will see how things progress but I am not optimistic.

I wonder how many of the offensive play calls were Haley' calls or Ben's calls.

A. Brown should have been a decoy all game the ravens had two or three players keeping an eye on him every play.

on defense the Steelers don't have the OLBs talent to get pressure the QB from the 3-4 defensive front or the DEs to pressure the QB from a 4-3 front. the young DBs are still in learning mode and it doesn't help the with no pressure on the QB.

well yesterday's game was a big dose of reality. Not sure if it will help or not, but it was more than a slice they needed.

Hopefully they wake up before the cowgirls game.

There's a difference though. The Packers keep it simple for Rodgers, they go 3 wide and dare you to stop it.

Unless it's last two minutes or garbage time? The Steelers parts continuously change. No flow to the offense.

Steelers had 2+ TE's on the field for 9 of their first 25 plays (Doesn't include two penalty plays).

For 38 yards.

Now go watch week one, Haley left well enough alone and went three wide for most of the game when the game mattered.

And they scored 31 points.

But Toddy needs to show everyone he's the smartest kid in class most weeks.

But he's usually wearing the dunce cap instead.

MrFootball wrote:

There's a difference though. The Packers keep it simple for Rodgers, they go 3 wide and dare you to stop it.  

Unless it's last two minutes or garbage time?  The Steelers parts continuously change.  No flow to the offense.  

Steelers had 2+ TE's on the field for 9 of their first 25 plays (Doesn't include two penalty plays).  

For 38 yards.  

Now go watch week one, Haley left well enough alone and went three wide for most of the game when the game mattered.  

And they scored 31 points.  

But Toddy needs to show everyone he's the smartest kid in class most weeks.  

But he's usually wearing the dunce cap instead.  

There is no difference. They are identical. They are two teams with shitty head coaches. W's and L's is all that matters in sports. Spread offenses, 4-3 this and 3-4 that are irrelevant. They lose games they have no business losing and they do it regularly.

So if not Tomlin? WHO?

Because if Art II fires Tomlin? It's going to be Haley.

effyou515 wrote:

I wonder how many of the offensive play calls were Haley' calls or Ben's calls.

The calls aren't the main problem.

Who's on the field (or should I say isn't) is.

Quote :

Fact is, neither side of the ball has lived up to that standard, and as a result the Steelers look like they'll be in another multiteam dogfight in the AFC North rather than dabbling with a potential top seed in the conference.

Whomever thought this team could be the #1 seed simply hasn't been paying attention.

They just aren't that good. And certainly not as good as they believe they are.

As I said in 2013, the talent is there.

The coaching isn't.

Toddy got demoted in 2013 after the Bills game. They went more no huddle and took off.

Since that time? We rarely run no huddle in non obvious situations, and Toddy has most of his responsibilities back.

And the offense basically sucks. It's pathetic on the road.

Le'Veon Bell on the penalties and overall sloppy play: “I think we have to practice better. Even at practice we have mistakes like that."
__________

That's because the parts keep changing. I said that years ago, if this is how they run games you know that's how they practice.

And Bell just confirmed it.