Alex Smith Heads To Washington

Quarterback Alex Smith has finally moved on from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Last night, the Washington Redskins decided to give up on their quarterback Kirk Cousins and trade for Alex Smith. They gave the Chiefs a third-round pick, as well as cornerback Kendall Fuller. Fuller is entering his third season in the NFL and is coming off a great year for the Redskins. It's clear, though, that the Redskins wanted a quarterback they can commit to long term. It was clear that Cousins was not that answer.

The reason why the Redskins made this deal, as well as why they didn't sign Cousins, is because they felt that keeping him around long-term would've hampered other opportunities to keep important pieces of their team or finding other parts that they could pay at a lower price. Hey, Cousins does fetch a lot of money and the Redskins can't really afford to pay him what other teams could.

As for Alex Smith, it's a very bold move by Washington and one where they may be able to figure out all their issues for a quarterback position and get back to the playoffs. The last time they did this was back in 2010 for quarterback Donovan McNabb. It was a terrible move and it resulted in them trading up to get RGIII. It worked out for a year, then became a disaster. Cousins was not those guys and was playing well, but they weren't able to come to an agreement on a contract. As a result, they get Smith and Cousins will spend the rest of his career in another uniform.

So what does Smith bring that Cousins apparently couldn't? Well, he brings experience, especially playoff experience, which is needed these days. He has more athleticism and is able to do bootlegs and rollouts in a way that Cousins never could. He was able to scramble at the last minute and find open receivers. He is able to keep the play alive. Kirk Cousins couldn't bring all that. He couldn't even trust his receivers, something head coach Jay Gruden tried to get him to do.

Look, it may turn out to be a good move for the Redskins and they're going to have to work with Smith anyway, after signing him to a four-year contract extension. But it's clear he has more upside and something that the Redskins clearly want in their quarterback. Jay Gruden may be able to work with him a lot better than Cousins ever did. I think Washington could have a brighter future if this works out.

As for Kirk Cousins, he didn't do enough. He asked for too much money and ultimately the Redskins decided to go a different direction. Wherever he goes, he's going to ask for a lot and that lot may not work out. He has to understand what Gruden wanted of him and the situation that led him to becoming a free agent. I think he can wind up somewhere else. There's going to be a lot of takers, and I think at the end of the day he'll get a good deal and make that team great.

Blazers and Clippers Face Off In LA

I hope that the Portland Trail Blazers had a good three days off, because they're back in action tonight against the LA Clippers at STAPLES Center, who have made news for the last 24 hours in trading away Blake Griffin to the Detroit Pistons for players and picks. Tipoff tonight is scheduled for 7:30 PM Pacific Time.

Right now, it is unknown for the Clippers who will be starting tonight. It seems unlikely that the new players the Clippers got, Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, and Boban Marjanovic, will be suited up and ready to go tonight. Not only that, but many of the Clippers are out due to injuries, which had been plaguing this team most of the season and it's why they're sitting near the bottom of the playoff picture of the Western Conference.

Despite all that, the Clippers have been able to manage a few wins while being down a couple men. They got big back-to-back wins against the Grizzlies and the Pelicans, respectively, on their latest road trip. Right now, they're hovering around .500 but with the trade of Griffin, it's widely expected that the Clippers will drop a few games below .500 and fall out of the playoff picture for good.

As for this game, the Blazers are hoping to get revenge after a close loss to the Clippers back on October 26 in Portland. Not only that, but the Blazers are playing back-to-back, as they'll be home tomorrow night against the Bulls, in a game I will be attending. But for right now, the mindset for this Blazers team is to get through LA unscathed.

Currently, the Blazers have won five of their last six games and currently have won two straight going into tonight. Their most recent win was a 107-93 win over the Mavericks in Dallas on Friday night. They spent the weekend most likely in LA getting prepared for this matchup. The Blazers' leader Damian Lillard scored 29 points in the win over the Mavericks while Ed Davis put up a season-high 15 points and 13 rebounds off the bench.

This is a game that the Blazers, despite what has happened with the Clippers lately, have to take like they are still a serious threat in the West. The Blazers have had a good streak of wins, but they're still sitting near the bottom of the playoff picture and could fall out of win with a couple of bad games, and there's no doubt that the Clippers are viewing the latest news as a wake-up call.

I expect Damian Lillard to be what he always is in this game: A leader and a difference-maker. I expect CJ McCollum to put in a nice effort tonight, and I expect the bench to produce like they did in this current hot streak that they're having.

For the Clippers, winning two straight on the road doesn't matter at this point and now that Blake Griffin is out of the picture, both DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams are going to have to step up and step up big. I believe they can do that, but against a tough team like Portland, it's going to be very hard.

It's hard to see who wins this game, but for Portland, they're the ones riding the hotter hand, and if they go into LA and get good production from their starters and their bench, I see that they pull off the win. Therefore, I believe they'll go into LA and take a game away from the Clippers tonight.

Did The Clippers Make The Right Move?

The LA Clippers are making noise in the Western Conference, but it may not be in a good way for this team, at least in terms of their chances of making the playoffs this season.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported news of a trade on Monday night that saw Clippers All-Star and staple Blake Griffin being shipped to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for guard Avery Bradley, forward Tobias Harris, center Boban Marjanovic, and a future first-round draft pick. Big man Willie Reed and forward Brice Johnson were also part of the trade to Detroit. It leaves us with one feeling about this team: They're building for the future and not for this season.

New reports out on Tuesday from NBA.com's David Aldridge cites that owner Steve Ballmer emphasized Blake Griffin's health and injuries as a result of this trade going forward. Earlier this season, Griffin missed a significant period of time with a sprained left MCL. The fear from Ballmer was that he would've reinjured it again and then the Clippers would've lost more games and be out of the playoffs entirely. With this trade, the signal from this was that they wanted to cut their losses, get rid of people who were constantly getting injured, and try to build for the future.

David Aldridge has described Ballmer as being a "huge Griffin fan." Ballmer used a bunch of tributes and T-shirts to convince Griffin to sign the big five-year deal over the summer. It came on the heels of Chris Paul being traded to the Rockets this offseason. Now, it looks like that deal was for nothing, and for Steve Ballmer, it signaled a change of heart about Griffin and his future on the team.

Also according to Aldridge, the Clippers apparently became convinced that "they not only weren't a real contender this season, but wouldn't be next season as well with the current roster."

This suggestion leads many to believe that both DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams will most likely be out of Los Angeles sooner rather than later. If I know one thing about Ballmer, it's this: He's always thinking about the future and about how to deal with success in the long-term. He's done well in business because of that thinking and for right now, he believes the long-term success of the Clippers can't revolve around Blake Griffin.

I tend to agree not because I think Ballmer is very smart of this, but because Blake Griffin can no longer be counted on to get this team far in the playoffs. He's been out with injuries the last few playoff seasons and they haven't been able to get out of the first round since they beat the Warriors in a seven-game series a few years ago, and since then, the Warriors have won two championship. So it's become clear that Griffin is no longer the answer.

I feel bad for Clippers fans and for Blake Griffin, because I thought he would be with this team for the rest of his career, much like Kobe Bryant was for the Lakers. Going up to yesterday's trade, Griffin is second on the team's all-time scoring list and has become well-known for his dunks and a dominant scorer. He was a big reason the Clippers got out from under the shadow of the Lakers and became a powerhouse team to contend with.

But now things have changed, and the Clippers are going to have to start over. Many analysts and experts had predicted this for months, and this trade signifies they're not going after the playoffs this season. They want to start over, they want to get younger, and they want to get people who they believe will help them gain success in the long run. That could be Tobias Harris or Avery Bradley or anybody else who's young and up-and-coming on that team. Either way, it ain't Blake Griffin, who is now a Piston and will try to get this team in a spot for the playoffs.

In terms of the long-term, this is a good deal for the Clippers, because I don't think they're worried about this season. They know they can't be the Warriors or even contend for the playoffs. Maybe it'll serve as a wake-up call for the rest of the team to play better and win some games. Either way, it's a long-term investment for Steve Ballmer and that's why he is so good at what he does. He evaluates the team, figures out how they can be built for success in the long run, and he invests wisely. He's very smart and I think that he did Clippers fans a favor by allowing them to get players that could help them out in the future.

The time had come for Blake Griffin. Despite a five-year deal, the rumors swirling that he was going to get traded signaled a change for the Clippers. They're not the team they once were and injuries to both Griffin and Chris Paul doomed this team in the playoffs. They need a change, they need to start over, and they realized it was time for other players to step up to the plate. It's a good direction that the Clippers are going and I hope it helps build for the future of this team.

Time For Michigan State To Change Coaches?

Michigan State is now under fire at all levels, from the top to the athletic department, all because of former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.

Nassar was sentenced to jail for the next 175 years last week, but the statements by the many women during that trail signals to many of us that this is just the beginning of what will be many people losing their jobs and resigning at Michigan State.

Accountability will be the next thing we hold Michigan State to, and according to Magic Johnson on his Twitter this morning, he believes those that were aware of the sexual assault happening to women on that campus should be fired. Here is a copy of his Tweet below:

If anyone was aware of the sexual assault happening to women on the MSU campus from the office of the President, Board of Trustees, athletic department, faculty & campus police, and didn’t say or do anything about it, they should be fired.

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 29, 2018

Magic Johnson also says in a series of tweets that he stands in support of victims and their families as they go on a road towards recovery and also said he hopes new people in those roles will help create new policies and procedures so that it never happens again.

The school itself has been accused in covering up these series of sexual assault claims involving the athletic department. So far, University president Lou Anna Simon and athletic director Mark Hollis has stepped down from their roles.

Coming off from the Nassar sentencing, ESPN's Outside The Lines released a report that detailed the school's handling of these numerous sexual assaults and domestic violence accusations against Michigan State football and basketball players.

So far, men's basketball coach Tom Izzo and football coach Mark Dantonio have not resigned from their positions, though the chorus could get loud enough to kick them out. And whether or not they knew, it's always the same thing: You have to take accountability for what happens under your watch.

We knew that an investigation is already happening, as we speak, and I'm glad to see many people, including the board of directors, are stepping down to allow new people to take charge of the university. But there's still plenty of people there that do need to get fired and that might include these two coaches. Look, I can understand if they didn't know anything about it or weren't aware of what's going on, but these are big positions at a school that's already under fire. They may have to go. I mean, look at Rick Pitino. He had to resign as a result of the basketball corruption scandal that was happening at Louisville. I'm not saying these two are on that level, but when you see that there's been accusations at both football and basketball at your school, you need to understand the hot seat you're sitting on. I'm not sure that Izzo and Dantonio understand that.

Izzo and Dantonio are going to continue to face increased pressures to step down from their roles as basketball and football coach, respectively. But I will say this: Accusations in this day-in-age are good enough reasons to fire someone, and the new athletic director, whoever they bring in, may just doom both of them. They may be respected coaches and they may have been unaware of what was going on at Michigan State, but if Magic Johnson is calling out the people who are accountable for this to be fired, you can bet that both of these coaches will be gone before you know it. I can expect that for the next school year, we're going to be seeing some changes at that position and may be the better for Michigan State. Time to start a new chapter and one where it can be a chapter of recovery.

Cavs Drama Continues

The Cavaliers' mid-season drama is continuing to swirl, and today's there's a new report surrounding Kyrie Irving when he was still with the Celtics.

Bleacher Report and Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon is reporting that Irving threatened to sit out training camp and then undergo surgery that would've kept him out all season if the Cavs did not trade him before the beginning of the season.

The reason the surgery aspect of this comes up is because back in the 2015 NBA Finals, Irving suffered a broken kneecap and that doctors had said Irving would need a clean-up procedure on his right knee before he would return to active duty. From the basis of this report, Irving will most likely get that procedure done this coming offseason.

But the fact that he so desired to leave Cleveland this past offseason that it greatly led him to these kind of tactics to threaten the front office of the Cavaliers to trade him.

What a mess it has become in Cleveland, after the latest report of a Cavaliers' team meeting where many players and teammates called out Kevin Love for leaving the Cavs game last Sunday due to an illness, and now the report that owner Dan Gilbert is likely to sell the team if LeBron didn't commit long-term.

So as I said before, the Cavs drama is just building up to a point where a lot of pieces may be traded out and a lot of people may either leave by choice or get kicked out. Although LeBron has a no-trade clause and is most likely going to use it to stay in Cleveland through the rest of the season, it now becomes a point where perhaps trading LeBron may be their only solution, and a possible clean break for both parties.

I have said before that the Cavaliers usually get this stuff figured out either by February or March and that is enough time for them to get caught up in the East and make it far enough in the Playoffs. The last few years, they've had this kind of drama but they've still made the NBA Finals, and until I see otherwise, I see the same thing happening here.

Look, this year is different than most, mostly because of the changes that has happened in the offseason, like changing David Griffin for Koby Altman, or getting both Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade through free agency. Many have speculated that the Wade-LeBron friendship has become poisonous for the rest of the team. They're clearly not the same dynamic duo that we have seen for so many years in Miami.

The fact that Kevin Love is being called out by his teammates worries me, not just because what Love did was suspicious, but because when you get publicly called out my teammates or even coaches on this matter, it does lead to divisions within a locker room, and I believe it's the team against Kevin Love at this point. In fact, it may even lead to Kevin Love leading Cleveland and that may be the best thing for him.

However, it's not good in Cleveland and this year is different than most winters that we've seen out of the Cavaliers. Maybe they get in together in time to make another run in the playoffs, but like we've seen out of this Cavaliers team, it's going to require a bunch of trades and a bunch of movements, whether it be coach, players, or management, and LeBron has always done this every year and usually the Cavaliers have listened. So I won't be surprised if the same thing happens here.

The drama is real in Cleveland and perhaps movements is the only way to solve things. It did the last few years and they've landed in the NBA Finals as a result. Hey, LeBron controls a lot of the operations for the Cavaliers, a lot of things indirectly. That's why I see changes coming and I believe the Cavaliers can get better as a result. The question is: When will those moves be made? And can it fix the drama that we're seeing in Cleveland this time around?

Kevin Love On His Way Out of Cleveland?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are suffering through one of their mid-season slumps where they lose a bunch of games in January and February. But this one seems much more different and much more tense than the previous seasons. In the latest drama involving the Cavaliers, notable Cavalier Kevin Love is taking some heat from his teammates.

Prior to Monday's practice, the Cavaliers held a team meeting in the practice facility's loser room, where several Cavs players questioned the legitimacy of Kevin Love's illness, which led to his leave in Saturday's loss to the Thunder where they have up 148 points.

Several of these players pushed the Cavaliers management to hold Love accountable for leaving the game before the end of it and then missing practice on Sunday.

Other people in this meeting included Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue and general manager Koby Altman.

According to multiple reports, Love gave a detailed explanation as to why he left the game on Saturday and that a lot of the team was largely accepting of Love's explanation of his absence, and many have speculated these issues could have a positive impact on a team that has already been fractured by both the terrible slump and by the drama that surrounds this team.

Because the Cavaliers are in a spiral, where they've lost six of their past eight games, there has been a lot of blame to go around from these players. Fingers had been pointed from everyone from Love to Isaiah Thomas, to Lue, and to the front office. The Cavaliers are just 27-18 and are one game ahead of the Miami Heat for third place in the East.

The latest drama surrounding Kevin Love's absence from Saturday's game has not seemed to quell any fracturing in the locker room, no matter what the reports say. We usually give this team a pass for their mid-season slumps because LeBron always manages to get loud enough to affect change within the Cavs' locker room and they always make the Finals as a result. Somehow, this season seems to be different than most mid-season slumps we've seen out of them. However, I would still exercise caution when it comes to the Cavs because they always seem to turn it on come March.

They're not in a good place, though, and this latest drama seems to signal the end of Kevin Love in Cleveland. Yes, he did leave the game because of an illness, but the fact that he got called out by his teammates for it doesn't seem to make the situation any better. I will not be surprised if the Cavs consider dumping Kevin Love at the trade deadline. He's clearly not the same player that he was when he got onto this team those years ago, and despite his numbers, he's not the player that the Cavs were hoping for this season. Yes, he's productive and he's still a big member of this team, but he's just not the same player.

I don't buy for a moment that these players accepted Love's apology. Sickness is one of the many things that players question about a player's absence. Injuries are a different story and people are more accepting of those. But illnesses are not, and if Kevin Love feels like his teammates are not trusting him to be out there on the court and producing, I would consider asking for a trade. That might happen, that might not. It won't be now, because the Cavs are not going to change anything about this roster anytime soon, according to Lue. But if they continue losing like this and the drama continues to build, there's going to be a lot of people being shipped out of Cleveland because LeBron will want a change within that locker room, whether it be Love or anybody else.

I said this before: Exercise caution when it comes to the Cavs. They've gone through this before and I'm sure they could pull out of this. But Love is in a difficult position where he wants to be a member of this team and be back in the Finals again. There is also the other side of this argument where Love may be on a thinner leash in Cleveland and he may be gone either before or at the trade deadline. Let's keep an eye on Cleveland. If the drama gets too loud and more stuff bubbles up, we're going to see some big changes in that locker room, and whether we like it or not, it will most definitely start with Love.

Lessons Learned About Sports Experiences In Philadelphia

Philadelphia is a die-hard sports town and they were definitely excited about their Eagles beating the Vikings in an NFC Championship game to go to the Super Bowl to try to beat the Patriots. As a result of the win, Philadelphia celebrated just like Philadelphians do: They climb flag poles, they drive Jeeps up the famous Rocky steps, and they hurt themselves on subway poles.

Yes, that's what went down in Philadelphia after the Eagles won, and the city tried so hard to prepare for the eventuality. It was still no effect. To give you a couple of examples, here's some Twitter clips of the chaos:

The grease didn’t work. pic.twitter.com/it0XDv4Nvs

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) January 22, 2018

Kid: "Mom, where's dad?"
Mom: "He's in jail for riding a dune buggy up the Rocky Steps."#Eagles #FlyEaglesFly #Philly pic.twitter.com/6vK0YbDMKt

— DG (@Danny_Giro) January 22, 2018

These are extremely my people pic.twitter.com/5yjOzQ2h7G

— Adam Weinstein (@AdamWeinstein) January 22, 2018

So, as you can see, Eagles fans being regular Philadelphia people. After a win, they go completely insane and try to wreck their own town, even in the name of a big win to the Super Bowl.

However, this is natural for this city and when you're a visiting fans like some Vikings fans were, you have to expect that you're going to be completely demolished mentally by the Eagles fans. Here are some ways that Vikings fans were disgusted by the behavior of Eagles fans:

-Vikings hats being stolen and used as urinals

-Random acts of violence, including Eagles fan pushing a Vikings fan onto the ground and punching him in the face.

A few Vikings fans did manage to make it back to Minnesota where, by the way, the Super Bowl will be and they told a local radio station, "It's a damper on everything, yes. Not interested in going to the Super Bowl anymore."

The fans say that the Eagles fans are going to prevent them from going, but it's also fair to say that Vikings fans should've seen this coming when their team was being obliterated by the Eagles for much of the game.

I am no way defending what these Eagles fans did, not only to the Vikings fans, but to their city. But let's understand something about the NFL, and it's something we all know too well: The NFL is not a place of calm behavior. It's a place where alcohol and fights can roam freely. It's not just limited to Eagles games. I've seen them many times, like in Raiders-Chargers games when I sometimes frequent. They happen there. It's everywhere. It's not just limited to Eagles fans.

This is a big lesson that everyone needs to learn, especially those who cover football, and those who go to sports: Fights happen, behavior like this happen, and there's nothing we can really do to stop it, no matter how hard we try. This is the nature of sports, and especially in football. Now look, Philadelphia has had trouble with this kind of rowdy behavior. It's happened at Phillies games a couple of times, especially when they won the World Series. But it's not unique. Every team and every sport has this. It doesn't mean that we need to make a big story out of it, even though I kind of am doing one right here.

So the Vikings fans, though I feel for them and I'm sorry they had to go through this, you have to understand the risks you get by going to Philadelphia. It's not a place where their fans will treat you nice when they win. This is Philadelphia sports. This is what sports is. There's no safe haven sports. It does have this, and in Philadelphia football, it always happens.

Some of the stuff that happened after the win was Friday, especially the buggy driving up the Rocky steps. However, it's all unacceptable behavior and a lot of people got arrested that night. It's still a learning experience, and I hope these Vikings fans learned a valuable lesson from all this.

Jason Kidd Out In Milwaukee

The Milwaukee Bucks are making a change to their coaching staff.

On Wednesday, the team announced that it had fired coach Jason Kidd after a lackluster start to the season where they are now 23-22 and currently sit eighth in the Eastern Conference.

In his three-plus seasons in Milwaukee, Kidd didn't fare well, compiling a 139-152 record, but did lead the Bucks to the playoffs in 2015 and 2017 but were first-round exists. Currently, at their 23-22 record, they're a game up on the Detroit Pistons for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. For many experts, that's well below expectations of this season.

The biggest reason for the higher expectations for this season has been perennial All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo. He has emerged this season as an All-Star starter and a possible MVP candidate, but currently that candidacy is in question regarding their season and the way they have been playing.

Bucks assistant coach Joe Prunty will become the interim coach, beginning with the game against the Phoenix Suns on Monday night. Before this gig, Prunty served as an assistant with a couple of different teams, including the Spurs teams that won the NBA titles in 2003 and 2005. He also has served as the head coach of the British national team from 2013 to 2017.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Chris Haynes, both Kidd and Antetokounmpo hadn't been told the news when it happened and they were both surprised by it.

Sources: Jason Kidd hasn’t been officially told yet. Giannis Antetokounmpo is devastated. https://t.co/FGaqQybJtn

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 22, 2018

The firing seemed to have been put in motion as early as next week, when after a loss to the Miami Heat, Kidd had criticized his team for playing "bad basketball," and suggested that the team has struggled because of youth and inexperience. I would hardly see that inexperience has anything to do with it, considering that they've made the playoffs two of the last three seasons.

This is the first big move for new Bucks GM Jon Horst, who took over the position from longtime GM John Hammond last summer, who went to the Magic. Now Horst will be able to go out there and find a new coach who Horst is hoping will have more confidence and the ability to get through to this young Bucks team to become a bigger contender in the East. Clearly, Jason Kidd was not that.

Let's say this about Jason Kidd: He's already been through two jobs and hasn't been successful at either, if we're being honest. He was a disaster with the Brooklyn Nets and even after he left. He went to Milwaukee, where it was a little bit easier and perhaps less media attractive since Milwaukee is not a major market for basketball. He was such a great player when he played, but when he became a coach, it seemed that success could not translate. And going into this job, you would've thought that Kidd found his home with these young players and this management. Nope.

Higher expectations are what you're going to get when you've made the playoffs last year. Every team has those higher expectations, and that's what the Bucks had. But with the struggles they've had this season and the fact that Antetokounmpo, despite being an All-Star starter this season, hasn't been able to get this team over the hump. Now, maybe a change will help this team and they'll wake up and start winning meaningful games. But not now and they have to figure that out if they're going to have to chance to back into the East mix and maybe get far into the playoffs.

I hope Jason Kidd can find another job, and one where there's going to be lots of confidence and faith from the front office. Brooklyn didn't have it, Milwaukee now doesn't have it, and I wonder what management out there is going to have confidence in Jason Kidd to lead this team. He can be a good coach but it has to be the right situation, and he's one of the few that needs confidence from all sides in order to win at this level. Good luck to him.

As for the Bucks, the devastation is understandable, but the inability to meet expectations is hurting this team, as is the departure of John Hammond to Milwaukee. They have a new boss with a thin skin and they're going to have to meet that at this point if they plan on becoming a perennial team in the NBA.

Can The Steelers Rebound Next Season?

The Pittsburgh Steelers left with mostly disgrace after a terrible loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars last weekend. The mouthy Mike Mitchell tried to push aside the notion that the Jaguars were a real threat and instead focused on the idea that the Steelers were going to win anyway and give the Patriots a run for their money. In fact, his comments may have doomed his team right then and there.

With the way the Steelers played last Sunday, they didn’t look like a team that deserved to be a team in the playoffs. Yes, they put up a lot of points against what many thought was a tough Jaguars team, but they couldn’t do enough, especially on fourth down calls, to get them over the hump and challenging the Patriots in the Championship Game. They’ll have to eat that.

So now, Pittsburgh is out of the action and there’s been rumblings that many partners with the Steelers who have no power are trying to lobby owner Art Rooney to ditch coach Mike Tomlin and go with a new guy. It will never happen, because offensive coordinator Todd Haley is already out.

It’s amazing that the Steelers, who were once a terrific team and had won a Super Bowl under Tomlin, is now taking the idea that somehow firing Mike Tomlin is going to be the answer. But that’s not an answer, and that’s not what the Steelers should be focusing on. But here’s what they need to do in order to resurrect their chances for next season:

Find a Defensive System To Use Full-Time

Many would think that defensive coordinator Keith Butler would be gone when Haley left. But that’s not the case and he still has the job. So the next question is: What kind of defense should they put out there? Many times during the season, the Steelers played a 3-4 team. That’s not a good idea, considering that their linebackers cover more than go after the quarterback, and their defensive ends play more defensive tackle.

It’s possibly that because of that, the Steelers could try a 4-3 defense. If you play a defense that way, perhaps the Steelers could’ve done a better job making sure those Jaguars receivers didn’t get many yards. In the 3-4, many players played out of position. The 4-3 could’ve at least kept some players in their right positions and they would have been able to possibly hold down some receivers.

Le’Veon Bell

Other than quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Le’Veon Bell may be your best player on the team, and if you want to be able to compete for a while longer, you’re going to have to keep him on your team. That means paying him close to what he wants.

The Steelers do have the money to keep Bell if they choose to go that route. He’s the third most important player, behind Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown, and when he’s on his game, he can get big yards. You need that if you have any chance to win another Super Bowl.

Pay the guy. It’s that simple. He’s worth the money and you always have to better chance to win with him than without him.

Stop Mouthing Off

In a game of chess, if you underestimate your opponent, you are most likely going to get the axe. That’s what happened on Sunday for the Steelers. You can thank Mike Mitchell for that. He basically doomed his team right from when he said his comments about taking on the Patriots. In order to get to the Patriots, you got to go through the Jaguars.

The Jaguars are not a pushover team. They didn’t win the AFC South by playing nice. They were tough, physical, got after the quarterback, and made other teams eat it. They played defense like I hadn’t seen before. When that defense needed to come up, they did that. You don’t underestimate a good defense, and Mitchell did that.

The Steelers have got to stop this mouthing off. It has also happened with Bell and Roethlisberger at times during the season. You can’t have this going forward. Tomlin has to find a way to keep these players from running their mouths before the game. The Patriots don’t do this, and they have more Super Bowl victories than you do. If the Steelers want to win a Super Bowl, they need to stop this, and that starts with the coach. The coach has to go in there and say, ‘Stop it. We’re not there yet.” If Tomlin can do that and get them to be more respectful and cautious, they can have a better shot next year.

Can Steelers Do It?

The Steelers deserved all the criticism for the way they played last Sunday, especially late in the game. They acted stupid leading up to the game, didn’t play with urgency when they needed to, and it cost them in the end. You can’t have that. Look at the Patriots. They don’t do stuff like this. They’ve won more Super Bowls than you as a result. If you want to beat the Patriots and be a contender in the AFC again, you have to run a tighter ship. The Steelers didn’t on Sunday and that’s why they’re out.

Mike Tomlin knows what he has to do to get this team on the right foot and he doesn’t deserve to be fired. He can turn this around and that’s what makes him a great head coach. If they can do this and be a better team next season and get rid of this trash-talking nonsense, I think they’ll have a better shot to make it to the Championship game or even the Super Bowl.