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.
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