Is A Step Back the Only Way Forward In Pittsburgh?
Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
As the season approaches, expectations for all 32 teams soar, often to unattainable heights. Fans of organizations with rookie quarterbacks adopt an unhealthy belief that even though they finished with a record bad enough to draft a top QB, somehow their fortunes will be changed overnight. They’ll take a mediocre team’s schedule and somehow see 11 wins. 12 if everyone stays healthy. Oh — and this is the year everyone finally stays healthy, even the guy who had both knees explode last year. To say that’s a frivolous way of thinking would be an understatement.
The Pittsburgh Steelers last took a quarterback early in the draft back in 2004 when they selected Ben Roethlisberger with the No. 11 pick. The 2003 season saw the Steelers go 6-10. Since then, the team from the Steel City haven’t had a losing season. Four 8-8 seasons is as bad as it’s gotten for two decades.
Head coach Mike Tomlin seems allergic to losing seasons, and so do his players. Even in seasons where they have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, Pittsburgh seems to always rally to win a game that assures them a .500 record. That’s a testament to how much respect Tomlin has within his locker room.
But for the last seven seasons, the Steelers haven’t been able to win a playoff game. The last two appearances haven’t even been close games. Both the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022 and Buffalo Bills in 2023 were clearly the better team and played like it, never being threatened by the Black and Gold.
So, yay, the Steelers are never bad. But they’re also not close to competing. So what is the answer moving forward? Is it to stay in the NFL’s mushy middle, trying to get their 8-10 wins per year? Or is it time to set proper expectations and maybe take a step back to take two steps forward?
No, this isn’t advocating for the Steelers to tank. But objectively, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if they actually embraced a rebuild. They have been trying to retool their roster while remaining relevant every season. While they have accomplished that feat so far, are they meaningfully closer to winning Super Bowl than, say, the 6-11 Tennessee Titans or New York Jets? Arguably not.
Think of the things you need to win a Super Bowl. A franchise quarterback, or at least a solid one on a cheap rookie deal. A solid running game. Multiple receiving options who get open on a regular basis. An opportunistic defense that can create turnovers and can get off the field on third down. The Steelers have one of those things in their defense, but none of the other requirements. It’s going to take draft picks and free agent signings to get a roster capable of competing at the highest level.
Look around the NFL. Franchises almost always take steps back to eventually take steps forward. There is no reason Pittsburgh can’t follow that same successful trajectory. If you want proof, just look within the Steelers own division, the AFC North.
No one wants to be the Cleveland Browns, who are finally taking a break after 30 years of taking a step back. But the Baltimore Ravens have made significant changes that helped them back to the realm of legit contenders after gathering themselves during some lean years in the mid-2010s. Even the Browns have put together a roster that can compete on the big stage if they can get the quarterback right. Their division is easily the toughest in the NFL, and you might say it’s because they were patient in the face of lackluster seasons with their eyes on the bigger goal.
It’s fine to temper expectations. While anything can happen in a season, do we truly believe the Steelers are Super Bowl-bound as currently constructed? Sooner rather than later, you have to look in the mirror and understand who you are. If that means they step back to gather yourself, that’s OK. We’ve had 20 years of winning football, but no rings for 14 years. We can live through a down season if it means getting back to the top of the league.
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