It’s Okay For Pittsburgh To Have A Hype-less Preseason
Credit: Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports
Preseason or not, it’s never a good sign when your head coach refers to your offensive performance as “JV.” It took the Steelers’ Mike Tomlin all of 10 seconds into his postgame press conference to do just that. The long-tenured coach seemed unbothered in his willingness to compare his professional football players to that of 13-year-old boys. Given what had just transpired, you won’t get much pushback from anyone who watched preseason game No. 2.
After a bad outing in the opener, things somehow got worse offensively on Saturday. Fans and media alike are sounding the alarm bells. The social media torches are out and the mobs are coming for Russell Wilson, the O-line (especially Broderick Jones), and the coaching staff.
I’m not here to tell you not to worry. I know better than to try to convince the Steel City to quell its concerns (especially after attempting to convince others to trust the Steeler Way as we watched the post-Big Ben/Todd Haley years.) I am, however, here to provide an alternative perspective.
Maybe it’s okay to not have a hype-filled preseason?
Since the Steelers’ last Super Bowl run, every single August has been filled with a certainty that things will evolve in the right direction. Each draft pick seems to be the steal of the draft and every emerging player is discussed as the next superstar. Look at how George Pickens was handled during the 2023 training camp. The way the city talked about him and shared his highlights, you would have thought he was the next Justin Jefferson.
Is a dose of reality exactly what this team needs right now? Maybe. Perhaps them struggling with all the new pieces is the path to them actually succeeding with those pieces? There’s a new coaching staff, new quarterbacks, and an offensive line that is still being pieced together. Let them struggle. Put their flaws on tape. How did building an emotional statue for Kenny Pickett over the last couple of years turn out?
The unending need for everything in Steelerland to be a path of straight success is not in line with the realities of the NFL. It’s even led to one of the most laughable takes in the league, “Should Mike Tomlin be on the hot seat?”
News flash for my fellow Black and Gold Faithful: Outside of our fanbase, nearly every football mind thinks our entitlement to the successful growth of players is unreasonable. And that entitlement is tied to a lack of understanding of Tomlin’s extreme gift for bringing the best out of his players.
Tomlin has always been an elevator and a masker of flaws. It’s why we get so pumped in the preseason and buy so hard in on “future superstars.” But what always happens the moment they leave the organization? With rare exceptions, every single one is effectively average at best anywhere else.
I, for one, am totally fine with the Steelers putting a couple of disasters on the board early and setting a clear path for what this group needs. Especially given the talent in the building. This isn’t Matt Canada and Pickett playing with a hodge-podge supporting cast. This is a very good, proven offensive coordinator, a quarterback with a Hall-of-Fame resume, and an O-line that finally has money and draft picks behind it.
LET THEM STRUGGLE. LET THEM GET THROUGH IT. I would much rather see capable people struggle on their way to success than bad people be sheltered by an amazing coach in a preseason. I get it’s looked really bad so far, and there are reasons to poke holes in everyone mentioned above, but let’s give them a minute to come together and see if talent actually can fight through adversity.
Wilson was obviously bad in his first performance with his new team. But it’s a new system and several new pieces who’ve had almost no reps together. That’s the sort of thing that typically causes Wilson to struggle, and his O-line did nothing to protect him. Football is a timing sport and the timing isn’t there yet. It’s to be expected.
But while video bloggers are calling for Wilson’s job over 4 series and claiming Saturday “looked worse than anything we did last year,” the reality is not reflected in those overreactions.
And regardless of what Tomlin says in press conferences, or what social media wants to argue about, Wilson is, if healthy, going to be the starting quarterback of this team Week 1. Tomlin has a long leash for his veterans, and when combined with Wilson’s resume, it’s easy to assume his job status is solid. Knowing that, be happy to watch him not look right early so that the scrutiny forces the appropriate amount of work.
I also understand that Broderick Jones was awful. Worse, he looked uninterested. But as a quick reminder, he also looked atrocious during last year’s preseason and still managed to put together some pretty good performances once he was finally given the opportunity. The only flaw to be concerned about here is the organization’s long timetable in putting the right offensive lineman in the right position. Beyond that, there’s no need to freak out over a first-round draft pick who played quite well last year after a bad preseason. Maybe this is his thing? Maybe he’s just a guy who’s ready to go when it’s time to go.
It’s important to remember that the only two winless teams in modern history both went undefeated in the preseason.
If we are in Week 4 and Wilson and the offense still looks like this, by all means, throw a tantrum. But maybe right now it’s okay to not have the whole city acting like the Steelers will have a top-three passing game based off of training camp videos and limited reps. So give it a minute, relax with the overreactions, and allow Arthur Smith and Wilson a little bit of time to show their value. It’s okay to not have hype.
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