Pittsburgh Steelers Thread

The_Honeybadger

Dufflecoat Fanny wrote: »

I think Bud has played his last game for the Steelers. Shame to go out in such a crappy game.

Yeah he won’t be back, this is why you can’t blame guys for holding out in contract years. I hope he gets a nice contract somewhere.

Loved Mike T’s presser, when asked why they struggled last night he just simply said ‘because we sucked’, LOL

dfx-

One of the arguments around the Bell contract situation is that the guaranteed money may be lower at the Steelers than he was holding out for, but they do stick by it/look after you in times of injury - Shazier is another case where he was offered another deal straight away.

Do the Steelers offer Dupree something - maybe a one year deal before he goes back to the market...

OOnegative

dfx- wrote: »

One of the arguments around the Bell contract situation is that the guaranteed money may be lower at the Steelers than he was holding out for, but they do stick by it/look after you in times of injury - Shazier is another case where he was offered another deal straight away.

Do the Steelers offer Dupree something - maybe a one year deal before he goes back to the market...

His suitors might not be as plentiful now coming off major knee surgery, hopefully the lad recovers completely and plays like he did prior to injury be it in Black and Gold or elsewhere. He’s been great to watch the past 18 months/2 years.

The_Honeybadger

I would love if they could bring Bud back, a lot depends on where the cap falls. If the worst case scenario $175m transpires then I don’t think they can do anything for him unfortunately. They are probably already looking at cutting guys like Haden in that scenario.

In the meantime do they look to bring another edge defender in? They are so thin now it’s got to be a huge worry. Clay Matthews is available, he is 34 but all they’d need is somebody to sub in when TJ / Highsmith need a breather. Not sure who else is out there. Adenyi hasn’t really shown anything to date.

OOnegative

Couldn’t they tag Bud again?

The_Honeybadger

OOnegative wrote: »

Couldn’t they tag Bud again?

Cost would go up to nearly $20m so there is no way they tag him again.

They need to sign TJ next off season and that’ll probably be market setting type money so they can’t afford both unfortunately.

Dufflecoat Fanny

I think Dupree will still be signed to a big deal next year and the steelers should get a 4th round comp pick at minumum possibly even a 3rd

shanev13

Seems like a lot of 'experts' would be happy to see the Steelers lose today.

Let's hope Big Ben plays well.

The_Honeybadger

Ben will be grand once his entire receiving corp don’t have the dropsies again.

Washington are better than people think and have improved as the season has gone on. Can’t take this game for granted at all.

dfx-

9 TDs and 250 interceptions in 11 games:)

https://twitter.com/StatsGuyDaniel/status/1336071640569012225

Tom Mann Centuria

Couple of decent punts so far anyway.

The_Honeybadger

Spillane just tied the NFL consecutive sacks record for the Steelers. They’ve recorded a sack in 69 straight games now

The_Honeybadger

Man... that was bad! Great stand by Washington but you’ve got to get that with what, 7 attempts

dfx-

from midfield - at the first attempt.

seven attempts from the 1 and never looked liked getting there either....

The_Honeybadger

Fantastic score, that is an absolute kick in the guts for Washington after all that effort.

The_Honeybadger

Momentum has swung entirely. Looks like another edge of the seat finish.

shanev13

Steelers gameplan seems to mean close matches?
Relying on D.
Not many risks on O.

The_Honeybadger

Loss of Spillane has been a killer, Washington carving up the D

I have no faith in the offence to win this given what we have seen so far. I hope I am wrong

dfx-

the receivers will probably drop the microphones in the post game interviews...

The_Honeybadger

Our luck finally runs out. Too many injuries on defence, too one dimensional on offence with all the stalled drives and drops, teams have figured out the short passing game they want to play. This is still a good team but what they are putting on the field right now is not going to scare anybody in the postseason.

dfx-

there's two ways it can go - 12-4 (surely they can still edge the Bengals) or they use this as a reset point, Conner back next week might help.

The_Honeybadger

Yeah I’d agree with that but this teams identity is built on the defence, Bush gone and now Bud is just brutal. They can’t depend on the depleted defence to win them games when the offence goes three and out on most drives.

The offence is average at best and really poor at times, they can’t move the chains with all those drops and no running game. I don’t know if it’s something that can be sorted before the playoffs.

This loss has been coming since week 3-4, at least it’s out of the way now.

OOnegative

It’s an offense with unbelievable potential on the passing game, but if they continue to drop simple passes that’s all they’ll ever be an offense with potential. There’s no team in the AFC quaking in there boots who’s potentially facing us in the playoffs.

Ikozma

Pleasently surprised when I saw that result this morn(skins fan) 14 down when last saw the score

The_Honeybadger

OOnegative wrote: »

It’s an offense with unbelievable potential on the passing game, but if they continue to drop simple passes that’s all they’ll ever be an offense with potential. There’s no team in the AFC quaking in there boots who’s potentially facing us in the playoffs.

Yeah the drops are killing us. All the motion, jet sweeps and stuff that was getting them simple yards earlier in the year has been abandoned and it’s shotgun spread formation all the time now. They are making it easy for defences. That said, if they don’t drop 7-8 catchable balls it’s a very different game.

I just had a look at the Browns run in, they are not out of this division race. I think the Steelers should still have enough but there are some tough matches coming. @Bills, Colts and @Browns are all losses if they play like they did last night.

@Ikozma Washington controlled the second half and deserved the win. Smith is playing some good football. Comeback player of the year wrapped up last night I would think

The_Honeybadger

LOL!

https://twitter.com/thatblitzguy/status/1336142706356211712?s=21

OOnegative

Robert Spillane to miss time with a knee injury, defense is getting weakened every game!!

dfx-

On paper a loss to that Washington defense is no "horrendous" way to lose, they were better and Smith is a decent QB + defense injuries...the recipe was there...

But watching it felt like being spun in a web that the longer the game went on, the less and less chance there was of getting a win out of it. You could normally say in a one score game, it was down to the last drive or two or if you just got another shot...

But the drives were getting worse as the game went on...

The_Honeybadger

Haden was being evaluated for concussion as well, not sure when Nelson is back either. D could be gutted for the Bills game. At the end of the WFT game they were missing five starters with injury on that side of the ball. Just when you want to be coming in to form and full health they are going very much in the other direction.

WFT players were talking after the game about how they had looked at what Baltimore did last week and used that template to slow the Steeler offence. The dink and dunk short passing game is rumbled, and there is no bye week or time to reset because the games come one after the other from here on.

dfx-

Colts have a strong defense too. But they have faced strong defenses in the Titans and Ravens and put 27/28 points on them in quick order and 38 on Cleveland. Before these two past games, they scored no lower than 24 in nine games, they haven't struggled to score.

The wrinkles are getting Pouncey back, Conner back and the execution of catches - there were yards there lost.

The_Honeybadger

Hopefully it’s just a slump and they can get going again. I do think they need to evolve the offence a bit, whether it’s with the run or going down the field a bit more to Washington/ Claypool. IDK

The_Honeybadger

Vince added to the Covid list, with Spillane out too for a few weeks and Bush on IR they have no ILB’s except Avery Williamson who only joined a few weeks ago. Not good

Haden almost certainly out as well with a concussion. Going to be tough sledding against the Bills Sunday by the looks of it

dfx-

Boswell back and a playoff spot confirmed so that's about as much as there is likely to cheer tonight...

The_Honeybadger

Can’t stay up for this one, early start in the AM. I am expecting a Bills win, but hoping for a Steelers resurgence after that defeat Monday. Difficult to see where the spark will come from if that is to happen however. They need to get everyone back and try to build some momentum down the stretch now. Chiefs are almost certainly going to get the #1 seed at this stage so a loss tonight won’t be that devastating, the #2 seed isn’t that valuable any more without the bye.

Saw reports on Twitter that the team are very worried about a knee issue with Ben that he is playing through, but it just isn’t getting any better. Hopefully he will be ok.

The_Honeybadger

Another horribly inept performance on offence by all accounts. Didn’t stay up but was listening to one of the local Pitt podcasts in the car this AM and they were saying it looked like the Mason / Duck offence from last year. Was it really that bad, did anybody stay up?

They also said Feiler and Dotson left with potentially serious looking pectoral injuries. Hopefully at least one of them is ok. They are screwed if both miss significant time.

Going to be a big test of the team and coaches to turn this around I think.

dfx-

I was up for most of it, but the writing was on the wall early in the third quarter.

They played very well in the first half, but the INT pick six was a game changer, the defense had really been on top - two fumbles, an INT, a sack and only three first downs in six Bills possessions. Steelers offense wasn't fantastic first half and took advantage of the short field turnover for a good TD. Johnson was benched for drops.

Buffalo adjusted second half and the offense collapsed into a puddle again.

Tom Mann Centuria

It's sort of how I expected the Steelers to perform from the off, so not a great shock for me the wheels have fallen off a bit, especially with key injuries and dip in individuals form.
Got lucky for several weeks and it was bound to bite us in the arse eventually.

The_Honeybadger

Tom Mann Centuria wrote: »

It's sort of how I expected the Steelers to perform from the off, so not a great shock for me the wheels have fallen off a bit, especially with key injuries and dip in individuals form.
Got lucky for several weeks and it was bound to bite us in the arse eventually.

Just watched the condensed game there. The pick six was a killer and they were never in the game after that really. In fairness I think most of us had this as a L from a long way out, Bills are a good team so no cause for alarm.

I think I had them between 10-6 and 12-4 before the season with an outside chance of being a contender if everything fell right. If they had kept the defence together they’d be very dangerous going in to the playoffs even with a sub par offence but they really are struggling everywhere now. They’ll hang on to the division IMO but they way they are playing they’ll be a dream matchup for any of the WC teams.

The_Honeybadger

Browns lost last night so a win @Bengals next Monday would seal the division for the Steelers. Even if the Browns catch them and they both finish 12-4 the Steelers will have the better division record.

As bad as the team had been playing in recent games they surely can’t f this up from here.

Kirk Van Houten

The_Honeybadger wrote: »

Browns lost last night so a win @Bengals next Monday would seal the division for the Steelers. Even if the Browns catch them and they both finish 12-4 the Steelers will have the better division record.

As bad as the team had been playing in recent games they surely can’t f this up from here.

They'll get the division but it's hard to see them even being competitive in a playoff game.
Too many significant injuries, lack of a run game and an offence that is being figured out quite easily at the moment.
Unless there is a significant change in what the offence does over the next few weeks I think this just goes down as a winning season and the Steelers are left with a bigger headache of they go forward with the salary cap and the players they need to re-sign.

OOnegative

Our running game is a shocker, our dink & dunk short passing game has been well figured out by opposing coaches at this stage & our vaulted defense is taking more hits weekly than a taxi driver’s door. Not one team in playoff contention will fear playing us at the minute. Have we time to turn things around, my head says no but my heart holds out a small flicker of hope.

Read a rumour they are moving Diontae Johnson to CB for rest of the season seeing he’s batting away every ball that comes near him!!!!

The_Honeybadger

Kirk Van Houten wrote: »

They'll get the division but it's hard to see them even being competitive in a playoff game.
Too many significant injuries, lack of a run game and an offence that is being figured out quite easily at the moment.
Unless there is a significant change in what the offence does over the next few weeks I think this just goes down as a winning season and the Steelers are left with a bigger headache of they go forward with the salary cap and the players they need to re-sign.

I’d agree the offence as it stands right now is simply not good enough for January football and the defence is too depleted to carry them. Looks like the season is just flaming out.

Feiler gone on IR now as well so his season is over. OLine has to be the top priority in the next draft.

The_Honeybadger

OOnegative wrote: »

Our running game is a shocker, our dink & dunk short passing game has been well figured out by opposing coaches at this stage & our vaulted defense is taking more hits weekly than a taxi driver’s door. Not one team in playoff contention will fear playing us at the minute. Have we time to turn things around, my head says no but my heart holds out a small flicker of hope.

Read a rumour they are moving Diontae Johnson to CB for rest of the season seeing he’s batting away every ball that comes near him!!!!

Too many issues, I don’t think there is time to turn it around and they don’t have the personnel now anyway with the number of guys that are on IR. Other AFC teams like the Bills and Colts are getting healthy and starting to roll prior to playoffs, Steelers are going in the other direction unfortunately.

dfx-

8 days between games, a reserve QB and Bengals that Ben has carved up on one leg before....surely. Lose this and 11-5 is a real possibility

Watched last night and was not impressed by either team really. Ravens blew a 14 point lead at 34-20 with no WR1 and Browns have a mobile QB but they've given up 85 points to Baltimore and 64 to the Bengals in the division...

OOnegative

dfx- wrote: »

8 days between games, a reserve QB and Bengals that Ben has carved up on one leg before....surely. Lose this and 11-5 is a real possibility

Watched last night and was not impressed by either team really. Ravens blew a 14 point lead at 34-20 with no WR1 and Browns have a mobile QB but they've given up 85 points to Baltimore and 64 to the Bengals in the division...

Both would easily outscore us the way our offense is performing at the moment. They loose to the Bengals Tuesday night they may throw their hat at it!!!

dfx-

They would get points but not as many as their defenses are giving up. You can't give up over 30 points per game in your division (plus Dallas and Titans got 35+) and be successful especially in the AFC North even if you have an offense.

I can only think of a couple of times the Steelers have given up over or even around 40 points even in the last few years with a poor defense - Jaguars play off and Chiefs with Mahomes first game in Pittsburgh. Not even the hammerings in Foxboro..

Browns had a 4th and 5 to defend with McSorley up 35-34 and a minute to stop Tucker getting a shot from anywhere near the halfway line and neither time they stopped them..

Ravens had two final drives in Baltimore to beat the Steelers and didn't make it..

The_Honeybadger

Bengals have no offence right now and even with the injuries the Steelers D is still pretty good. I think they should be ok next Monday night.

Assuming they pull it off do you start resting guys like TJ, Cam, DeCastro etc for the final two games? Some of these guys really look like they need a break

dfx-

I'd be inclined to take them out, but the OL is struggling for personnel with Dotson out and Felier on IR and they need to establish a running game. Rudolph in and hand it off to Conner over and over...

TJ/Tuitt/Heyward/Minkah/Hilton definitely - lose them and it's all over

OOnegative

dfx- wrote: »

TJ/Tuitt/Heyward/Minkah/Hilton definitely - lose them and it's all over

I’d put Alualu in here to, has been excellent this season.

The_Honeybadger

I think it’s probably too late to establish a running game this season, don’t have the horses up front and now they are banged up on top of it. The backs are average at best but in fairness to them they never have anywhere to go when they get the handoff. Derrick Henry would struggle behind this line.

Ben hasn’t looked the same the past few games even if you disregard the drops, don’t know if he is hiding an injury with that arm but they have to start varying that passing game beyond the short screen passes and crossers they’ve been living off. If he is healthy and can’t do that then they need to seriously reevaluate the QB position in the off season, and I don’t say that lightly.