Cincyfan78
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I *think* that Cincygrad's post makes more sense than maybe some allow.
2016 - Pitt won 2 playoff games. Lost in AFCC game - no shame.
2017 - Ben threw for almost 500 yards in their playoff loss. They lost 45-42. I mean...the QB play kept Pitt in that game in a very un-pitt like defensive effort. It was a bad day for the defense to have a bad day. You can chalk it up to coaching, etc...but that defense should have been good enough to prevent 45 points being scored. It didn't help that an INT led to a TD, and Jax scored on a fumble return. Pitt also went for it early on 4th down in the 3rd quarter, IIRC, and didn't get it.
2018 - Didn't make the playoff despite a 10-6 record. He threw for 5,000 yards and 34 TD's but also 16 INT's.
2019 - Played in just 2 games as he was injured and missed the year.
From that point on - I think it was clear - Ben was done. He came back in 2020 but never looked the same...so the elite QB argument that Cincygrad mentions really ended with Pitt/Ben in 2018. Since then, Pitt has not had an elite level QB to win in the post-season.
So, I mean in 2017/2018 if you wanted to point to some coaching issues and unrest - I won't disagree...but I think the timeframe that is used here 2016 to current date of 2024 isn't really fair because in 2016 Pitt won 2 playoff games and lost in the AFCC game. In 2017 Ben kept that team afloat in the playoffs but sometimes you lose. 2018 was the last full year of Ben being Ben - and I think you could see some decline setting in, but still 5000 yards and 30+ TD's...but from that point on...Pitt has not had high level or elite level QB play.
So, from 2019 - 2024: This marks Cincgrad's point on a lack of QB play at an elite/high level to win in the post-season but yet had good enough QB play to win games and draft late in the 1st round, meaning they had to hit on a lot more of their picks at later picks in the draft - which did not happen. They OL fell a part, WR's haven't exactly turned out, and they've gone from Mason Rudolph, to Trubisky, to Fields, to late career Wilson. Wilson will win games, but will it be more of the same in the playoffs where good offenses are likely to score on a solid pitt defense forcing the Steelers to keep pace? If not - it'll be more of the same with the draft, and F/A - and continuing to rely on a solid, but unspectacular QB play. Good enough to win, but not good enough to win in the post-season...but enough to keep the training moving in the current direction.
2016 - Pitt won 2 playoff games. Lost in AFCC game - no shame.
2017 - Ben threw for almost 500 yards in their playoff loss. They lost 45-42. I mean...the QB play kept Pitt in that game in a very un-pitt like defensive effort. It was a bad day for the defense to have a bad day. You can chalk it up to coaching, etc...but that defense should have been good enough to prevent 45 points being scored. It didn't help that an INT led to a TD, and Jax scored on a fumble return. Pitt also went for it early on 4th down in the 3rd quarter, IIRC, and didn't get it.
2018 - Didn't make the playoff despite a 10-6 record. He threw for 5,000 yards and 34 TD's but also 16 INT's.
2019 - Played in just 2 games as he was injured and missed the year.
From that point on - I think it was clear - Ben was done. He came back in 2020 but never looked the same...so the elite QB argument that Cincygrad mentions really ended with Pitt/Ben in 2018. Since then, Pitt has not had an elite level QB to win in the post-season.
So, I mean in 2017/2018 if you wanted to point to some coaching issues and unrest - I won't disagree...but I think the timeframe that is used here 2016 to current date of 2024 isn't really fair because in 2016 Pitt won 2 playoff games and lost in the AFCC game. In 2017 Ben kept that team afloat in the playoffs but sometimes you lose. 2018 was the last full year of Ben being Ben - and I think you could see some decline setting in, but still 5000 yards and 30+ TD's...but from that point on...Pitt has not had high level or elite level QB play.
So, from 2019 - 2024: This marks Cincgrad's point on a lack of QB play at an elite/high level to win in the post-season but yet had good enough QB play to win games and draft late in the 1st round, meaning they had to hit on a lot more of their picks at later picks in the draft - which did not happen. They OL fell a part, WR's haven't exactly turned out, and they've gone from Mason Rudolph, to Trubisky, to Fields, to late career Wilson. Wilson will win games, but will it be more of the same in the playoffs where good offenses are likely to score on a solid pitt defense forcing the Steelers to keep pace? If not - it'll be more of the same with the draft, and F/A - and continuing to rely on a solid, but unspectacular QB play. Good enough to win, but not good enough to win in the post-season...but enough to keep the training moving in the current direction.
...I was more alluding to what Cincygrad was getting at with QB play. I guess a good question at this point is - do you trust the owners to make the right call if they replace Tomlin considering how long they supported him, and his staffing hires (which have not been great, either)...is there any real faith that they can get the hire right - not only to continue winning in the regular season, but to finally break through in the playoffs once again. Because - the downside to that is watching Lamar and Joe run this division for another 6-8 years...while the new coach gets 2-3 years of failed seasons - only to fire him and end up on another coach - no winning seasons...and certainly no playoff wins.
