Realistic Expectations this year

[SteelersPride]

Do you think we can seriously contend? That we have enough to make a run?

I think bens got 1-2 years left, and he was throwing like crazy last year, but he showed some signs of declines

No AB will hurt the passing game, can JuJu step up, and washington actually make some plays?

Think we set good at RB, O-Line, and TE.

The D. Hopefully :

Hadens likely last hurrah, Hopefully nelson is as good as his grades have been the past few years.
Both safeties are young and high draft picks, showed promise but need to step up.

D Line is just fine

Obviously watt is fine, but from there, bunch of question marks.

Just my opinion here, I think the O regresses some. Our kicking game on both sides is not good, Boz needs a lobotomy(yes he had an injury but if it was that bad, they sign someone). The D aside from the Line is a giant question mark, as usual. If they can solidify with all the young talent, we step up in a big way. If they stay the same or marginally improve were looking at an 8-8 or 9-7 season at best IMHO.

There is potential there, but I dont think the O carries us as far this year. Tomlin and Butler need to step up their games too.

It's very early I'm rambling, and probably not making much sense. I'll stop here and get torn apart

 

[Tidergirl]

Do you think we can seriously contend? That we have enough to make a run?

I think bens got 1-2 years left, and he was throwing like crazy last year, but he showed some signs of declines

No AB will hurt the passing game, can JuJu step up, and washington actually make some plays?

Think we set good at RB, O-Line, and TE.

The D. Hopefully :

Hadens likely last hurrah, Hopefully nelson is as good as his grades have been the past few years.
Both safeties are young and high draft picks, showed promise but need to step up.

D Line is just fine

Obviously watt is fine, but from there, bunch of question marks.

Just my opinion here, I think the O regresses some. Our kicking game on both sides is not good, Boz needs a lobotomy(yes he had an injury but if it was that bad, they sign someone). The D aside from the Line is a giant question mark, as usual. If they can solidify with all the young talent, we step up in a big way. If they stay the same or marginally improve were looking at an 8-8 or 9-7 season at best IMHO.

There is potential there, but I dont think the O carries us as far this year. Tomlin and Butler need to step up their games too.

It's very early I'm rambling, and probably not making much sense. I'll stop here and get torn apart

Made perfect sense. Solid post. Only prediction i got for da Raiders, this will be last year in Oakland... they might win 1 or 2 more games from last years total. Smh

 

[SteelersPride]

Made perfect sense. Solid post. Only prediction i got for da Raiders, this will be last year in Oakland... they might win 1 or 2 more games from last years total. Smh

Ha improvements!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Until I see HUGE improvements from the coaching staff... I'm hesitant to call this team a contender, but I could see a WC bid. AFCN is still very much up for grabs, no matter what the Brownie fans have to say about it.

Offense... Ben is going to need to spread the ball around a lot more this year. Which usually means good things for Ben. He operates a lot better when involving 6+ receivers. But yes, the decline is a concern. All I can say about that is I hope not having to force-feed AB will improve his INT numbers. The O-line is still largely intact so they should be fine there.

Defense... It is, and will always be, nothing more than fools gold with this coaching staff. They will look good against lesser opponents and the occasional good team, but inconsistent at best. Devin Bush will ALLOW Butler & Tomlin to run their idiotic schemes. Which isn't necessarily a good thing. As you said, the D-line is the strength of this unit, but they alone can't hold up for 4 quarters. The secondary has a new assistant coach, which I guess was necessary since the new guy Bradley failed so miserably. Still very pessimistic about that unit, even with Nelson in the fold. I will always firmly believe that you could put any pro-bowler/all-pro talent in this secondary and they will look average at best. They need big improvements from Edmunds & Davis in the back end. And hopefully Barron fits the bill better in the big dime role. We shall see.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Do you think we can seriously contend? That we have enough to make a run?

I think bens got 1-2 years left, and he was throwing like crazy last year, but he showed some signs of declines

No AB will hurt the passing game, can JuJu step up, and washington actually make some plays?

Think we set good at RB, O-Line, and TE.

The D. Hopefully :

Hadens likely last hurrah, Hopefully nelson is as good as his grades have been the past few years.
Both safeties are young and high draft picks, showed promise but need to step up.

D Line is just fine

Obviously watt is fine, but from there, bunch of question marks.

Just my opinion here, I think the O regresses some. Our kicking game on both sides is not good, Boz needs a lobotomy(yes he had an injury but if it was that bad, they sign someone). The D aside from the Line is a giant question mark, as usual. If they can solidify with all the young talent, we step up in a big way. If they stay the same or marginally improve were looking at an 8-8 or 9-7 season at best IMHO.

There is potential there, but I dont think the O carries us as far this year. Tomlin and Butler need to step up their games too.

It's very early I'm rambling, and probably not making much sense. I'll stop here and get torn apart

Yes, how deep they go is a good question.

In DIV...a lot of people are jumping on the Browns bandwagon for good reason. They have a lot of talent and a promising triggerman, but they also have some suspect starters on the OL...need to see Mayfield do it again, and win some games on the road. They will be better, but imo they could be in the 9-10 win category....for now I'm saying 9-7.

BAL...I think they step back a game or two...call it 9-7

CIN...maybe 8-8

Steelers win the DIV with 10-6, probably no better than the 3 seed....might need 11-5 to get a 2 seed.

Conference...KC, NE are likely their strongest competition for the AFCCG....I'm not ready to say PIT will go on the road and beat either of them, but if they can somehow land that game at home, I give them a decent shot to win it.

 

[SteelersPride]

See I see regression from kc

 

[ATL96Steeler]

See I see regression from kc

KC...record wise, I agree they come down a peg or two, but will still be in the mix for the west.

 

[Tidergirl]

KC...record wise, I agree they come down a peg or two, but will still be in the mix for the west.

Tell the truth, did anybody see Mahomes pitting up Techmobowl numbers last year? Sure i knew he had a howitzer but didnt see that coming. Wouldnt hurt my feelings if KC to a few steps back this year.

 

[SteelersPride]

Tell the truth, did anybody see Mahomes pitting up Techmobowl numbers last year? Sure i knew he had a howitzer but didnt see that coming. Wouldnt hurt my feelings if KC to a few steps back this year.

i dont think anyone could see that . Vegas had them at somewhere b/w 29-33 to 1 going into the season, around mid pack.

the offense rolled. There is expected definitive regression from that offense, and their d was awful. If that O steps back i think they are in trouble. But most see them as favorites still.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

i dont think anyone could see that . Vegas had them at somewhere b/w 29-33 to 1 going into the season, around mid pack.

the offense rolled. There is expected definitive regression from that offense, and their d was awful. If that O steps back i think they are in trouble. But most see them as favorites still.

We have to get our head around this...2nd yr QB threw for 66% 5097/50/12...those are insane numbers even in todays NFL!

There's no way he replicates that again this year....Hill is out as far as a 2019 option until further notice....he's the #2 targeted player behind Kelce. I'm not sure who they picked up in FA, but the kid they got from UGA in the draft, Hardman, he's not going to replace Hill. RB...again, not sure what they did in FA but the draft they took a kid from UT St.

I don't see how the OFC cannot regress some...kinda reminds me of the ATL OFC in 2016, only better.

DEF...total rebuild practically...converting to a 43 base front, brought in some new faces to better match the scheme, DE, Frank Clark from SEA, Ogbah from CLE to go with Chris Jones who probably moves to DT. Linebacker play was terrible LY, they brought in Darron Lee to shore up that position. I'm guessing Kendall Fuller is CB1. I'm not sure if the DEF will be a ton better, Frank Clark is good, but if Chris Jones can't get the same pressure from his DT spot I'm not seeing how they got better...we'll have to see.

Schedule...road out of DIV is not terrible, @ CHI, @ NE are the most challenging on paper right now, but they do have some stiff home games...IND, HOU, GB, MIN, BAL.

I think they are a 10-6 type team to make a guess at the end of May....OAK is not winning 10 games and it's doubtful DEN will...Chargers might..

 

[SteelersPride]

We have to get our head around this...2nd yr QB threw for 66% 5097/50/12...those are insane numbers even in todays NFL!

There's no way he replicates that again this year....Hill is out as far as a 2019 option until further notice....he's the #2 targeted player behind Kelce. I'm not sure who they picked up in FA, but the kid they got from UGA in the draft, Hardman, he's not going to replace Hill. RB...again, not sure what they did in FA but the draft they took a kid from UT St.

I don't see how the OFC cannot regress some...kinda reminds me of the ATL OFC in 2016, only better.

DEF...total rebuild practically...converting to a 43 base front, brought in some new faces to better match the scheme, DE, Frank Clark from SEA, Ogbah from CLE to go with Chris Jones who probably moves to DT. Linebacker play was terrible LY, they brought in Darron Lee to shore up that position. I'm guessing Kendall Fuller is CB1. I'm not sure if the DEF will be a ton better, Frank Clark is good, but if Chris Jones can't get the same pressure from his DT spot I'm not seeing how they got better...we'll have to see.

Schedule...road out of DIV is not terrible, @ CHI, @ NE are the most challenging on paper right now, but they do have some stiff home games...IND, HOU, GB, MIN, BAL.

I think they are a 10-6 type team to make a guess at the end of May....OAK is not winning 10 games and it's doubtful DEN will...Chargers might..

Extremely well put sir

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Extremely well put sir

I actually think Hardman will be a good player for KC, but right now he's better with the ball in his hands, than he is a WR. So replacing Hill right now may be too much to ask of a player who needs some developing.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Until I see HUGE improvements from the coaching staff... I'm hesitant to call this team a contender, but I could see a WC bid. AFCN is still very much up for grabs, no matter what the Brownie fans have to say about it.

Offense... Ben is going to need to spread the ball around a lot more this year. Which usually means good things for Ben. He operates a lot better when involving 6+ receivers. But yes, the decline is a concern. All I can say about that is I hope not having to force-feed AB will improve his INT numbers. The O-line is still largely intact so they should be fine there.

Defense... It is, and will always be, nothing more than fools gold with this coaching staff. They will look good against lesser opponents and the occasional good team, but inconsistent at best. Devin Bush will ALLOW Butler & Tomlin to run their idiotic schemes. Which isn't necessarily a good thing. As you said, the D-line is the strength of this unit, but they alone can't hold up for 4 quarters. The secondary has a new assistant coach, which I guess was necessary since the new guy Bradley failed so miserably. Still very pessimistic about that unit, even with Nelson in the fold. I will always firmly believe that you could put any pro-bowler/all-pro talent in this secondary and they will look average at best. They need big improvements from Edmunds & Davis in the back end. And hopefully Barron fits the bill better in the big dime role. We shall see.

Had to bump this thread & post... Let's call it a "where do they go from here" type of scenario lol.

Coaching... Sticking with my previous assessment above. Nothing has changed in the scheming department, and now it seems Fichtner has even somewhat proved to be a lame duck in the scheming department. They will always find a better gameplan as the season progresses, but the sad truth is that it takes a few games to get there for this staff. They are completely inept in terms of outscheming & outclassing their opponents. I know the players looked miserable too, and they certainly deserve a fat share of the blame, but in terms of situational football last night, the offensive play calls were abysmal. Defense... Same shtick, giving up the underneath crossing routes all game long, but they did appear to incorporate more man. The front 7 was completely stonewalled so nothing worked. When that happened then Butler started throwing the big dime with 3 ILBers in there to try and use athleticism to match their opponent. Didn't work either. Talent alone isn't going to save this defense.

Offense... Starting up front... O-line looked bottom shelf. That needs to improve before anything else can happen. The loss of Munchak shouldn't hurt as bad as it looked. This is essentially the same group of player for fucks sake. The supporting cast around Ben has to play better. Moncrief looked completely out of sync with Ben, and should be demoted for all his mishaps. That was an absolutely embarrassing performance from him. I'd rather ride with a rookie wanting to prove himself than a vet struggling with confidence. Ben wasn't stellar, but frustration was clearly boiling over early on.

Defense... The front 7 couldn't generate pressure. And we knew going into this game that if that happened it wasn't going to be good. Tuitt looked disruptive early on, but then disappeared again. Much like he always has. If I were Colbert I'd be thinking real hard about trying to trade Tuitt. But I don't know if anyone would be crazy enough to eat his contract for the production he returns. ILBs had a forgettable night, but the D-line did them no favors. Bush indeed looked like a rookie. Safeties were just terrible. Edmunds shouldn't be a starter, but the position is completely devoid of trustworthy talent. Simply put, they don't have any better options. Davis is serviceable but we know he's a liability. I can only hope that with experience Kelly will get better, but the jury's still out on that.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Had to bump this thread & post... Let's call it a "where do they go from here" type of scenario lol.

Coaching... Sticking with my previous assessment above. Nothing has changed in the scheming department, and now it seems Fichtner has even somewhat proved to be a lame duck in the scheming department. They will always find a better gameplan as the season progresses, but the sad truth is that it takes a few games to get there for this staff. They are completely inept in terms of outscheming & outclassing their opponents. I know the players looked miserable too, and they certainly deserve a fat share of the blame, but in terms of situational football last night, the offensive play calls were abysmal. Defense... Same shtick, giving up the underneath crossing routes all game long, but they did appear to incorporate more man. The front 7 was completely stonewalled so nothing worked. When that happened then Butler started throwing the big dime with 3 ILBers in there to try and use athleticism to match their opponent. Didn't work either. Talent alone isn't going to save this defense.

Offense... Starting up front... O-line looked bottom shelf. That needs to improve before anything else can happen. The loss of Munchak shouldn't hurt as bad as it looked. This is essentially the same group of player for fucks sake. The supporting cast around Ben has to play better. Moncrief looked completely out of sync with Ben, and should be demoted for all his mishaps. That was an absolutely embarrassing performance from him. I'd rather ride with a rookie wanting to prove himself than a vet struggling with confidence. Ben wasn't stellar, but frustration was clearly boiling over early on.

Defense... The front 7 couldn't generate pressure. And we knew going into this game that if that happened it wasn't going to be good. Tuitt looked disruptive early on, but then disappeared again. Much like he always has. If I were Colbert I'd be thinking real hard about trying to trade Tuitt. But I don't know if anyone would be crazy enough to eat his contract for the production he returns. ILBs had a forgettable night, but the D-line did them no favors. Bush indeed looked like a rookie. Safeties were just terrible. Edmunds shouldn't be a starter, but the position is completely devoid of trustworthy talent. Simply put, they don't have any better options. Davis is serviceable but we know he's a liability. I can only hope that with experience Kelly will get better, but the jury's still out on that.

Anything I say will be reflective of last night more than where do they go from here, but I'll try.

HC...he is what he is, he will dig deep and not let this outcome be a huge downer...they got their butts kicked every way possible...his job, get them over this game and be ready for Sunday vs SEA in the home opener.

OC...hopefully, Pouncey, Juju are good to good...going against a good DEF front in SEA, figure out a way to have some balance...that should include your starting TE (no targets SUN night until the game was out of reach).

DC...likewise wit Haden, and TJ health wise. I didn't think Kelly would have a ton of problems filling in for Davis, but clearly Davis needs to be in there for this DEF to be at it's best. Now I kinda see why Tomlin was hesitant to start Bush, but he got on the field and took his abuse like the rest of them...Front 7 has to play better, period.

I said 3-1 was my goal for the 1stQ, but I'd be happy with 2-2...that still stands for me short term.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Anything I say will be reflective of last night more than where do they go from here, but I'll try.

HC...he is what he is, he will dig deep and not let this outcome be a huge downer...they got their butts kicked every way possible...his job, get them over this game and be ready for Sunday vs SEA in the home opener.

OC...hopefully, Pouncey, Juju are good to good...going against a good DEF front in SEA, figure out a way to have some balance...that should include your starting TE (no targets SUN night until the game was out of reach).

DC...likewise wit Haden, and TJ health wise. I didn't think Kelly would have a ton of problems filling in for Davis, but clearly Davis needs to be in there for this DEF to be at it's best. Now I kinda see why Tomlin was hesitant to start Bush, but he got on the field and took his abuse like the rest of them...Front 7 has to play better, period.

I said 3-1 was my goal for the 1stQ, but I'd be happy with 2-2...that still stands for me short term.

Bush... You have to wonder though that practice prep led to him being perceived as "behind". I mean if you gave all the 1st team reps to Barron all week in practice then how prepared would you expect a rookie to be? It's not as if he's a savvy vet capable of keeping up in prep on the sidelines. If Bush is going to be put in there for "green dot" duties at any point, then he needs to be rolling with the 1's in practice. Feels like they set him up for failure last night.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Bush... You have to wonder though that practice prep led to him being perceived as "behind". I mean if you gave all the 1st team reps to Barron all week in practice then how prepared would you expect a rookie to be? It's not as if he's a savvy vet capable of keeping up in prep on the sidelines. If Bush is going to be put in there for "green dot" duties at any point, then he needs to be rolling with the 1's in practice. Feels like they set him up for failure last night.

Bush...agree on the green dot, but unless Fitchner was going to run some of the same plays NE ran against him it probably wouldn't have matter much the other night....just some clever playcalling against him with the FB/RB power look and play action off it. I'm sure if they play them again, we'll see that same formation and they will probably run out of it....lol.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[SteelersPride]

At least we’re not the dolphins? Full on suck for a qb mode, it’s the year to do it. But they will have faith in Rudolph and win enough to get a middling pick

 

[Ojb81]

this team isn't all that good. at all.

 

[SteelersPride]

no they are actually quite bad

this team isn't all that good. at all.