Steelers’ early-season struggles could be cause for panic

Justin Tucker was called into action four times in the second half and hit all four of his field goals as the Baltimore Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-14.

There are very few organizations in sports like the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It’s consistent in that the team always seems competitive, even when it isn’t. The team is never terrible, even when it’s bad. Most importantly, the team’s decision-makers never seem to react reflexively to adversity with trades or firings.

There’s plenty of model organizations we can point to that weren’t always exactly “model.” You could barely find a less-relevant NFL team than the New England Patriots from the 1970s through most of the early 1990s, despite being the nominated punching bag for the 1985 Chicago Bears in their Super Bowl victory. The Detroit Red Wings were a league laughing stock throughout the 1970s and most of the 1980s.

But not the Steelers.

Only the Patriots have been to more Super Bowls than Pittsburgh’s eight (although the Cowboys and Broncos have been equally as often, with fewer wins). The consistency of head coaches is utterly unmatched. Three men in the last 49 NFL seasons have coached the Steelers: Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin.

That type of consistency in leadership is something all franchises strive for. Management speaking with a unified voice, yet being comfortable enough to allow employees (players) to feature strong personalities and opinions.

But this all leads to the question of whether it’s unravelling in Pittsburgh, even ever so slightly.

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The latest evidence Pittsburgh may not be the de facto AFC North champion came Sunday night at home against their arch-rivals, the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers offence didn’t cross midfield in the entire second half, which is stunning given the closeness of the game and the fact this Ravens defensive roster isn’t exactly of the pedigree of the 2000 or 2012 Ravens Super Bowl Champion teams.

Yes, Steelers fans are often used to having Ben Roethlisberger chuck the ball all over the yard, and games where he throws the ball 40-plus times aren’t all that unusual, but Sunday night’s performance from Big Ben (27-of-47, a interception, a sack and less than 11 yards per completion) was sub-standard for Roethlisberger, even at 36.

Sure, a home loss to a division rival in a prime time has to be concerning, but the Steelers defensive prowess all season long is the greater issue. Ryan Shazier has proven irreplaceable, and his absence from the middle of the defence continues to cause problems. Pittsburgh has surrendered at least 20 points in all four games after giving up more than 20 only six times in the 2017 regular season.

Is this all about Le’veon Bell? No, but a good chunk of it has to be. Bell changes the game. The two-time All-Pro forces so much attention onto himself, even on potential screen passes, that it frees up other weapons for Roethlisberger to utilize. It was a ridiculous notion to think the drop-off in talent from Bell to James Conner wasn’t significant, despite Conner’s 100-plus yard game at Cleveland in Week 1.

Bell is a phenomenal pass-catcher, and that’s truly where the value is now for NFL running backs. It may have taken forever, but from high school football on up, the idea of “smash-mouth football” is virtually dead. Putting running backs in motion, and targeting them over and over in the passing game is the way to go. Six of the top-30 ranked reception leaders are running backs, and Bell almost certainly would be on that list were he to be signed and playing.

Now, I’m not myopic on the Bell contract scenario. He wants more money and term than Pittsburgh should probably grant to a soon-to-be 27-year-old running back who’s taken a lot of punishment, not to mention some of the maturity issues. Bell suspects the Steelers just planned to use him excessively in 2018, to the absolute maximum, and then, beat up or not, let him walk via free agency, which Bell reckons will cost him free-agent dollars on the open market if he’s worn down from 2018.

Bell is a hero to some by being so pronounced and proactive about this issue, but some fans will always take ownership’s side and moan about the “selfish pro athlete.” Bell may not be the most likeable of guys, but it’s not that simplistic an equation.

This Steelers season has the potential to get far away from the team quickly, even if Bell likely won’t join the team until the Week 10 deadline — and as many reports on the Sunday morning pre-game shows suggested, there is almost a non-existent trade market for him.

Perusing some betting sites, the Steelers are only slightly behind the Ravens now as favourites to win the AFC North, a crown Pittsburgh has held three of the last four years. There is still a belief that because of the team’s offensive stars, it’s infrastructure and it’s tradition that the Steelers will pull things together.

We don’t really know what a “bad” Steelers season is. Pittsburgh hasn’t drafted in the top 10 since taking Plaxico Burress at No. 8 in 2000. The Steelers haven’t won fewer than six games since 1988.

And though it’s hard to see the Steelers season being anything worse than every other franchise’s “mediocre,” I’m not sure any club faces a more obvious need for a victory as Pittsburgh does at home this Sunday against the Falcons, who also should be ornery and desperate.

The Steelers need to do everything better, and few doubt the talent (oh, except that “star running back” thing) the team possesses. But it’s understandable if there’s a bit of unusual panic in the air in Pittsburgh this week, for a franchise that might sometimes underachieve but almost never is just plain lousy.

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