A level to maintain | Press

Has Ben Roethlisberger chosen to play one season too many? This is a legitimate question and we will know the answer in a few weeks.

Miguel bujold
Press

The Pittsburgh Steelers are at a crossroads, both in terms of their current season and their mid-term future. They haven’t won in their last three games and are threatened with ending the season with a losing record for the first time in the Mike Tomlin era and only the second since 1999. In the past 34 years, they haven’t. have had just four losing seasons (7-9 in 1991 and 1998, 6-10 in 1999 and 2003).

In short, as Tomlin likes to remind you, there is a level to be maintained with the Steelers. “The standard is the standard,” the head coach often says. But in recent weeks, the Steelers are very far from reaching this famous level.

In the embarrassing 41-10 loss to the young Bengals last Sunday in Cincinnati, the Steelers’ defense was dismal.

The unit allowed a number of passes over 15 yards, but more importantly, was completely dominated on the ground by Joe Mixon and the Bengals. But if there’s one constant in Pittsburgh, it’s that the Steelers defense almost always excels against the run. Not this season.

Thanks to the two-headed monster that Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt normally form on the front row, the attacking fronts struggle to create openings for their running backs. Heyward is the club’s best player this year, but Tuitt has missed the entire season with a knee injury, who also lost his brother in a hit-and-run last summer.

Veteran Tyson Alualu, another lineman who stands out against the run, tore an anterior cruciate ligament early in the season. The absences of TJ Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Joe Haden also did not help the defense.

But it would help if former top pick Devin Bush played better. The inside linebacker is often the worst player on the field. Admittedly, he’s recovering from a tear to an anterior cruciate ligament on his own, but it’s increasingly clear that the Steelers paid way too much in order to be able to draft him in 2019. In return for the 10^e selection of the auction with which they took Bush, the Steelers traded the 20^e, the 52^e and a choice of 3^e round in 2020 to the Denver Broncos.

Bush was set to replace Ryan Shazier, who had the talent to be a Hall of Fame member but whose career sadly ended with a spinal injury, in 2017. Bush will never be a player. of Shazier caliber.

Tomlin well in the saddle

When Tomlin was hired in 2007, the venerable Dick LeBeau was the defensive coordinator. Even though he had trained in a completely different defensive system (Tampa cover 2) from that of the Steelers (a 3-4 defense that used the blitz a lot), Tomlin didn’t interfere and let LeBeau do his job.

Since Keith Butler took over from LeBeau in 2015, however, Tomlin has played a bigger role in defense. According to reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network, however, Tomlin does more than oversee the unit, he would decide everything on this side of the ball. This is what Kinkhabwala reported earlier this week.

Whether that is true or not, the difficulties of the defense and the team will not change the job security of Tomlin, who signed an extension until the end of the 2024 season last April. Tomlin is certainly not immune from criticism. Too often his teams lose to inferior opponents, he sometimes makes curious decisions in the heat of the moment and his best successes in the playoffs are starting to date.

That said, Tomlin recently became the 20^e head coach in history to win 150 games and only 3 of them made it faster than him: Don Shula, Curly Lambeau and George Halas… Three giants of the coaching, it goes without saying. Tomlin only needed 232 games to pull off this feat.

What’s more, the Steelers and the Rooney family, owners of the club since its founding in 1933, don’t like to fire their coach. So much so that they don’t. The last time they fired a head coach was in 1969. You read that right. In the past 52 years, they’ve only had three: Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Tomlin. The first two are in the Hall of Fame and the third will one day be there.

To the wall

Other than the New York Jets, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and possibly Miami Dolphins, all of the American Conference teams still have realistic chances of making the playoffs. Twelve clubs for seven places available.

The Steelers are part of the lot, but have little room for maneuver. They will likely need to win at least five of their last six games to qualify and their schedule will be one of the most demanding down the stretch. If they bow to their great rivals Baltimore on Sunday afternoon at Heinz Field, the Steelers will be virtually eliminated.

The defense will have to regain its ardor against the Ravens, and Roethlisberger will have to find a way to improve his game despite rapidly declining mobility and arm strength. This is not to mention his bad start to the game that has plagued the Steelers for a long time.

That said, no matter how it ends in what will almost certainly be Roethlisberger’s final season, the fellow will be able to leave with his head held high. Like Tomlin, he’s never known a losing season in 18 years. He has won the Super Bowl twice and won eight division championships. His name is among the top five or ten in history in the vast majority of statistical categories among quarterbacks.

He has nothing more to prove. But big Ben is a proud player, who certainly wants to bow out after a good season. He can still do it, but time is running out.

Looking for an Experienced Quarterback

FOX Network informant Jay Glazer said last month that Tomlin and the Steelers would be looking for an experienced quarterback to replace Roethlisberger in 2022. Starting over with a rookie won’t be an option according to him. Glazer, who is generally very knowledgeable.

Aaron Rodgers’ name has come up often. Ryan Shazier spoke about the possibility of it being Russell Wilson a few days ago. Jimmy Garoppolo could be another logical candidate if the San Francisco 49ers choose to give the ball to Trey Lance. Marcus Mariota could also be an interesting avenue.

What is certain is that for the first time since the salary cap was created a quarter of a century ago, the Steelers will have plenty of space and money to spend in the free agent market, so that their team may be unrecognizable next September. However, the level will not change.

Three games to watch

Chargers from LA to Cincinnati, Sunday 1 p.m.

Last week’s offensive player in the American conference, Joe Mixon sits third in the league with 924 rushing yards. So the Bengals offensive line is doing a very good job on racing games, but Joe Burrow has been sacked 30 times since the start of the season, which is way too many. Let’s bet the Bengals will fix this in the offseason, which will make their offense one of the most formidable in the NFL. If Justin Herbert is to win his first game against Burrow, the Chargers will need to play much more intensely than they usually do when playing games at 1 p.m. EST.

Denver at Kansas City, Sunday, 8:20 p.m.

We buried the Broncos after their four-game losing streak in October. Even they didn’t seem to believe too much in their chances of making the playoffs when they traded Von Miller to the Rams, though the comeback (second-round and third-round pick) was hard to refuse. But here they are again in the peloton of the many teams that can still aim for a place in the tournament on the American side. The Broncos will be sure to be tied for first in their division if they cause a surprise at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday night, although they are currently underdog by 10 points. They have lost their last 11 games to the Chiefs.

New England at Buffalo, Monday, 8:15 p.m.

For a rare time, the most promising game of the week will be Monday night when the top spot in the East Division is on the line. Will Bill Belichick have found a way to contain Josh Allen and company? The Bills won the two annual clashes between the two teams last season, scoring a total of 62 points. But the Patriots ‘defense is more talented and significantly superior than in 2020. During the Pats’ current six-game winning streak, Mac Jones has thrown nine touchdown passes against two interceptions. Jones edged wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and is now the favorite to win the rookie of the game in offense.