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How Good Will Steelers Be This Season?

tapeANaspirin2it

tapeANaspirin2it

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We've seen the preseason. There are new starters and new coaches. What is your prediction for the Steelers? Gut reaction. How good do you think they will actually be this year?

Losing Record
Winning record, Miss playoffs
Wildcard and early playoff exit
Division Champs
Legit Super Bowl contender


The media seem to have written the steelers off. Current Vegas odds also show a mediocre season, leaning towards a losing season.

Vegas Odds
Over Under win total 8.5 (currently the Under is -130 and Over is +110 meaning Under 8.5 wins is the favorite)
3rd in division
10th in AFC
17th for Super Bowl

Glass Half Empty Crowd
Ben is done. He's washed up.
The OL is terrible and can't possibly get better with rookies replacing prop bowl vets Pouncey, Decastro and Big Al
The Ravens and Browns are just too good for steelers to compete

Glass Half Full
Ben is healthy again and will have a bounce back season.
Pouncey, Decastro and Big Al were all injured and sucked last year so merely having healthy starters is an upgrade.
New OL coach will help run game
New OC means defenses won't know what's coming.
Najee and Freiermuth will be key playmakers
Lamar Jackson still can't pass and Baker Mayfield is not good enough to beat the steelers defense.
 
It's way too early to tell. The Clowns (and others) have been great on paper before and sucked. For every team, injuries will play a huge factor. For us, if our O-line can gel into something above average by game 5, we will be legit contenders. Our O has one of the top stack of skill players on any team. We still have a HOFer throwing the ball. This team, with a decent (not great as I don't think we can get there this year) O-line can put up 30 per game. And, our D will a legit top 10 D. So..... right now, I will say a top contender. By game 5 we will have a much better idea of what kind of team we (and everyone else) truly has.
 
If they have all their players they are a playoff caliber team. No one ends with what they started. And the oline looked ok in preseason. But once the ones are in there all game it will likely be a different story. For all their moves and wrangling and re mortgages, this team is not a playoff team. Sorry.
 
Losing record. 8-9
3rd in division. Ravens and Browns are better than us.

Glass half empty crowd:
Ben isn't washed up, but....
The OL is still terrible with all new guys and rookies and Banner is still out hurt.
Ravens and Browns are better than us.

Granted we gave them some points on turnovers but Mayfield beat us in the last two games including the playoff last year.

It's gonna be a long season.
 
Not offering a unique opinion here, but how healthy will the team be? That answers a ton of questions.

If the Steelers are healthy and put the 2019 defense on the field with a good offense and solid special teams, the team is legit. A lot depends on improvement in the offensive line - does Dan Moore become a legit LT, can Okorafor handle RT capably, can Kendrick Green handle the massive NT's and DT's in the North?
 
Reasons to be optimistic:
* Weapons on Offense: Four deep at receiver, two quality tight ends, and Harris round out a nice group of weapons for Roethlisberger and Canada.
* Defensive Front 7: There may not be a better front 7 in the league. Of course they're hurting quite a bit without Tuitt right now and Bush looks like just a guy, so hopefully he flashes his rookie form again. Either way, Heyward, Alualu, Watt, Highsmith, Bush, and Schobert are a talented group.
* New Offensive Scheme: Canada may not have an elite offense, but it should be better than what we saw last year.

Reasons to be pessimistic:
* Offensive Line: It looks bad right now. Banner going on the IR may have been the best thing to happen the OL because it forces Dan Moore into the lineup. Okorafor shouldn't be in the starting lineup let alone at left tackle. Based on his preseason play, it appears Green is going to have a lot of highs and lows this season, and Trai Turner is still a bit of a mystery.
* Defensive Backfield Depth: Big questions at cornerback at a self-created depth problem by cutting Nelson. No depth at safety either.
* The Rest of the AFC: There are simply a lot of good teams in the AFC. The Chiefs and Bills still look legit and the Ravens and Browns have the talented to win the division.

Huge Question Mark
* Ben Roethlisberger: He looks energized after last season, but how long will his body hold out? If he loses his lower body mechanics like last season you can forget about anything this season. We are also depending on a commitment to the ground game. From what I gathered, the Steelers didn't exactly try to philosophically change their ways during training camp and I didn't see any preseason action that showed they were committed to improving the run. Klemm will have his scheme/technique changes and guys may have a new "attitude" but they need to practice running the ball. After a month of struggling on the ground, will they abandon the run like they always do?
 
They could have the best team in the league and Mike Tomlin will find a way to lose to a journeyman quarterback when it counts.
 
SteelerFan448 said:
Huge Question Mark
* Ben Roethlisberger: He looks energized after last season, but how long will his body hold out? If he loses his lower body mechanics like last season you can forget about anything this season. We are also depending on a commitment to the ground game. From what I gathered, the Steelers didn't exactly try to philosophically change their ways during training camp and I didn't see any preseason action that showed they were committed to improving the run. Klemm will have his scheme/technique changes and guys may have a new "attitude" but they need to practice running the ball. After a month of struggling on the ground, will they abandon the run like they always do?
Click to expand...
I think Ben will be fine but it’s a matter of the all-new OL getting him killed. Last year’s was bad, this year’s is going to be bad for at least the first five games if not more.
 
Expect a losing record of 8 - 9 although staying healthy all season could bring them up to 11 - 6. No playoffs in either case.
Tomlin loses an obligatory game to a cellar dweller.
Ravens and Browns/Bengals make us third in the division
 
If this is going to be the prediction thread then I say 8-9.
 
I guess that I definitely feel better going into this season that most apparently.
Double digit wins for sure
 
I am going into this season with zero expectations. Here's what I do know:

1. Our D will be a top 5 D
2. Our offense will be difficult to scheme against with the motion and play action instituted by Matt Canada
3. Our ST has improved dramatically. Better punter, better coverage, athletic players to block kicks, and Boz is a top 3 kicker in the AFC.

Keep the TO margin in our favor and we're going to win a lot more games than we lose.
 
Cope said:
I am going into this season with zero expectations. Here's what I do know:

1. Our D will be a top 5 D
2. Our offense will be difficult to scheme against with the motion and play action instituted by Matt Canada
3. Our ST has improved dramatically. Better punter, better coverage, athletic players to block kicks, and Boz is a top 3 kicker in the AFC.

Keep the TO margin in our favor and we're going to win a lot more games than we lose.
Click to expand...


ALSO

It seems as though Coach Tomlin is limiting his Tomlinisms, am I the only one noticing that ?

Our overall talent level on offense is better than last year and a healthy BEN. Everyone wants to dump on the OL but I think although they may be unproven I still think they will be equal to or better than last year's unit. Remeber that last years unit was far removed from their prime.





Salute the nation
 
it all depends on how well our coaching staff performs. The Steelers FO went out and got talent.

1. Can the offense find an identity with the play-calling?
2. Will the defensive backs be allowed to press and stick their men at the LOS in situations that count?
3. Can the coaches bring themselves to choose to pivot to other matchups with asjustments after they get beaten up?
 
How good will they be? Not very. 8-9 at best, I'm thinking more like 7-10
 
This team seems to go as far as health will allow them. But this season depth at T, overall O-line play, and how the corners shake out will contribute in determining overall final result. Is Banners unavailability short term? How will the 2 rookies on the Oline play? Will Chuks improve on last year's mediocre showing? How well do the corners play? Will Ben go out in a blaze of glory? Or hobble into the off-season a shell of seasons past? Will Bush at least regain his rookie form? Will the coaches stay out of their own way come the playoffs if there is a playoffs? Riddle me this batman. In the trenches can seal a fate and determine if there is a playoff date. Answer who is the 2021 Pittsburgh Steelers.
 
I like the Steelers over 8.5 wins at plus money. If Watt decides to play, that is. 9-8 or 10-7, depending on injuries. Early playoff exit if they win 10, the AFC is just too strong.
 
ExUSAF said:
Expect a losing record of 8 - 9 although staying healthy all season could bring them up to 11 - 6. No playoffs in either case.
Tomlin loses an obligatory game to a cellar dweller.
Ravens and Browns/Bengals make us third in the division
Click to expand...
8-8-1 and Tomlin keeps Never Had a Losing Season intact in a microcosm of his tenure as the team falters down the stretch after Coach slams Harris into the Rookie Wall.
 
Expect a losing record of 8 - 9
Click to expand...

Coach T... "Hey fellas, 8 wins isn't a 'Losing' season, C'mon now..."
 
Ron Burgundy said:
...

Granted we gave them some points on turnovers but Mayfield beat us in the last two games including the playoff last year.
...
Click to expand...
The first game, they beat our backups, not our starters. Mayfield had to go up against a defense without either of its best defensive linemen, without its best edge rusher and without key players in the defensive backfield. Oh, and an offense without the starting quarterback as well. And it was nowhere near the blowout it should have been under those circumstances.

The second game was given away by the offense. The Steelers outplayed them after the first quarter, and actually made a game of it after going down 28-0 in the first 15.

Baker Mayfield sucks. He would have been on the scrap heap if not for those two games, and he should still be on it.
 
I think the Steelers' season will hinge on health. The starters look like a fairly good team, but depth is a real issue in several key areas. Example: a starting backfield of Ballage and Snell would basically say you have no running game, and we're back to dink and dunk to replace it. If healthy, I can see 12-5. If not, I can see 9-8. I don't think we'll have a losing record either way.
 
It's how they are at the end of the season that concerns me most.


The end of the year has sucked for a very long time.
 
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