How is Pgh picked to be last in North a "mystery?"

[Greg Lloyd]

https://www.steelernation.com/2024/04/11/steelers-last-place-afc-north-mystery

It's almost like Joe Pesci in "Good Fellas." "How am I funny? Like a clown, am I here to amuse you?"



How is it a "mystery" that Pgh is chosen to finish last in the div? What team are we soooooooooo much superior to that it's a huge "mystery" that we are picked to end up last? (I don't think we will end up last, I'm just saying it doesn't strike me as odd that we are picked to be.) Who are we so much better than?

- Ravens? One of the best teams in the AFC and may have improved a lot by adding Henry. Their D is always top notch.
- Bengals? If Burrow is healthy, they are a legit contender to winning the AFC just like 3 years ago.
- Browns? Had the best D in the NFL and will have Watson back at QB.

I just don't see us as such a superior team that we shouldn't be chosen as in last place. How it is such a mystery? "How am I funny?"

 

[mightyguru]

Same as last year...and the year before that...

 

[jitter77]

I'm with you till you got to the Browns. Having Watson might hurt more than help. He has been petty terrible with the Browns. We also play the Ravens tough so those games could go either way. The Bengals are a bad matchup for us with a healthy QB.

 

[CoolieMan]

watson sucks
burrow is never healthy all season
the ravens are still the Steelers *****

 

[speedicut]

I'm more concerned with the Steeler's rank in the division during and after the season, not before..

 

[stillwright]

I'm more concerned with the Steeler's rank in the division during and after the season, not before..

It is all one and the same...no?

 

[steelhurt]

These so called rankings mean absolutely nothing, nada.
Sure,Cincy will be the darlings of the division with Cool Joe coming back, Ravens are defending North champs and have the mvp QB. Browns have pretty solid team if Watson finally gets it.
Steelers have uncertainty at QB with two new guys. No one knows what we will get with Russ and young Justin, plus a new offense under Artie, new QB Coach, new WR Coach so who knows.
Let’s get a bonified center in the draft, an OT, a WR or two and see if we can put it all together.

 

[Drink IRON City]

Same as last year...and the year before that...

You forgot to mention, the year before that too.!!!


Salute the nation

 

[Drink IRON City]

I don’t care about “rankings”, but it is kinda nice when our team is on top……..

As for this up coming season, nothing surprises me. If you remember right, we will have 15 QBs on the roster.


Salute the nation

 

[Ron Burgundy]

The Khan Man made a lot of moves.
On paper the Ratbirds and Bungles are still better than us, until proven otherwise. We might be Lamar's kryptonite but it doesn't matter if they beat everyone else more than we do.
Watson will be back but I still think the Browns find a way to implode.
Steelers finish third in the division.

 

[madinsomniac]

The Bengals should win it with a last place schedule and a healthy burrow

The rRavens take a step backwards playing a first place schedule and having took some hits in free agency... Henry is gonna fall off a cliff too

The Browns cant handle success... last year making the playoffs means they will itterly collapse

Depending on the draft, id guess it goes
Bungles
steelers
Ravens
Browns

 

[BLITZ]

Because Mike Tomlin quotes are getting old does everyone

 

[Greg Lloyd]

Same as last year...and the year before that...

And circumstances saved us from being last both years. Who saw Burrow missing so many games? We would have finished last in 2023 if Burrow didn't miss so much time. We finished a whole 2 wins out of finishing in last place in 2022. Don't act like we were so much better than last 2 straight years.

 

[Greg Lloyd]

The Khan Man made a lot of moves.
On paper the Ratbirds and Bungles are still better than us, until proven otherwise. We might be Lamar's kryptonite but it doesn't matter if they beat everyone else more than we do.
Watson will be back but I still think the Browns find a way to implode.
Steelers finish third in the division.

3rd which is a whole one notch better than dead last, so you don't disagree that strongly. Like I said: I don't believe we will finish last, but this article acts like even considering such is so radically off-the-mark from reality. As if Pgh is so strong and the rest of the div. is so weak. I don't know what they are smoking.

 

[jitter77]

And circumstances saved us from being last both years. Who saw Burrow missing so many games? We would have finished last in 2023 if Burrow didn't miss so much time. We finished a whole 2 wins out of finishing in last place in 2022. Don't act like we were so much better than last 2 straight years.

Regardless of circumstances we only had 1 division loss while everyone else had at least 3. The division is very tough and can go any way

 

[Greg Lloyd]

These so called rankings mean absolutely nothing, nada.
Sure,Cincy will be the darlings of the division with Cool Joe coming back, Ravens are defending North champs and have the mvp QB. Browns have pretty solid team if Watson finally gets it.
Steelers have uncertainty at QB with two new guys. No one knows what we will get with Russ and young Justin, plus a new offense under Artie, new QB Coach, new WR Coach so who knows.
Let’s get a bonified center in the draft, an OT, a WR or two and see if we can put it all together.

I'm all for what you suggest, I'm just saying that article is acting like predicting Pgh ending up in last place is such a bizarre conclusion, that no one sane would predict such, is coo coo talk. I can easily see how football knowledgeable fans could conclude it. The most obvious place to start in ranking teams is with QBs. Who might have the worst out of the four teams?

Regardless of circumstances we only had 1 division loss while everyone else had at least 3. The division is very tough and can go any way

That is true enough. The North can truly go any way in 2024.

 

[Greg Lloyd]

watson sucks
burrow is never healthy all season
the ravens are still the Steelers *****

So it sounds like you are guaranteeing Steelers win the div?

 

[Greg Lloyd]

I'm more concerned with the Steeler's rank in the division during and after the season, not before..

Except we don't have a time machine so predictions for 2024 is all we got (unless they get something out of the CERN machine).

 

[Ron Burgundy]

3rd which is a whole one notch better than dead last, so you don't disagree that strongly. Like I said: I don't believe we will finish last, but this article acts like even considering such is so radically off-the-mark from reality. As if Pgh is so strong and the rest of the div. is so weak. I don't know what they are smoking.

On paper we're the worst team in the division. Just that, as mentioned, Burrow can't stay healthy for a full season, we're Lamar Jackson's kryptonite, and the Stains have the cursed Stains' mojo.
The Tomlin Fanboi's in the FB groups insist we're better than the Ratbirds because we're 11-1 against them lately but I ask who went out in the wildcard round and who was in the AFCCG? The delusional Tomlin Fanboi's still think we're better.
There is ample evidence that a first round playoff loss is simply as good as Shades knows how to be, regardless of the talent on hand. Three playoff wins in eleven years and remember two of those wins were against backup QB's.

 

[Drink IRON City]

And circumstances saved us from being last both years. Who saw Burrow missing so many games? We would have finished last in 2023 if Burrow didn't miss so much time. We finished a whole 2 wins out of finishing in last place in 2022. Don't act like we were so much better than last 2 straight years.

Don’t act like we were worse either. We can only play who is put before us.

We have no dictation of the opponents health. We’ve played with injured players as well.

It’s the fate of the draw and there is no finalizing if this or that was healthy, until the game is played.


Saluter the nation

 

[Greg Lloyd]

Don’t act like we were worse either. We can only play who is put before us.

We have no dictation of the opponents health. We’ve played with injured players as well.

It’s the fate of the draw and there is no finalizing if this or that was healthy, until the game is played.


Saluter the nation

All true and the fact we are sans Canada and "Little Hands" gives us a real shot at being better than 2023. But even then, is it really so "hard to fathom" us being last in the div. as the article states? Is that really such a preposterous concept to even consider? We are the home of the undisciplined, sloppy coaching and practicing. I don't know if Kahn can infiltrate that area, it might be too far out of his official area of influence. The team is a given to be unprepared for nearly half its games. many of which vs. the weakest of teams. Last year we got beat by two of the very worst teams in the entire NFL (AZ, NE). Never had we lost to 2 teams that bad in consecutive weeks. We were 1-4 in that stretch, having lost to Cleveland, AZ NE and Indy; the only 2 wins in a 6-game stretch were to Cinci and their backup QB or we would've gone 0-6. Shades is a fraud. Half the time his teams show up unfocused, unprepared, undisciplined and simply not ready to play. But it's a HUGE stretch to imagine this team in last place?

Look, I don't think it's likely we will end up in last I'm just saying it isn't an inconceivable spot for us to be in, all things considered. Tomlin will probably get lucky and run into a stretch of playing all backup QB for 4 games straight right in his darkest hour. On paper (as it looks right now) we have the 3rd hardest schedule in the NFL. We got the 6 div. games (Browns, Bengals, Ravens twice) and Dallas, KC, Chargers, Giants, Jets, Falcons, Denver, Colts, Raiders, Eagles and DC. That looks like 9-8 from here. 10-7 possible. Is it inconceivable that we could end up 8-9? Or that 9-8 could be last? The article acts like being in last is an impossible outcome, one that only a crazy loon would predict.

 

[Greg Lloyd]

Regardless of circumstances we only had 1 division loss while everyone else had at least 3. The division is very tough and can go any way

Exactly, so an article acting like even considering Pgh could finish in last place as insane is pretty coo coo in itself. The North could end up in ANY order top to bottom. It could go: Balt. Cleve., Cinci., Pgh, or Pgh., Cinci., Cleve, Balt. or anywhere in between.

 

[steelhurt]

I'm all for what you suggest, I'm just saying that article is acting like predicting Pgh ending up in last place is such a bizarre conclusion, that no one sane would predict such, is coo coo talk. I can easily see how football knowledgeable fans could conclude it. The most obvious place to start in ranking teams is with QBs. Who might have the worst out of the four teams?

That is true enough. The North can truly go any way in 2024.

Good question with the QBs.
Strictly my opinion on the QB ranking.
Joe Cool Burrow
Lamar MVP Jackson
Deshawn Overpayed Watson
Russell Ole’Man River Wilson and Justin Potential Fields.
I’d say the most uncertainty lies with the Steelers QB situation. Is a change of scenery what’s needed for our two new additions or are they strictly backups at this point? Idk, so based on the QBs these rankings are impossible to predict.

 

[madinsomniac]

Last year the Division was historically great.
The last place team was probably as good as the worse division leaders in a couple other divisions...

Like look at the final NFL SOS ( dont use the BS espn subjuective garbage) ... the Bengals were ridiculously out in front by a wide margin... .574.... the ravens were third at .543 , behind the cards, then us with a .540.... The browns were at 5th with a .536

Thats unheard of to have an entire division of over .525 strength of schedules and 3 of those teams made the playoffs......

Every damn team had a winning percentage

Hell our SOV was over .570... second in the league behind Arizona... teams with high SOVs usually have few wins with a couple extreme upsets... its very hard to make the playoffs with that kind of SOV...


Wehad a damn great year last year.. and with a third place finish it should get far easier this year... since we wont be playing as tough a schedule from the nfc

 

[Greg Lloyd]

Last year the Division was historically great.
The last place team was probably as good as the worse division leaders in a couple other divisions...

Like look at the final NFL SOS ( dont use the BS espn subjuective garbage) ... the Bengals were ridiculously out in front by a wide margin... .574.... the ravens were third at .543 , behind the cards, then us with a .540.... The browns were at 5th with a .536

Thats unheard of to have an entire division of over .525 strength of schedules and 3 of those teams made the playoffs......

Every damn team had a winning percentage

Hell our SOV was over .570... second in the league behind Arizona... teams with high SOVs usually have few wins with a couple extreme upsets... its very hard to make the playoffs with that kind of SOV...


Wehad a damn great year last year.. and with a third place finish it should get far easier this year... since we wont be playing as tough a schedule from the nfc

We have a more difficult schedule this year over the last 2, on paper. 1st of all, our div. is tough. We had excellent results last year inner div. A lot was luck, with getting Cinci sans Burrow for 2 games, getting Balt. minus its starters for another,that's 3 games right there that could switch results and that would be a huge difference in season outcome. We got the NFC East, no easy breeze with Dallas and Philly in there, DC/NYG definitely winnable, as it looks right now. I'll go 3-3 in div, 2-2 in NFCE games. That's 5-5 to start. Then we got KC, LAC, Broncos (with Peyton in year 2), Indy, Raiders, Falcons and Jets (who knows who their QB will be). I'd say 4-3 or 3-4. 9-8 or 8-9. You have to figure a few Tomlin "throw up in your mouth" games where they team comes out flat as hell for bad losses to the worst teams like every season.