Ill Informed Gut Reaction Pre Camp Predictions

[Drink IRON City]

You had me at “crazy as is sounds” Tape

Here’s to hopefully watching that crazy season you mapped out unfold…we’re due for some crazy

Cheers

There’s ………………………….BACON induced “crazy”

and then

There’s Super Bowl……………BACON induced “coma”

I’m ready for the “coma” anytime now……………


Salute the nation

 

[Ron Burgundy]

Assuming no major injuries to key players (this means you Joe Burrow), 10-7 and third in the division behind the Rats and Bungles. The Browns will Brown and find a way to be last.

If the Steelers make the playoffs they will lose the first game, as usual.

The Tomlin Fan Club has their dream of a black starting QB. The annual playoff loss will be blamed on Arthur Smith since he's the last hwyte guy left.

Warren finishes the season with more yards than Harris.

Offense and defense both finish mid-pack overall. O and D both have some good players but they also have holes.

Shades continues his "Never A Losing Season" streak and hailed by the media and Tomlin Fan Club as the Greatest Coach Ever despite no playoff wins.

 

[stillwright]

Crazy as it sounds, I think there's a chance the Steelers could win the super bowl this year.

The defense is super bowl caliber barring injury. The pass rush will be one of the best. The secondary should be improved. Half a year of Cam Sutton is a major upgrade at nickel. ILB was upgraded last year but were decimated by injury. Now with Queen and Wilson they should have the best ILbs they've had since Shazier.

It's all about the offense. How can this offense be good enough to win the super bowl?

The OL comes together quickly. Not immediately, but they are playing "above the line" by week 4 or 5 and then by week 12 or so they are one of the better OL in the league. If this happens, it opens up everything. Defense keeps games close, the OL paves the way for a physical and dominating run game, and the play action pass opens up.

Somebody steps up as #2 WR. I think Freiermuth may be the #2 target but they still need a WR to step up and be a 3rd target.

Wilson or Fields executes the offense without excessive freelancing. Smith's offense is all about having a strong run game, that sets up play action passes that are cleverly disguised. Canada's main problem was his offense hid nothing. Defenses could read it like book. Smith's offense is simple but to the defense everything looks the same. It has no tells, or very few.

This offense does not need a great QB. It just needs one with some athleticism for the play fakes and accuracy to get run after catch. Another thing Canada's offense lacked.

Wilson struggled in Sean Payton's offense. That offense wants a QB to make very fast reads from the pocket. Wilson's not great at that. He likes to be on the move. Smith's offense plays to Wilson's strengths.

I also happen to think the Steelers will make a splash move on offense to bring in a WR.

Dominant defense, plus a top run game, plus a competent play action passing game if pretty much how the 49ers have won so many games. The Steelers may have the pieces to do similar.

We have been hearing and reading this for the last 5 or 6 years......maybe this year it will be true. I won't hold my breath though.

 

[Steeltime]

Shades continues his "Never A Losing Season" streak and hailed by the media and Tomlin Fan Club as the Greatest Coach Ever despite no playoff wins.

"If the Steelers fired Mike Tomlin, every other team in the NFL would battle to sign him!"
- So-called experts

Steelers fired 4-time Super Bowl winner Chuck Noll, nobody tried to sign him. Patriots fire 6-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick, nobody signed him. It's a "what have you done for me lately" league.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

"If the Steelers fired Mike Tomlin, every other team in the NFL would battle to sign him!"
- So-called experts

If they did I'll bet our next HC beats him in the playoffs.

 

[SteelerInLebanon]

"If the Steelers fired Mike Tomlin, every other team in the NFL would battle to sign him!"
- So-called experts

Steelers fired 4-time Super Bowl winner Chuck Noll, nobody tried to sign him. Patriots fire 6-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick, nobody signed him. It's a "what have you done for me lately" league.

Chuck wasn't "fired", he may have been pushed out but not fired perse. Chuck was also much more done than Tomlin, the game, particularly the roster aspect had passed him by. He was creature of the 70's. Tomlin still has fire and youth relatively speaking. He would absolutely have another job if he wanted it.

 

[GMC]

We have been hearing and reading this for the last 5 or 6 years......maybe this year it will be true. I won't hold my breath though.

The problem is, for over a decade, this defense has needed stars at almost every position to be successful and trying to find them killed the offense and depth. No team in the league makes it through a 17 game season without injuries to their starters, but the Steelers are one of the few that get derailed by them every year. Hell, just look at their record when TJ is out. Lots of high picks spent on D that were either busts or never saw a second contract.

They forgot where they came from. You build through the draft and fill holes/depth with mid level FA vets. Hard to do, when for almost a decade, the majority of you top two picks never became long term starters. While we were all busy pointing and laughing at teams trying to win the offseason, ours became one of them.

The last two classes show a lot of promise. I welcome a return to smash mouth football for no other reasons than it's enjoyable to watch and helps the rookies get established. However, three yards and a cloud of dust isn't getting you anywhere in the post-season. They need a QB and offense that can put up points, like the defense gives them up in the playoffs.

 

[Steeltime]

Chuck wasn't "fired", he may have been pushed out but not fired perse. ]

Oh he was fired, SIL.

Chuck was also much more done than Tomlin, the game, particularly the roster aspect had passed him by.

Same with Tomlin.

He was creature of the 70's. Tomlin still has fire and youth relatively speaking. He would absolutely have another job if he wanted it.

So we keep hearing. Again and again and again and again and again and again.

And I cite two examples of coaches vastly more successful than Tomlin who did not generate any interest or much interest at all. So the endless refrain, "Tomlin would get hired in a second!" seems to be based on fluff, air and myth.

 

[SteelerInLebanon]

We have been hearing and reading this for the last 5 or 6 years......maybe this year it will be true. I won't hold my breath though.

Oh he was fired, SIL.



Same with Tomlin.



So we keep hearing. Again and again and again and again and again and again.

And I cite two examples of coaches vastly more successful than Tomlin who did not generate any interest or much interest at all. So the endless refrain, "Tomlin would get hired in a second!" seems to be based on fluff, air and myth.

Except that both were far older. Bill is also an ******* that no one wants to work with. I am not sure Chuck had any desire to go elsewhere.

 

[tapeANaspirin2it]

We have been hearing and reading this for the last 5 or 6 years......maybe this year it will be true. I won't hold my breath though.

The difference is they have upgraded the OL massively instead of just drafting Najee and thinking late picks and spare parts will deliver a great run game.

 

[Djfan]

 

[stillwright]

The difference is they have upgraded the OL massively instead of just drafting Najee and thinking late picks and spare parts will deliver a great run game.

Here I thought I quoted the part where you stated something about our defense. "SB caliber" or something. I must have accidently quoted something about our offense. My bad.

 

[Drink IRON City]

That arguemnent of him getting a job in minutes is as lame as there is.

Who gives a flying craps donkey asZ whether he becomes employed or not ?

If he is fired, then he is fired and the STEELERS won’t be worried about if he gets hired or not. If they were smart, they’d be looking to trade him when the time comes.


Salute the nation

 

[SteelerInLebanon]

Here I thought I quoted the part where you stated something about our defense. "SB caliber" or something. I must have accidently quoted something about our offense. My bad.

Upgrading the offensive line just may be the key to having an elite defense. More time of possession and leads could do wonders for our defense. They have been pretty remarkable considering how bad the offense has been and the slim margin for error they left the defense. Couple that with the improved MLB corps and we may finally see it come to fruition.

 

[stillwright]

Upgrading the offensive line just may be the key to having an elite defense. More time of possession and leads could do wonders for our defense. They have been pretty remarkable considering how bad the offense has been and the slim margin for error they left the defense. Couple that with the improved MLB corps and we may finally see it come to fruition.

Yeah ok. Gotcha...

 

[SteelerInLebanon]

Yeah ok. Gotcha...

You disagree an improved offensive line could improve the efficiency of the defense?

 

[stillwright]

You disagree an improved offensive line could improve the efficiency of the defense?

Sure......but not to the point of making it a SB calibur defense as I quoted in the post.

 

[slashsteel]

Sure......but not to the point of making it a SB caliber defense as I quoted in the post.

You have upgraded pieces in place that combined with being fresher could manifest into a SB caliber defense.

I would debate that the pieces are there but are the coaches? Haven’t bought a subscription to that belief.

 

[SteelerInLebanon]

Sure......but not to the point of making it a SB calibur defense as I quoted in the post.

If we get even average offense last year, I believe the defense would have looked like a Super Bowl defense and TJ would have been DPoY. Imagine playing with leads consistently what he could do.

 

[stillwright]

You have upgraded pieces in place that combined with being fresher could manifest into a SB caliber defense.

I would debate that the pieces are there but are the coaches? Haven’t bought a subscription to that belief.

Consistently playing 10 yards off the LOS on 3rd and short.....nothing dominant about that. I don't think our scheme and defense philosophy will ever let us be SB caliber dominant. Do we have the players? Maybe.

 

[xjx]

Tomlin would likely make more money talking his jabberwocky on ESPN than coaching. Look what Brady gets.

 

[SteelerInLebanon]

Consistently playing 10 yards off the LOS on 3rd and short.....nothing dominant about that. I don't think our scheme and defense philosophy will ever let us be SB caliber dominant. Do we have the players? Maybe.

Yeah, I get that. but would we play that way if we had real offense, or was the defensive play calling a result of the lack of confidence in the offense? The best defenses I ever coached were very much tied to having a great offense as well that controlled the ball and made my job as DC much easier and frankly a whole lot more fun.

 

[slashsteel]

Yeah, I get that. but would we play that way if we had real offense, or was the defensive play calling a result of the lack of confidence in the offense? The best defenses I ever coached were very much tied to having a great offense as well that controlled the ball and made my job as DC much easier and frankly a whole lot more fun.

Well they better hope for their own sake that even with stacked boxes that rebuilt Oline can maintain the run and run efficiently. As they will need that when teams attack what they should perceive as their strength.

 

[SteelerInLebanon]

Well they better hope for their own sake that even with stacked boxes that rebuilt Oline can maintain the run and run efficiently. As they will need that when teams attack what they should perceive as their strength.

That is why we are practicing so much play action. They get burnt a few times they will have to back off. A concept Canada never could really grasp.

 

[slashsteel]

That is why we are practicing so much play action. They get burnt a few times they will have to back off. A concept Canada never could really grasp.

Yep one it definitely helped Ryan revive his career IMO. If he can do for Wilson what he did for Ryan we will be sitting pretty.