A letter to the CEO, Pittsburgh Steelers


                                   ... your Super Bowl talk is simply a smokescreen.


Something is wrong with this picture. The CEO of the Pittsburgh Steelers has created some excitement -- probably as a ploy to distract the team's fans from reality. 

So, Art Rooney II or III of IV -- the number does not matter since he cannot carry the man's cigar -- now says that having a Super Bowl in Pittsburgh would be a wonderful accomplishment. Yes, it would, but I have a problem with that quest. 

It is called focus, and here it is.

 Dear Mr. Rooney, 

 After reaching the Super Bowl three times in five years from the 2005 season to 2010, we have sunk to the depth of mediocrity. For Steeler fans, that is a horrible drop over the past three years.

That should be your priority, Mr. Rooney. After back-to-back 8-8 seasons, the team obviously has problems beyond a new offensive line coach and running backs coach. 

First, we have problems with the "salary cap." The team gave too many huge salary increases to people who have not delivered -- or who are too old to deliver at that level. Case in point: Lamar Woodley. As a result, signing anyone is a problem right now since the players are not producing. 

Second, we have coaching questions. Yes, Mike Tomlin was great with two 
Super Bowls in his first four years, winning one of them, but the last two years have left people questioning his administrative abilities. Questions still abound about whether or not Dick LeBeau, a beloved figure in Pittsburgh, should continue as DC. 

Third, you have front office issues. Has the personnel department provided Tomlin with the quality players as it has in the past? Some of the players have flopped, some have experienced character problems, some were just woeful picks. 

In short, you have plenty on your plate without giving the fans a thrill about having the SB in the 'burgh. Take care of that business first!

A long-time Steelers' fan.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dr. Chet Beres, M.D., the quarterback who gave of himself to so many people: Some Lilly Raiders who will not be with us on Saturday

Image
Chet Beres was a special human being … The 1968 championship QB is calling audibles from heaven On a few nights in late October 2010, I slept overnight at the Conemaugh Hospital palliative care unit. My brother, Father Jim, was clinging to life at the end of a long battle with cancer, and this unit was designed to make life easier for those in the final stages of disease — and for the families who wanted to spend their last days with their loved ones. It was at that time that while wandering through the hall, I noticed a plaque on the wall that warmed my heart, albeit in a sad way.  The palliative care unit was dedicated to Dr. Chet Beres, M.D., an advocate for those in hospice care. My mind flashed back to the Lilly Raider quarterback on the 1968 championship team, a young man who was bright, exuberant, and so popular with his teammates.  Chet went on to college at Pitt and to medical school after graduating from Penn Cambria. We knew that he was bright, but we also knew that he had c
Read more

Why did Tennessee-Chattanooga hire trainer Tim Bream despite his role in the alcohol-induced death of Tim Piazza at a Penn State frat?

Image
… was a live-in advisor at the fraternity On paper, Tim Bream has an impressive resume. Actually, very impressive — up to a point. That seems to be when Bream’s life appears to careen out of control. Bream, who resigned as Penn State trainer in Feb.,  was a graduate of Penn State with a bachelor’s degree in physical education, specializing in athletic training. He then attended West Virginia as a grad assistant trainer, where he received a master’s degree in Physical Education with an emphasis on Sports Science. All of this information is from his bio on the Penn State athletic site. He then worked his way up the ladder impressively, working at Syracuse, Vanderbilt, and finally at the University of Richmond, where he was the Director of Sports Medicine and Head Athletic Trainer. Then he received his big break, being name as Assistant Athletic Trainer for the Chicago Bears in 1993, and four years later, Head Athletic Trainer. He was with the Bears for 19 years when inexplicably, he
Read more

Remembering the toughest loss I ever experienced in approximately a quarter-century of coaching football. George Pasierb was a great coaching adversary.

Image
R.I.P. George Pasierb, 1946-2020 Shade-Central City High School football coach Photo: Tribune-Democrat No high school football fan could ask for anything better than this. On a beautiful sunny, warm afternoon on Saturday, October 30, 1982, in Nanty Glory, Pa., the battle featured a clash of two undefeated titans of the Appalachian Conference.  One was the preseason unanimous favorite to win the title, the other a veritable surprise that season, one that had built an 8-0 record entering that game.  This battle lived up to the pre-game hype, ending in a one-point decision that was not certain until the final play of the game.  I thought of this because the coach of the powerful Shade-Central City High School Panthers, George Pasierb, passed away earlier this week. He coached the Panthers for 20 years, but his best team was arguably that 1982 team that battled the Blacklick Valley Vikings on that Saturday afternoon before more than 3,000 ebullient fans.  And, the one-point loss was the to
Read more