Steelers are improving, but do not buy any Super Bowl tickets yet: Schedule tougher in Dec.



… many positives since woeful 1-2-1 start

At the start of the season, I was concerned that the AFC-North teams were playing the NFC-South teams in the cross-over games. That meant facing QBs like Drew Brees, Cam Newton, and Matt Ryan … along with a Bucs team that was supposed to be improving.

However, as the season has turned out, the Falcons, who should have won the Super Bowl a few years ago, have really regressed, and the Bucs, who were impressive with wins over the Saints and Eagles in their first two games, have regressed and lost five of their last six.

Still, that means that the Steelers have to deal with a much tougher schedule in the second half of the season than in the first. We do not have two games against the Browns in that span. Nothing close.

December is not a favorable month

The Steelers will have to face the first of the tougher QBs when the Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton come to town on Thursday night. The Panthers have been inconsistent, having incredibly lost to the Falcons and to the Redskins while building a 6-2 record. However, they have not played a very tough schedule either, facing the NFC North, which has only one team with a winning record: Washington.

So, their wins have been over the Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, Bucs, Ravens, and Bengals. So, our schedules thus far have been similar, which makes for an interesting matchup, albeit one that may be tougher than any team the Steelers have faced other than the Chiefs.

The tough part of the Steelers’ road is in December when they face a four-week stretch which starts with the Chargers on Dec. 2 and includes back-to-back matchups against two of the 2018 powers, the Patriots and then the Saints. That is followed by a season-ending battle with the Bengals that could be for the AFC-North title.

NFL right now

The top four teams in the NFL right now, in my estimation, are the Rams, the Chiefs, the Saints, and the Patriots. If I were picking right now, those would be the teams in the NFC and AFC title games. However, everyone knows that it is too early and kind of crazy to even think about that right now.

The Super Bowl that I would love to see this year would be the Rams against the Chiefs. Two of the youngest and most promising young QBs in the league. That would be exciting. However, a Brady-Brees matchup would also be exciting. A win would be a fabulous culmination to a record-setting season by Brees.

Go as far as Ben will take them

So, do the Steelers have a shot in the postseason? Of course. They have a legitimate shot at the playoffs, though they are just a half-game ahead of the Bengals. That is why that stretch of games in December is so important.

I have said that the Steelers will go as far as Ben can carry them, and I stand by that. The defense is still shaky in spots, and we have not face a top QB except for Mahones. That is about to change.

However, the wild card in all runs to the playoffs is injuries. When number 7 went down yesterday, a collective sigh went through Steeler Nation — though Josh Dobbs came in a threw a fabulous pass to get a key first down late in the game.

So, if Roethlisberger goes down, that changes the dynamic. There is one other wild card for Pittsburgh.

The Bell distraction factor

While the trade deadline has passed, the Steelers still have a number of choices for dealing with him. First, allowing him to dress for any games will be a major distraction. They have to avoid this.

First, they can refuse to sign the $14+ million tender that they offered him earlier this year. That would allow them to franchise him for another year and he could not enter the free market.

However, they do not want to deal with him any longer. James Conner has made a statement that he can do the job as well as Bell can, with significantly less turmoil. So, they really do not need him.

Finally, the linemen were outraged when Bell did not show up earlier this year. They were very outspoken about how they felt about him. This has not changed. Having him around would be a distraction to their postseason hopes.

Here are some of the quotes about Bell from linemen after yesterday's win over the Ravens:

“I love playing with Conner. I don’t have anything to say about Le’Veon. I don’t even know what shape he is in right now.”

... Left Tackle: Alejandro Villanueva in the Post-Gazette

“Honestly, no one cares anymore. Why would I? I don’t want to waste the energy. I have to block some of the best players on the best defense in the world. Do you think I’m going to worry about a guy who’s not here?”

... Guard David DeCastro from NFL.com

Suspend him

Or, they could suspend him for six games for missing the preseason and most of the regular season. That way he could not even show up at the games. I think that the linemen would appreciate that -- as would most of the rest of the team.

I kind of like that idea.

Regardless, they have to rid themselves of this distraction down the stretch.

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