Steelers, the 2016 version of the Edsel: "undisciplined," underachieving, or just not talented enough?

The wheels are coming loose on the Steeler Mercedes, the vehicle that was designed to carry the team to the 2017 Super Bowl.

Instead, the team looks more like the 1950s debacle of the Ford Corporation, the Edsel. Supposedly well-planned and designed, it fell flat when it had to compete in the marketplace.

Just like the Steelers fell flat in the final two minutes on Sunday.

Adjectives

So, many adjectives are being used today to describe the incredible collapse of the team against the Dallas Cowboys in a game that they thought they had won with 42 seconds left on Sunday.

One is "undisciplined." Another is they "stink." Another is "gutless." "Rudderless." "Clueless." "Talentless." "Leaderless." And the list goes on.

Steeler Nation is becoming unglued. Worse, some are concerned how the team will react in next week's game in Cleveland when they face the only team that has not yet won a game. The Steelers often play down to their opponents, but this one should be a gimme.

Who's to blame?

The reality is that a collapse of this magnitude -- their fourth consecutive loss, falling to 4-5 -- is a team accomplishment. Certainly, much blame belongs at the top of the organization with the head coach. However, he cannot play the game.

We can deal with Mike Tomlin later.

However, let's take the first adjective: Undisciplined. I read this from the coach to the quarterback to a defensive lineman … and they were all alluding to the two very costly 15-yard personal foul penalties, one for grabbing a facemask and the other for a late hit out of bounds.

While those were terrible, nothing better symbolizes the state of the Steelers than the video of the last touchdown scored by the Cowboys. The handoff to Ezekiel Elliott was just a simple dive with some pulling linemen who crushed Jarvis Jones and Ryan Shazier, two former first round picks.

Look at the video on You Tube. No one from the Steelers touched him. No one came close. He scored the last two touchdowns in the final two minutes with nary a Steeler laying a hand on him.

Reactions

Okay, the Post-Gazette's Paul Zeise noted that on the defense that gave up two touchdowns in the final two minutes, five of the players are first-round draft picks and two are second-round picks. The first rounders are Jones, Shazier, Cam Heyward, Lawrence Timmons, and Artie Burns. The second rounders are Stephon Tuitt and Sean Davis.

Granted, Burns and Davis are rookies, but his point is clear. He even uses the "S" word: "I know I have been on the record as saying this team is capable of winning the Super Bowl this season, but I am wrong, and hell, when I’m this wrong, I admit it … but the Steelers defense flat-out stinks."

Zeise goes on to explain that eight of the 11 starters yesterday were drafted by Tomlin and GM Kevin Colbert. That means that there are really few ways to improve since quite a few of them are under contract for a while.

Collier: Antonio Brown is gutless

The PG's Gene Collier did not call Antonio Brown gutless, but he intimated as much. He pointed out that on a nice punt return by Brown, instead of trying to cut back inside and take it to the house, he allowed the punter to push him out of bounds.

Then, on the final play of the game when he padded his stats with 40 yards that the Cowboys gave him and his QB in a world-class prevent defense, instead of cutting back inside and trying to lateral the ball to a teammate --despite the odds being against his team scoring -- he again just ran out of bounds.

“In that situation,” Brown said, “we were just trying to make the most of it.”

Collier disagrees: "You know, that’s not what it looked like."

In short, Brown looked like the Steeler defense did on the final Cowboys' touchdown.

No heart. Forget about guts, the heart is missing, and that is much worse.

Lack of talent?

Is Zeise right about a lack of talent? Jarvis Jones, the LB who was expected to be a sack machine, will be gone after this season, another wasted first-rounder. Timmons, finishing his tenth year, is also at the end of his contract, so he is likely gone.

The same will probably be true with James Harrison, though seriously, he is the one player on that defense who is demonstrating heart in his 38-year-old body.

Shazier is very fast, but he is too small and too weak to play inside. The two rookie DBs are coming along and may be a big help down the line, but they are young.

Heyward seems ominously like the second coming of Lamarr Woodley. Looks like great promise, signs the big contract, never reaches the level that is expected. Hope I am wrong there.

The $100 million QB

One of the Steelers who was complaining about lack of discipline was Ben Roethlisberger. He should look in the mirror. While he did go over 400 yards with Brown's almost 50 yard pass and run on the final play, he also failed on four, 2-point conversions, which could have been very valuable at the end.

In addition, Roethlisberger has four games in which his QB rating was 54.8 (Eagles), 57.1 (Miami), 67.3 (Ravens), and 72.3 (Bengals). Three of those were losses. Where was his discipline on those days?

One other concern about him. While players like Peyton Manning would come into the club facilities to work with young players in his down time in the spring and summer, Ben does not. His relationship with OC Todd Haley is still contentious under the guise of affability, but #7 still has a resentment toward the Steelers about getting rid of his buddy Bruce Arians. That despite his putting up the best numbers of his career in Haley's offense.

Tomlin

He has his hands full for the rest of the season. The Steelers should win the AFC-Central, but should and will are different helping verbs.

We will see if they can replace the Edsel with a much smoother Buick for the rest of the season. The Mercedes is out of reach, even though the team is making that huge car payment.