It used to be called “The Steelers Way.”
Many felt that it took a certain type of character in a player to wear the black and gold.
That notion alone always made me laugh, but as we sit just days away from the 2015 NFL Draft, one thing is certain and that is the so-called Steelers Way has been dead for some time now.
We are in an age where talent wins out over character 100 percent of the time.
With that in mind, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert, along with every other GM in the league, has a difficult task this weekend- weighing football talent vs. off-field character issues.
Now, more than any other time in the past, we are in an age where it seems almost every other player eligible for the draft has had some kind of run in with the law, been dismissed from teams, etc.
Players such as Missouri’s Shane Ray, who just received a marijuana citation; Nebraska’s Randy Gregory, who tested positive for marijuana at the Combine; Washington’s Marcus Peters, who was dismissed from the Huskies in November after repeated run-ins with the coaching staff; and LSU’s Jalen Collins, who reportedly failed multiple drug tests, are all on the Steelers radar come Thursday night.
With these guys and other potential draft targets Colbert must weigh what is more important, a character guy in the locker room or a guy that can produce on the field.
There’s also the impossible task of figuring out whether a pattern exists. Are some of these incidents an isolated case of kids just being dumb or is there a pattern of bad behavior to come down the road.
The truth is it is nearly impossible to predict a 21 or 22-year olds behavior for the next 10-15 years.
The other truth is that talent is always going to win out.
Just look at Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, who is all but a lock to be the No. 1 overall pick despite having more than a few character flaws.
NFL teams want talented players and are willing to overlook a lot of character flaws off the field.
It would be easy to say pick the high character guys, but if you don’t roll the dice on some of the guys, you know someone else will. Passing up on talent is a sure way for a general manager to find himself on the unemployment line sooner rather than later.
Sadly, like it or not, that is the age that the NFL and other sports are in.
Talent supersedes character every day of the week.
The Steelers are no exception.
They have a lot of holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball and if a player with off the field issues happens to be the best fit then you can bet Colbert will be willing to roll the dice.
A lot of times these guys clean up their act, but often they don’t.
If they can produce at a high level on the field, organizations don’t care.
So when the Steelers are on the clock Thursday night and through the weekend, expect them to take the player they feel can come in and help them on the field, character issues or not.
The Steelers Way?
Forget about it.
That has been dead for a long time.
Photo Credit: Elaine Thompson/Associated Press
