What’s ailing the Pittsburgh Steelers these days?
Past the halfway point in the season with the team staring at its 4-5 record, there seem to be plenty of theories being thrown about by fans, players and coaches alike.
Is it poor coaching, as some have suggested in the wake of the excruciating, last-second loss to what might be the best team in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys? Although there could be some credence to that argument, especially after four straight losses, I’m not sure that’s even remotely close to the team’s biggest problem.
Maybe it’s about a greater sense of urgency and focus on the details day-in and day-out as both franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and head coach Mike Tomlin have suggested in recent days?
Sure, there’s evidence that’s playing a role, too. Look no further than the appalling 23 penalties combined in losses to the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens or at All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown inexplicably running out of bounds on the final play this past Sunday when his team was in desperate need of a miracle.
I for one, don’t know if that means all that much compared to something that has simply cursed this team for the past two seasons: injuries. And plenty of them, I might add.
You might be thinking, “Here we go, another excuse maker,” and that’s fine, I get it. It is, after all, Tomlin himself who has stood by his well-worn mantras when it comes to injuries; “The standard is the standard” and “next man up” are two of his favorites.
It doesn’t, however, change the fact that he’s had to go to his book of coach-speak and utter those words far too often of late.
And it shouldn’t be overlooked.
Nobody will disagree that the Steelers were expected to be among the favorites to challenge for a Super Bowl title after coming agonizingly close to beating last year’s eventual winner, the Denver Broncos, in spite of playing the game without three All-Pros in Brown, running back Le’Veon Bell and center Maurkice Pouncey. Not to mention, Roethlisberger playing with a badly injured shoulder, and a number of other key players such as DeAngelo Williams were also unavailable to help carry the load.
Fast forward to this season and lost in all the criticism and reasons for the Steelers disappointing first half of the season is an injury bug that has done much to sabotage the team’s Super Bowl aspirations.
Although not as apparent in some ways to last season, a number of injuries have chipped away at the team’s depth and pressed players who may not have been ready for important roles. Sure, there’s something to be said for the next-man-up philosophy, but when players such as B.J. Finney, Jordan Dangerfield, Xavier Grimble, Chris Hubbard, Landry Jones, Cobi Hamilton and Ricardo Mathews have been pressed into starting duties or key roles, the team can’t exactly be expected to be among the AFC’s elite.
The past two weeks have added to the misery. Injuries to wide receivers Darius Heyward-Bey, Markus Wheaton and Sammie Coates have left Roethlisberger scrambling to find continuity beyond Brown among the receiving group, while high-priced free agent Ladarius Green is just getting started trying to fill the considerable void left at tight end after Heath Miller’s retirement. (Green started his first game this season versus the Cowboys after being activated off the PUP list.)
A knee injury to Williams has tested the running back depth, and with the veteran expected to miss four to six weeks, the team will, once again, not have Bell and Williams available at the same time — a common theme over the past two seasons.
The most devastating news might have come Tuesday when the Steelers’ best defensive player Cam Heyward announced he would miss the rest of the season with a torn pectoral muscle. Considering how poor Pittsburgh’s defense has been at times this season, the news couldn’t be worse for the unit.
It’s hard to say whether or not the team can overcome its high volume of injuries. Seemingly, the teams that ultimately win championships are the ones that avoid serious injuries or that find serious ways to overcome them.
For the Steelers, avoiding the injury bug is already a lost cause, so it’s time to find a way to overcome the injuries and win despite of them.
That’ll be the biggest test for the Steelers, who still sit very much in striking distance of a AFC North title thanks to the struggles of the even-more-disappointing Cincinnati Bengals team and a Ravens squad that doesn’t exactly look unbeatable.
If Pittsburgh is going to bounce back, it’ll start with Roethlisberger. The biggest test for him might not be finding a way to win without some of his key weapons but using his position on the team to step up as a leader and get more from his teammates.
As the franchise quarterback with two rings and one of the biggest contracts in the game, it’s about more than gaudy numbers — it’s about being a vocal leader on a team that clearly needs one.
This is a franchise that has often done some of it’s best work when it has its backs to the wall, and there’s no question that’s exactly where Pittsburgh is at the moment. Injuries or not, it’s time for the team to step up, starting against the hapless Browns this Sunday in Cleveland.
If they don’t? We might all be running out of excuses.
Image credit: Patrick Smith/Getty Images
