The Pittsburgh Steelers lost a game yesterday taking their record to a dismal 5-8 on the season. This will be the second consecutive season that the Steelers will finish with a non winning record and unless a miracle occurs, will also miss the playoffs for a second straight year. Inexcusable is a word that comes to mind when thinking of the season Steelers’ players have had to endure as Pittsburgh has been out-coached most of the year.
The Proof is in the pudding
Mike Tomlin has been a great coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unfortunately, Tomlin has lost control of this team as it became very evident once again in a disappointing loss. Tomlin’s lack of leadership on the sidelines saw the Steelers completely abandon the running game, make questionable decisions and poor clock management throughout the game.
Chew the clock mentality
With the Steelers leading 28-24 in the fourth quarter against a team ranked 25th in rush defense, the Steelers’ play-calls saw five passing plays one possession and four passing plays on the next possession. People continuously call for Haley’s head during this matter and while I agree that his preparation and play calling this year has been average at best, Tomlin at the end of the day is the head coach of this football team.
His pedigree is very evident
Ben Roethlisberger has been an absolute field general for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Playing with a make-shift offensive line most of the season, Roethlisberger continues to put up impressive numbers that will almost certainly lead him to another Pro-Bowl selection and further cement his name as the best quarterback in Steelers’ history.
Big Ben is due to make $18 million in 2014 and 23 million in 2015 due to the Steelers restructuring his contract three times over the course of his eight-year contract. The Steelers will be negotiating a contract extension for No. 7 during the offseason to keep him here till he retires. Unfortunately for the Steelers, the front office is staring straight down the barrel of a salary cap dilemma at the end of the season. Roethlisberger has every right to ask or demand a contract that pays him $20 million a year for the next five years. In my opinion, Roethlisberger is the only player on this team that is deserving of
this type of money and respect.
Sooner or later, the dam will break
With that in mind, it appears as if the time has come for certain veterans to take serious pay cuts or simply be released. These decisions are never easy but at the end of the day, fans root for the logo, the name of the team, not the name on the back of the jersey. There are seven players on the Steelers roster that total $84 million; Roethlisberger $17.8 million, LaMarr Woodley $13,590,000, Ike Taylor $11,942,000, Lawrence Timmons $11,816,000, $Troy Polamalu $10,887,500, Heath Miller $9,466,500 and Antonio Brown $8,47,000.
Furthermore, that leaves approximately $40 million for the remaining roster, which is completely ridiculous and yet makes perfect sense as to why the Steelers have struggled so mightily the last couple of years.
Have an opportunity to put their hand in the pile
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, cuts will be made after the 2013 season, it simply has to happen for this organization to turn the corner and bring the next man up. The Steelers must go through a rebuilding phase and it will take one possibly two seasons in order to become competitive again. However, every team in every sport goes through the same cycle.
