(Image Credit: Philip G. Pavely/USA Today Sports)
Written by: Nicholas Mullick
Twitter: @NicholasMullick
Well, the time has come as the Pittsbergh Steelers have mathematically been eliminated from the playoffs. I got to say, this team played a lot better in the 2nd half of the season and it again goes to show how great of a coach Mike Tomlin is. Yes I will continue to eat my L’s for wanting him fired years ago. However I would not say the coaching was all great. Whoops Spoilers. But there are still reasons as to why this team did not make the playoffs and as always I will give 3 main reasons as to why that is the case.
1. The Offensive Tackles are terrible
I like what the Steelers did on the offensive line and there are improvements on the interior offensive line for sure. However that is not the case at tackle as there are a lot of issues blocking wise. I questioned this move when it was made, why did this team re-sign Chukwuma Okorafor to a 3 year 29.25 million dollar contract? Especially when he was mediocre throughout his career and this year he regressed. That contract has two years left on it and I think the Steelers definitely regret singing him to it with how he played. They had to move him to right tackle with how bad he played as a blindside blocker. Dan Moore, who they used a 4th round pick on, was mediocre and is still raw as a blocker and will likely need an offseason to clean up his issues. The rest did not impress at all. The Steelers need to give Pickett more time in the pocket and to look after his blindside. Okorafor and Moore have not impressed in the role and it would be wise for the Steelers to now invest in the offensive tackle position in the offseason.
2. The Defense is only Three Superstar Players
Look before you come after me, the Steelers defense performed very well the second half of the season, however in the first half they were awful. The main reason why is that the Steelers defense is held by three players, DT Cameron Heyawrd, DE/EDGE TJ Watt and S Minkah Fitzpatrick. Once Fitzpatrick and Watt were injured for the 1st half of the season this defense got heavily exposed. Luckily Heyward’s injuries were minor and he did a solid job holding up the defensive line, but this needs to be a wakeup call. Especially as once Watt and Fitzpatrick were injured nobody stepped up to the plate excluding DE/EDGE Alex Highsmith. I got to say, the Steelers really have something in Highsmith as he looked great most of this season. However the linebacking core is terrible and they desperately need to get a cornerback this season.
3. Terrible Coaching Coordinator wise.
You really thought I was going to go back to my old ways wondering why Mike Tomlin is still the head coach did you. Nope, but one thing is for sure, the Pittsburgh Steelers coordinator wise are poorly coached. Especially with offensive coordinator Matt Canada who is one of the worst offensive coordinators in the league. WIth how much talent this offense has, it has been poorly run with the strange playcalling, awful schemes and it is clear the Steelers players are not fans of Canada. Remember when Chris Boswell openly called out Canada for being useless if not here is that clip below.
Now there have been rumors of the Steelers firing Matt Canada once this season, but here is the thing I highly doubt that. After all it is not the “Steelers Way” as they never fire coaches. They either retire, or conveniently let their contracts expire. Why do you think Danny Smith is still here as he is an overrated special teams coach. I was shocked earlier in the season when I found out that he was still here as the Special Teams coach. The only coordinator I would keep is Teryl Austin and while he is not the greatest coordinator, he did a solid job holding the defense together when their two best players DE/EDGE TJ Watt and S Minkah Fitzpatrick were injured. One thing is for sure Canada and Smith have got to go from there roles once this season is over. Will the Steelers do the right thing letting them go, or yet again throw away another season due to their inability to move away from the “Steelers Way”.
On The Bright Side - I like what I am seeing from Kenny Pickett
One of the big question marks that many had entering the season was how Kenny Pickett’s development will be this year. I am glad to say that this year has been a thumbs up year for Pickett. He has transformed well into a good quarterback in the NFL. He has shown great footwork, awareness, adaptability in pressure and with his ball placement.
Is there work that still needs to be done, absolutely. Statistically he has not been that great with the TD-INT ratio. There is a lot more good I saw than bad. Keep in mind he is making these plays with terrible coaching with Matt Canada as the offensive coordinator. Imagine if Pickett had a really good offensive coordinator, the Steelers would probably have made the playoffs. It is amazing to see the Steelers actually have a non cancerous quarterback on the decline starting nowadays. I am interested to see how he does in his second season in the NFL. I trust Mike Tomlin, but they have to get rid of Matt Canada once the season is over. Knowing this organization, unless his contract has conveniently expired he will probably be back. The future is bright for the Steelers with Pickett at QB.