OT: The Pittsburgher Thread: 2022 Handball season has arrived!

[Pens x]

Im still completely unconcerned about KP. What I am concerned about is Najee. Warren is markedly better. If this offense could run the ball 25-30 times a game, KP would look drastically better. They ran the ball 14 freakin times. This is not an environment for a rookie QB.

Warren needs to start right now. They need to commit to him running the ball.

You have no concerns about Pickett? Have you been watching the games?

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Steelers have given up 43 explosive plays which is most in the league.

I think a huge problem with this team that gets glossed over because of the offense/Canada is the defense being pretty bad.

It’s being called out as well:

Steelers D that promised to dominate now mired in 'dysfunction' after disaster in Philly

There's enough blame to go around for the 2-6 Steelers, but given expectations, the defense has been perhaps the biggest disappointment.

theathletic.com

There is just more noise about the O because it’s been going on for 26 straight games of historical ineptitude.

Having the worst franchise offense in 50 years will grab more headlines.

 

[pistolpete11]

The defense has been terrible, too, but they at least have good games thrown in there with the games they get their teeth kicked in. The offense, though, is week after week after week after week after week....

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Predictability and almost never having a play go more than 3 yards from scrimmage (unless it is third and 15 to 20 yards but more than half the time then too) is the biggest problem among many issues this team faces.

Teams load up the box with zero fears of a long pass burning them. Because you might see one every three games.

Even if they don't connect the simple attempt would loosen things up for the running game and other aspects of the game.

It is the most bewildering part of Canada's brilliant scheme.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

Im still completely unconcerned about KP. What I am concerned about is Najee. Warren is markedly better. If this offense could run the ball 25-30 times a game, KP would look drastically better. They ran the ball 14 freakin times. This is not an environment for a rookie QB.

Warren needs to start right now. They need to commit to him running the ball.

That play in the third where it was a screen, he had like 2 yards to get s first and no one around him. Instead he juked a bunch and ends up getting tackled short of the line, forcing a 4th down. Awful.

 

[Pens x]

Canada said it would take years for the players to learn his system. Trust the process. We will be rolling in 5 years time. You guys just don’t understand his complex schemes. It takes years to learn how to execute a flawless sweep.

Fire Canada now so whoever takes over calling plays has some time to make some tweaks before the New Orleans game.

However, I fully expect the players to go on vacation for the next week, nothing will happen.

How does a franchise stick with Matt Canada right now? It’s baffling, even for a team stuck in the 1970s.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Even former players feel free to say the obvious. You can read between the lines many current players think the same.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Predictability and almost never having a play go more than 3 yards from scrimmage (unless it is third and 15 to 20 yards but more than half the time then too) is the biggest problem among many issues this team faces.

Teams load up the box with zero fears of a long pass burning them. Because you might see one every three games.

Even if they don't connect the simple attempt would loosen things up for the running game and other aspects of the game.

It is the most bewildering part of Canada's brilliant scheme.

Not that I’m surprised as I’ve been harping on this issue for years, but it’s pretty disturbing when a rookie QB has to call out the team’s preparation and lack of film study.

Even Heyward is echoing similar sentiments.

The players have been hinting at coaching issues for weeks, now that rumbling is growing louder with each loss.

KP flat out said what most of us have been saying for well over a year now, “insane to do something over and over and expect something different”.

That’s now Roth, MT and KP all calling out this offense, while the later two were more subtle, Roth has no filter and basically told us Canada was a shitty playcaller.

In all the years I have followed this team, I have never seen anything like this where the problem is so obvious, yet isn’t addressed.

This team should likely be a bottom 12 O, but not a historically bad one that is sitting last in PPG.

 

[Night Shift]

Not that I’m surprised as I’ve been harping on this issue for years, but it’s pretty disturbing when a rookie QB has to call out the team’s preparation and lack of film study.

Even Heyward is echoing similar sentiments.

The players have been hinting at coaching issues for weeks, now that rumbling is growing louder with each loss.

KP flat out said what most of us have been saying for well over a year now, “insane to do something over and over and expect something different”.

That’s now Roth, MT and KP all calling out this offense, while the later two were more subtle, Roth has no filter and basically told us Canada was a shitty playcaller.

In all the years I have followed this team, I have never seen anything like this where the problem is so obvious, yet isn’t addressed.

This team should likely be a bottom 12 O, but not a historically bad one that is sitting last in PPG.

How about when he was asked if he was going to make adjustments at half-time, Tomlin said "no we just have to play better" lol.

16 years later I'm still trying to figure out what exactly he does.

 

[Colonel Mustard]

Canada said it would take years for the players to learn his system. Trust the process. We will be rolling in 5 years time. You guys just don’t understand his complex schemes. It takes years to learn how to execute a flawless sweep.

Fire Canada now so whoever takes over calling plays has some time to make some tweaks before the New Orleans game.

However, I fully expect the players to go on vacation for the next week, nothing will happen.

How does a franchise stick with Matt Canada right now? It’s baffling, even for a team stuck in the 1970s.

Sounds like a snake oil salesman

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

First it was Roth’s fault because he was too old and slow to run this super awesome O… funny how the offense with the same personnel scored points when Roth called the plays - quite curious.

I'd argue the offense surrounding the QB is BETTER than last year.

WR - better with the Pickens add
Oline- much better pass blockers. Run blocking probably on par
RB - Warren is as good as Harris was last year. Too bad they don't let him touch the ball
TE - probably a wash.

So why is the offense REGRESSING?

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I'd argue the offense surrounding the QB is BETTER than last year.

WR - better with the Pickens add
Oline- much better pass blockers. Run blocking probably on par
RB - Warren is as good as Harris was last year. Too bad they don't let him touch the ball
TE - probably a wash.

So why is the offense REGRESSING?

This should be a mediocre O, nothing that scares other teams, but they should be competent.

They can’t even f***ing line up right, let alone play a game of chess with the other teams DC.

It’s like watching Jeff Spicoli vs Mangus Carlsen every week.

It’s mind boggling this is going on still after 26 games.

 

[Pens x]

I'd argue the offense surrounding the QB is BETTER than last year.

WR - better with the Pickens add
Oline- much better pass blockers. Run blocking probably on par
RB - Warren is as good as Harris was last year. Too bad they don't let him touch the ball
TE - probably a wash.

So why is the offense REGRESSING?

Noodle arm Ben > Kenny Pickett

 

[Goalie_Bob]

Ofcourse Ben is better. He is/was a 18 year veteran who knew how to read defenses at the pro level.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Make no mistake. Even well coached this is at best a seven or eight win team. There are many flaws and holes.

Perhaps the crappy coaching is doing them a favor as they were going no where anyways this year.

It still is infuriating to watch.

The announcers of last night's game were even calling out the offense for not going down field.

 

[Son Goku]

Ofcourse Ben is better. He is/was a 18 year veteran who knew how to read defenses at the pro level.

18 year veteran with an undeniable 1st ballot hall of fame resume and top five and top 3 all time in some VERY important QB statistics. The comparison is laughable. I swear Ben is the most underrated QB ever.

 

[pistolpete11]

I'd argue the offense surrounding the QB is BETTER than last year.

WR - better with the Pickens add
Oline- much better pass blockers. Run blocking probably on par
RB - Warren is as good as Harris was last year. Too bad they don't let him touch the ball
TE - probably a wash.

So why is the offense REGRESSING?

Because they don't have Ben calling the plays in the last few minutes of the game to obscure how bad the offense really is.

I know! Fire Canada and hire Ben as the OC!

 

[TimmyD]

Firing Matt Canada isn’t going to fix anything…because they are simply going to just hand everything over to Mike Sullivan if that happens and Tomlin will still have his input in the offense. It’s not going to be something new that’s going to really spark anything

 

[xlm34]

Firing Matt Canada isn’t going to fix anything…because they are simply going to just hand everything over to Mike Sullivan if that happens and Tomlin will still have his input in the offense. It’s not going to be something new that’s going to really spark anything

This is probably true and it’s my biggest reason for wanting to wait until the offseason.

Does Matt Canada deserve to have a job now? Nope. Is Mike Sullivan the guy that’s going to come in and improve things? Very likely nope. He may be a fine QB coach but we know he isn’t a good OC. Your players will probably get an adrenaline boost just because of a coaching change. But then you run the risk of Tomlin mistaking addition by subtraction with Sullivan actually being competent and keeping him around long term.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Firing Matt Canada isn’t going to fix anything…because they are simply going to just hand everything over to Mike Sullivan if that happens and Tomlin will still have his input in the offense. It’s not going to be something new that’s going to really spark anything

That is exactly what this org needs to happen, because Sullivan is a crap OC as well.

Tomlin needs to be forced into hiring externally and both Canada and Sullivan being exposed in the same season puts the heat on Tomlin to stop hiring his cronies.

 

[Goalie_Bob]

Mike Sullivan has been a an OC in the NFL and his teams have been half decent at being an offense. I think the three years between the Bucs and Giants his offense was top 15-20.

Play calling is an art form. The offense could stay the same and he could find a good rhythm and call a better game. So it could fix some of the offense.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

It’s being called out as well:

Steelers D that promised to dominate now mired in 'dysfunction' after disaster in Philly

There's enough blame to go around for the 2-6 Steelers, but given expectations, the defense has been perhaps the biggest disappointment.

theathletic.com

There is just more noise about the O because it’s been going on for 26 straight games of historical ineptitude.

Having the worst franchise offense in 50 years will grab more headlines.

The defense has been terrible, too, but they at least have good games thrown in there with the games they get their teeth kicked in. The offense, though, is week after week after week after week after week....

I mean the O is worse than the defense and it’s wild to say- but it’s an offensive league now, so a bad offense is more crippling than a bad D.

But I guess I’m saying this team is not going to suddenly be solid if the offense becomes capable. If this team wants to win games next year the offense has to be legitimately good, not just ball control/game management. This is not an elite defense, nor does Watt make it one.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

18 year veteran with an undeniable 1st ballot hall of fame resume and top five and top 3 all time in some VERY important QB statistics. The comparison is laughable. I swear Ben is the most underrated QB ever.

Many delusional fans who beat up on Roth are now finding out life without a HOF QB is ugly - and their drama as easily predicted, is being taken out on KP, who hasn’t solved their offensive woes after 4.5 starts.

It’s clown shoes stuff, but every QB to come through Pgh gets hated on. It’s inescapable.

The stupidity and hate for Roth and MR is now landing on KP.

Watching these fans contort themselves into so much drama when they thought ridding the team of Roth was the big answer, has been oddly amusing for me.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

I mean the O is worse than the defense and it’s wild to say- but it’s an offensive league now, so a bad offense is more crippling than a bad D.

But I guess I’m saying this team is not going to suddenly be solid if the offense becomes capable. If this team wants to win games next year the offense has to be legitimately good, not just ball control/game management. This is not an elite defense, nor does Watt make it one.

This is a poorly coached football team that has ignored the trenches for years.

There is no Band-Aid Ben around anymore, so Tomlin and the fans are all finding out together that coaching and competence matters when you have no one left riding in on a white horse.

Many fans aren’t handling it well, and I’m not just talking about in our little corner here.

The Steelers don’t run well, can’t stop the run, can’t stop the pass, don’t pass block well and their special teams are whatever.

But KP should fix it all!

He just needs a magic wand is all.

Delusional fans.

 

[NewAgeOutlaw]

I want Kenny to succeed as much as anybody, but the Pitt fans (online/media figures in general, the football discussion is good here) who are also Steelers fans are absolutely insufferable when it comes to Pickett.

On a local level instead of national, it is without a doubt the most cultish devotion to a qb since Tebowmania (not saying they are remotely comparable talents in any fashion).

I'm not going to write off any offensive player on the team until changes are made, but I also have 0 trust in the organization to develop any of these guys even with Canada gone.