Pickens would not have had this success here

[SteelerFan448]

Fichtner got Ben when he was washed. Canada...is Canada. Smith has not been given anything but hot garbage after Metcalf. Not saying Tomlin gets plenty of blame for his meddling, but let's keep it real.

Slow down. All I heard all offseason and during the season is Smith doesn't need a WR2 and that TEs can fill that role. He was supposedly instrumental in wanting to get Jonnu Smith here.

 

[Gildong Sack]

Slow down. All I heard all offseason and during the season is Smith doesn't need a WR2 and that TEs can fill that role. He was supposedly instrumental in wanting to get Jonnu Smith here.

Hot garbage in the WR role....

 

[jitter77]

Hot garbage in the WR role....

Wilson was open a few times, we don't use Warren enough in the passing game, we don't stick with the hot hand at TE. WR2 is not the major issue. The major issue is not utilizing or gameplanning for what we have

 

[slashsteel]

Wilson was open a few times, we don't use Warren enough in the passing game, we don't stick with the hot hand at TE. WR2 is not the major issue. The major issue is not utilizing or gameplanning for what we have

Coaching. As I said they can’t X and O their way out of a paper bag. They can rah rah the talent coming off embarrassing, perhaps they will show well with Buffalo. But a rah rah will only get you so far.

 

[Ironcitysteelers]

Seemed he had another **** day

 

[KentuckySteeler]

Pickens puts the finishing touches on the absolute embarassment that Tomlin ball is.

 

[Ironcitysteelers]

9/9 for 146 and a score.

 

[FordFairLane]

9/9 for 146 and a score.

We went from needing a #WR2 to needing a #WR1. Watching DK is just cringe. He’s not half the receiver George is.

 

[SteelerFan448]

Pickens has his 17 games of stats in Pittsburgh in just 11 games with Dallas. The QB and offense make a huge difference. His talent was completely wasted here.

 

[slashsteel]

Pickens has his 17 games of stats in Pittsburgh in just 11 games with Dallas. The QB and offense make a huge difference. His talent was completely wasted here.

I also like Dak more than most. I liked him in college and the Steelers showed interest in him way back when. But they have a better WR corps and less schematic restrictions .

 

[bigben]

Again: things are not that simple. He only played with Njigba for two years. In 23 he had a rib bruise injury that caused him to miss 1 game and he was active after that , but probably not 100% for a few games. In 24 he had an MCL that caused him to miss two games..again probably not 100% till a few more weeks after that.

Njigba has Darnold throwing to him now not Geno Smith...in fact DK did not like Smith at all. The feeling was mutual according to Seahawks players speaking off the record. How much did that play into their on field relationship?

How much did the complete change of regime from Carroll to MacDonald affect DK as far as scheme and philosophy? DK had been requesting a trade for a few years before the regime change, how did that affect the dynamic?



Stats are like a bikini as the saying goes.....

22 yards son

 

[Djfan]

 

[Coryea]

Which WR/TE can get open, consistently, and catch over the middle???

A friend wants to know.

Don't know, they never run routes over the middle. Tomlin has a huge say in those WR/TE traded for Metcalf and Smith, drafted Mt. Washington and Pat

 

[Coryea]

Fichtner got Ben when he was washed. Canada...is Canada. Smith has not been given anything but hot garbage after Metcalf. Not saying Tomlin is innocent in all this he gets plenty of blame for his meddling, but let's keep it real.

Ben threw 55 TD's his final two season, that's not horrible. All hired by Tomlin because they'll do what he says is the biggest point. You say Fichtner got a washed Ben, can you name that Oline Tomlin put together in front of that washed QB, to go along with a rookie TE, rookie RB and Dionte, Chase, and Ray-Ray?
Fichtner was Tomlins first hire in 2007, and are good friends that coached together in College.
Canada recruited Tomlins son to Maryland enough said
Smith ultra conservative OC

 

[jitter77]

We went from needing a #WR2 to needing a #WR1. Watching DK is just cringe. He’s not half the receiver George is.

when Pickens was here people said he was not a #1 either.... coaching / scheme matters. There were 0 passes in the middle of the field with the bears missing 4-5 LBs let that sink in

 

[diver]

That game yesterday may have pisssed me off more than any game in a long time. I was gonna go pheasant hunt, but I liked what I was seeing early, and damn it, it sucked me in. The blocking was looking good for example, they looked like they had a good plan. But the Bears realized the Steelers will not throw intermediate routes, sat on the short stuff and that was it. So frustrating to watch. And then to see Pickens later.

Look, I am wrong. I know the Steeler coaching is a huge problem, but I was thinking Pickens just won't listen to anybody. Even Steeler players were tired of his crap. But I had an epiphany realizing as good as TJ Watt or Cam Heyward have been, they have no idea how to win anything of importance in this league, so what do they know? But the tone of this thread...if they just would have given him what he wanted he'd have been fine...none of us would do that with our kids. That bothered me. But man, it sure looks like a colossal mistake. So I have been wrong. This organization needs a reset so bad, everything they touch right now turns to shiit.

 

[FAB802]

I also like Dak more than most. I liked him in college and the Steelers showed interest in him way back when. But they have a better WR corps and less schematic restrictions .

THIS. End of debate. We could have prime Jerry Rice, and he would be middling on this team. The Rooney's are good with collecting dollars at this point. Mike Tomlin is the problem. Coordinators and players come and go, the conservative game plans, the inability to make ANY adjustments in game have all been here for his entire run.

His bullshit no losing seasons thing is a joke. I'll tune in to start every game the rest of the regular season this year, that's where our season will end. I can't wish for them to lose out, if that meant that it got blown up from the top down, then sure. It wouldn't happen anyways, so, I can watch them do absolutely nothing to fix it, again.

 

[Coryea]

That game yesterday may have pisssed me off more than any game in a long time. I was gonna go pheasant hunt, but I liked what I was seeing early, and damn it, it sucked me in. The blocking was looking good for example, they looked like they had a good plan. But the Bears realized the Steelers will not throw intermediate routes, sat on the short stuff and that was it. So frustrating to watch. And then to see Pickens later.

Look, I am wrong. I know the Steeler coaching is a huge problem, but I was thinking Pickens just won't listen to anybody. Even Steeler players were tired of his crap. But I had an epiphany realizing as good as TJ Watt or Cam Heyward have been, they have no idea how to win anything of importance in this league, so what do they know? But the tone of this thread...if they just would have given him what he wanted he'd have been fine...none of us would do that with our kids. That bothered me. But man, it sure looks like a colossal mistake. So I have been wrong. This organization needs a reset so bad, everything they touch right now turns to shiit.

You're not wrong, Pickens is just playing in a legit NFL offense now, this isn't a legit offense, it's elementary. Someone on twitter or X I guess, showed the route tree Pickens ran here comparted to what he's running in Dallas and the difference is huge. Pickens here would not be putting up anything near what he's doing in Dallas because the scheme and HC wouldn't allow it. Pickens is obviously more talented than anyone we have now, I think everyone knew that last season.
Everyone thought Rodgers wouldn't put up with Tomlin's conservative crap, but Rodgers is afraid to get hit so he's buying into it, that's why he's averaging only 200 ypg passing.

 

[FordFairLane]

when Pickens was here people said he was not a #1 either.... coaching / scheme matters. There were 0 passes in the middle of the field with the bears missing 4-5 LBs let that sink in

Some people said he wasn’t a number 1 wide receiver. Coaching and scheme and quarterback play all matters. George with Kenny Pickett in 2023 had 1,140 yards. George in 2024 missing 3 games and injured 4 still had 900 yards. If you look at the 6 games prior the injury he averaged 81.2 yards a game. That would have worked out to nearly 1,400 yards in a 17 game season. In 2023 in the last three games under Mason he averaged 108.7. I think with Aaron and Mason he would have been more productive than under Justin and Russ. No way to be certain but I would assume most think our QB situation this year is better than the last couple.

 

[Gildong Sack]

Ben threw 55 TD's his final two season, that's not horrible. All hired by Tomlin because they'll do what he says is the biggest point. You say Fichtner got a washed Ben, can you name that Oline Tomlin put together in front of that washed QB, to go along with a rookie TE, rookie RB and Dionte, Chase, and Ray-Ray?
Fichtner was Tomlins first hire in 2007, and are good friends that coached together in College.
Canada recruited Tomlins son to Maryland enough said
Smith ultra conservative OC

Again with the stats...I can throw a shovel pass for a half yard on a jet sweep and if the guy scores I get credited for a passing TD. I can throw a 2 yard pass to the flat at the 8 yard line that the RB scores on and I get credited for a TD.

He had a noodle arm at that point. He couldn't make all the throws he could before, that's what I look at. Not dismissing stats, but again: they are not the whole picture. Ben was a "sandlot" guy who was coached up(mainly by Haley) to be a better pocket passer.

Once his legs were not what they once were his flaws glaringly showed up. That's why after watching SB 45( I know he could still move/run well then) I stated on this forum " We will never win a SB again with Ben at QB" That statement held up until his retirement. Do other things come into play in that equation? Of course they do, but it became obvious to me that the flaws in his game and team politics would allow the status quo to continue as it put azzes in seats and kept fools believing.

Much like Mike Tomlin gets credit for "853 non losing seasons"...what none of the sports talking heads will ever mention is that Ben had a lot to do with getting those season records...

No one will also mention that a lot of the " Won a SB with Cowher's team...can't do it on his own." blame that Tomlin gets....well Ben had a lot to do with that as well. Shall we discuss regular season and playoff **** the bed moments with Ben, or the flaws in his game?

You see those same politics at work with " Let's get DK and Aaron in here and that will be enough.... we can pass on a #2" It's the same ol same ol. They did Ben the same way.

To everyone in the Steeler fanbase it's blatantly obvious if I say " We will never win a SB with Mike Tomlin as coach" that this is a true statement....when I said what I said in 2011 about Ben I got flamed to a crisp here and on facebook...it turned out to be as right as what I just wrote about Tomlin.

So I'll say what i said then: enjoy the games, expect nothing because it's how this organization is built under the current regime. Until Tomlin is gone and Art 2 moves on and let's someone else with desire for excellence run things, it's all just smoke and mirrors.

Mediocrity is the standard.

 

[Gildong Sack]

22 yards son

Can't get yards if they don't throw the ball to you ,right? Or, they under throw it so bad you can't slow down quickly enough to climb over the DB to get it.

LOL...critical thinking...what's that?

And I'm 60 years young...so unless you are 90 I wouldn't be calling anyone son.

 

[Phoenix1172]

The Cowboys got the better end of the Pickens trade, times 100. Tomlin should get more heat for not being able to control these types of players better before things get critical. Like with AB, he can't reign in the behavior before it becomes a problem they can't come back from.

Pickens is having an all pro year with the Cowboys and will be laughing all the way to the bank and thankful he got out from under Tomlin before it was too late. Had he played for the Steelers this year, he'd probably have half the receiving yards he has now (probably a lot less) and maybe one TD. He'd also be constantly a malcontent in the locker room and on the field due to not getting the ball. It will only be a matter of time before DK starts to AJ Brown the team out of frustration as well.

Seeing the Cowboys get one over on the Steelers makes it even more painful.

 

[Coryea]

Again with the stats...I can throw a shovel pass for a half yard on a jet sweep and if the guy scores I get credited for a passing TD. I can throw a 2 yard pass to the flat at the 8 yard line that the RB scores on and I get credited for a TD.

He had a noodle arm at that point. He couldn't make all the throws he could before, that's what I look at. Not dismissing stats, but again: they are not the whole picture. Ben was a "sandlot" guy who was coached up(mainly by Haley) to be a better pocket passer.

Once his legs were not what they once were his flaws glaringly showed up. That's why after watching SB 45( I know he could still move/run well then) I stated on this forum " We will never win a SB again with Ben at QB" That statement held up until his retirement. Do other things come into play in that equation? Of course they do, but it became obvious to me that the flaws in his game and team politics would allow the status quo to continue as it put azzes in seats and kept fools believing.

Much like Mike Tomlin gets credit for "853 non losing seasons"...what none of the sports talking heads will ever mention is that Ben had a lot to do with getting those season records...

No one will also mention that a lot of the " Won a SB with Cowher's team...can't do it on his own." blame that Tomlin gets....well Ben had a lot to do with that as well. Shall we discuss regular season and playoff **** the bed moments with Ben, or the flaws in his game?

You see those same politics at work with " Let's get DK and Aaron in here and that will be enough.... we can pass on a #2" It's the same ol same ol. They did Ben the same way.

To everyone in the Steeler fanbase it's blatantly obvious if I say " We will never win a SB with Mike Tomlin as coach" that this is a true statement....when I said what I said in 2011 about Ben I got flamed to a crisp here and on facebook...it turned out to be as right as what I just wrote about Tomlin.

So I'll say what i said then: enjoy the games, expect nothing because it's how this organization is built under the current regime. Until Tomlin is gone and Art 2 moves on and let's someone else with desire for excellence run things, it's all just smoke and mirrors.

Mediocrity is the standard.

All QB's have poor games, Tom Brady's last pass in NE was a pick 6 in the playoffs vs Tenn. Name a QB that doesn't have those ****the bed moments? No one said Ben didn't have bad games/moments. I'll take the QB that helped us with 2 rings, and his warts. No one is disputing that Ben wasn't what he once was, but the point is he was surrounded with absolute sh!t that Tomlin drafted and brought in and hired. Everyone said Ben was holding Canada back because he didn't want to line up under center or he didn't want to run play fakes and turn his back to the defense, well guess what team either leads the nfl or is right near the bottom in the times they run play fakes and the #of times they line up under Center? That's right The Steelers and Ben and Canada aren't here, guess who is, Tomlin.
Ben has been gone 4 seasons now, what has Tomlin done at the QB position? What has Tomlin done to keep up with the offensive league the NFL has turned into? What has Tomlin done with the highest paid defense for 4 or 5 straight years? None of any of that has anything to do with Ben.
Cowher won playoff games with Neil, Kordell, Tomczak, Maddox, but the Tomlin backers say he shouldn't be expected to win in the post season with what he has at QB.

 

[Phoenix1172]

I think Tomlin is a good guy and has been a good face of the team for two decades. He seems well liked and has been better than average as a coach.

However, I feel it's time for a change. The same issues have plagued this team for years. Poor clock management, team unprepared for big games, team unprepared in games where they are the heavy favorites, lack of developing young in-house talent, lack of a coaching tree, lack of being able to make in-game adjustments and years of an inept offense to name a few (being able to properly challenge a call).

The defense is supposed to be his bread and butter, but, even with the highest paid defense in the league, they have not performed well for a lot of last season and this season. He doesn't seem to have any answers. We know he is the one calling the shots on both sides of the ball.

I'm not saying Tomlin has to be fired, but things need to change. Ownership and the GM need to step in and strip Tomlin of most of his power. The team can do right by him and let him remain the head coach mostly in name only, but he needs to be stripped of most of his personnel and coaching power. The coaching staff needs to be purged while bringing back promising new and younger coaches at the DC and OC level with the power to game plan and call their own plays during the game and hire their own staff.

The team has had a lot of success hiring young and hungry head coaches that had a lot of success over many years (including Tomlin). Maybe it's time to look at who that next young head coach will be. After the season, handcuff Tomlin, then bring in a young new DC and OC to run each side of the ball on their own. Evaluate them for the next couple of years, then promote one once Tomlin's contract is up and he moves on (unless he wants to be traded before).

 

[bigben]

Can't get yards if they don't throw the ball to you ,right? Or, they under throw it so bad you can't slow down quickly enough to climb over the DB to get it.

LOL...critical thinking...what's that?

And I'm 60 years young...so unless you are 90 I wouldn't be calling anyone son.

If DK had the ball skills or athleticism to jump more than 6 inches off the ground or at the very least knock it away like a 5'10 Roman Wilson was able to do?