Was Steelers 2018 Blown in the Offseason?

[21STEELERS21]

I put a lot of the blame for 2018 on Colbert. The Bell situation was largely his fault. If you were going to tag him again, it seems
like it would have made sense to non-exclusive tag him so he could see his market value. If someone was willing to pay him, take
the draft picks. If nobody was wiling to pay Bell, maybe he realizes Steelers were offering fair deal.

We knew at the end of last year, we needed to replace Shazier and improve our secondary and neither happened.

He made a decent trade to unload M. Bryant, but he did not acquire an experienced receiver to replace him.

I realize hindsight is 20/20, but just think of what might have been if Steelers took best ILB player available with 1st pick,
Darius Leonard, improved secondary with #2 pick, and signed a #3 type receiver like John Brown, plus having a couple
picks from Bell leaving, plus cap space for another improvement or two.

2019 will just be a replay of 2018. Make the right offseason moves and this is a championship caliber team, don't and it should be
Colbert's last year.

 

[wig]

I think at the time the tag was put out there, the team officials truly believed they were close to getting a deal done with Bell. And it was HIGHLY likely somebody would have snatched him up if he was unrestricted. Now that he's had a year to show his true colors, I suspect he'll get less love than he expects. Indeed I will be SHOCKED if anyone offers him his 17$ million for 5 years. I expect the Raiders will offer the best money, but even THEY would be insane to guarantee 85 million.

I agree it was a poor choice to essentially punt on the Shazier issue.

I would say Switzer was a reasonable replacement for Bryant in that he produced more yards and catches than Bryant did the year before. So I'll give him a thumbs up for that for basically torpedo'ing the Raiders with the offload and getting a prospect QB in return.

Sadly, I have pretty much lost faith in the F.O. in terms of their ability to draft anyone on the defensive side of the ball that can make a real impact, much less in their first year, much less at the 20th spot or so where the Steelers will be drafting.

 

[steelhurt]

I think the 2018 season failure was made up of the following:

Poor clock management.
Poor challenges.
Poor defensive scheme.
Too many blown fourth quarter leads.
Interceptions especially in the red zone.
Poor coaching from the head coach, defensive coach and special teams.
Terrible special teams play.
Horrible FG misses costing s a coupe games.
Players mis-managed namely AB.
Covering the other teams best receiver with slow LB'ers
Rushing only two DL.
Abandoning the running game far too early.
Very,very questionable and downright missed calls by officials.

There is more but I'm tired of typing but thats why we're sitting at home this year.

As far as LevBell, he was offered a great contract that would have made him the highest paid RB in the NFL. Of course he wanted more guaranteed money which was the issue, not the dollar amount or length. The Steelers' way is never guaranteeing money beyond the first year unless you're name is Ben. We could not trade him since he never signed his franchise tag so don't know where the multiple picks would come from. Yeah in hindsight I suppose the exclusive tag would have been better but I truly believe Art II and Colbert didn't think they needed to use the transition tag and that they could have signed him.

 

[Coryea]

Well I'm sure if everyone knew Leonard would be that good, he would've been taken in round 1 before us.

Fact is the defense gave up 5 4th quarter leads, gave up 14 points or more in the 4th quarter in 4 games, and gave up 18 points to the Chargers, that's why we are where we are. Fix the damn defense or learn how to make damn adjustments and we are fighting for a 1st round bye.

 

[bigtwnvin]

I put a lot of the blame for 2018 on Colbert. The Bell situation was largely his fault. If you were going to tag him again, it seems
like it would have made sense to non-exclusive tag him so he could see his market value. If someone was willing to pay him, take
the draft picks. If nobody was wiling to pay Bell, maybe he realizes Steelers were offering fair deal.

We knew at the end of last year, we needed to replace Shazier and improve our secondary and neither happened.

He made a decent trade to unload M. Bryant, but he did not acquire an experienced receiver to replace him.

I realize hindsight is 20/20, but just think of what might have been if Steelers took best ILB player available with 1st pick,
Darius Leonard, improved secondary with #2 pick, and signed a #3 type receiver like John Brown, plus having a couple
picks from Bell leaving, plus cap space for another improvement or two.

2019 will just be a replay of 2018. Make the right offseason moves and this is a championship caliber team, don't and it should be
Colbert's last year.

You can't really assess the FO accountability with respect to the Me'Veon debacle until Bell signs with another team and the details of that agreement are made public.
I'm of the opinion the Steelers offer was close but Bell simply chose to be a greedy jagoff and jerk the ownership and his teammates off.

 

[Coryea]

You can't really assess the FO accountability with respect to the Me'Veon debacle until Bell signs with another team and the details of that agreement are made public.
I'm of the opinion the Steelers offer was close but Bell simply chose to be a greedy jagoff and jerk the ownership and his teammates off.

Yep, I think they thought they were close, and he told teammates and possible the front office that he'd be there week 1. I know he told teammates that.

 

[Steelworth]

Well I'm sure if everyone knew Leonard would be that good, he would've been taken in round 1 before us.

Fact is the defense gave up 5 4th quarter leads, gave up 14 points or more in the 4th quarter in 4 games, and gave up 18 points to the Chargers, that's why we are where we are. Fix the damn defense or learn how to make damn adjustments and we are fighting for a 1st round bye.

Bingo.

 

[DBS1970]

It was the same thing this year as it is every year with Tomlin coached teams. We look past opponents and this leads to losses to sub caliber teams. The tie with Cleveland set the tone for the season. But hey Mikey Sunglasses stacks up another season with more wins than losses so he will keep his job and we will deal with the same things next year.

 

[Spike]

I still blame that FAKE PUNT!

we be in the playoffs if not for that FAKE PUNT

FIRE TOMLIN! Yes, just because of that one play, yes im still mad

 

[BAS]

Well I'm sure if everyone knew Leonard would be that good, he would've been taken in round 1 before us.

Fact is the defense gave up 5 4th quarter leads, gave up 14 points or more in the 4th quarter in 4 games, and gave up 18 points to the Chargers, that's why we are where we are. Fix the damn defense or learn how to make damn adjustments and we are fighting for a 1st round bye.

As much as the defense giving up leads in the second half... you fail to mention how in several of those games, the Offense couldn't extend their lead by scoring in the second half.

Raiders -- 0pts in 3rd, 7pts in 4th
Broncos -- 7pts in 3rd, 0pts in 3rd
Chargers -- 0pts in 3rd, 7pts in 4th
Ravens -- 0pts in 3rd, 0pts in 4th

The Chiefs game was competitive, and the Browns game tie was just ridiculous. And yeah, having a kicker that's blowing FGs that could have won the game contributed, but don't act as if the Offense wasn't culpable in those 2nd half collapses.

 

[Coryea]

As much as the defense giving up leads in the second half... you fail to mention how in several of those games, the Offense couldn't extend their lead by scoring in the second half.

Raiders -- 0pts in 3rd, 7pts in 4th
Broncos -- 7pts in 3rd, 0pts in 3rd
Chargers -- 0pts in 3rd, 7pts in 4th
Ravens -- 0pts in 3rd, 0pts in 4th

The Chiefs game was competitive, and the Browns game tie was just ridiculous. And yeah, having a kicker that's blowing FGs that could have won the game contributed, but don't act as if the Offense wasn't culpable in those 2nd half collapses.

somewhat true, but if we built a double digit lead, then that means the defense must've been doing something right. If we expect the offense to keep scoring, isn't it fair to expect the defense to keep making stops?
Alot of that has to do with going conservative once we get these leads, like NO, we trot our Riddley who hasn't touched the ball, go bigs against the #1 run defense in football, instead of stuck with what was working.

I don't care what the offense does, you can't be giving up double digit points in the 4th quarter, what do coaches always say, stop the run, make them one dimensional, well if they are down double digits in the 4th, they are going to be one dimensional, we see how that works out.

That also points to one team making adjustments, and the other not. I'll let you decide which team obviously made them, and which one didn't.

 

[6Lombardis]

Yep, I think they thought they were close, and he told teammates and possible the front office that he'd be there week 1. I know he told teammates that.

He told the Whole world he’d be there “best season ever”. He screwed the Steelers. 14 million which could have been used to help this team,.

 

[Tibs]

I look at the Steelers demise these past two years boiling down to a couple of basic things:

1. The loss of Shazier as the lynchpin in the entire defensive scheme was never adequately addressed. He was never replaced with a player that came even 50% close to his abilities. And when that became clear, the defensive scheme wasn't adjusted accordingly, hence having lumbering Bostic/VWill trying to cover backs, TE''s and, gulp, some of the fastest, best WR's in the game.
2. The situation with Bell was botched the entire way through. They held out hope waaaay to long that the situation could be fixed and they'd get him back in the fold. The longer it dragged on, the less bargaining power they had to move him. I think in general terms the front office was entirely naive in dealing with Bell and his agent, and failed miserably in reading the tea leaves as far as their true intentions.

As for the rest, I'll cherry pick from steelhurt's list, as far as the most obvious ****-ups:

Poor clock management.
Poor challenges.
Poor defensive scheme.
Too many blown fourth quarter leads.
Interceptions especially in the red zone.
Terrible special teams play.
Horrible FG misses costing a couple games.
Abandoning the running game far too early.
Very, very questionable and downright missed calls by officials.

The way I look at it, I agree with Ben the Steelers window is not closed. The decisions made these next few weeks with - hopefully - retooling the coaching staff, learning from their mistakes w Bell and making a bold move with AB, and being aggressive in FA can result in a team that could very well be in the hunt next season. The draft as always will be critical as well, but that goes without saying.

 

[Black & Gold Bleeder]

Bell Was not the reason this season Blew.

 

[slashsteel]

I look at the Steelers demise these past two years boiling down to a couple of basic things:

1. The loss of Shazier as the lynchpin in the entire defensive scheme was never adequately addressed. He was never replaced with a player that came even 50% close to his abilities. And when that became clear, the defensive scheme wasn't adjusted accordingly, hence having lumbering Bostic/VWill trying to cover backs, TE''s and, gulp, some of the fastest, best WR's in the game.
2. The situation with Bell was botched the entire way through. They held out hope waaaay to long that the situation could be fixed and they'd get him back in the fold. The longer it dragged on, the less bargaining power they had to move him. I think in general terms the front office was entirely naive in dealing with Bell and his agent, and failed miserably in reading the tea leaves as far as their true intentions.

As for the rest, I'll cherry pick from steelhurt's list, as far as the most obvious ****-ups:

Poor clock management.
Poor challenges.
Poor defensive scheme.
Too many blown fourth quarter leads.
Interceptions especially in the red zone.
Terrible special teams play.
Horrible FG misses costing a couple games.
Abandoning the running game far too early.
Very, very questionable and downright missed calls by officials.

The way I look at it, I agree with Ben the Steelers window is not closed. The decisions made these next few weeks with - hopefully - retooling the coaching staff, learning from their mistakes w Bell and making a bold move with AB, and being aggressive in FA can result in a team that could very well be in the hunt next season. The draft as always will be critical as well, but that goes without saying.

Problem is some of those problems comes from a coach, that won't be retooled.

Resulting in a continuing pattern.

 

[Tibs]

Bell Was not the reason this season Blew.

Maybe not, but no doubt it set the team back, to let arguably the best back in the NFL hold you hostage for months on end, only to walk away. I think if they were more aggressive early on, once Bell rejected their offer, they could have garnered players & picks in return, which ultimately could have helped. As of now, we're left with hoping for a comp pick, but there's little certainly with that.

 

[slashsteel]

Maybe not, but no doubt it set the team back, to let arguably the best back in the NFL hold you hostage for months on end, only to walk away. I think if they were more aggressive early on, once Bell rejected their offer, they could have garnered players & picks in return, which ultimately could have helped. As of now, we're left with hoping for a comp pick, but there's little certainly with that.

It was just one of many decisions that was questionable. The lack of communication which seems to be a beginning to end of season issue . And then the ****** personnel decisions resulting when they finally got a clue Bell wasn't coming back.

 

[SteelerFan448]

The Steelers 2018 season was blown during the season. They could have done better in the offseason, but this roster was still good enough to compete.

The biggest factors this year:

*Bad turnovers in critical moments of games.
*Defense not generating turnovers.
*Missed field goals.
*Abandoning the ground game.

A lot of avoidable issues with smart coaching and smart playing.

 

[Chiba]

I don't want to repeat what others have said, so just one extra point.

One problem has been the sudden failure of a once promising CB, Burns. Was having him go up against AB in practice bad for his development? Usually going up against the best makes you better, but in AB's ego-centric world, maybe Burns forgot how to play corner in an attempt to "win" where a straight out "win" was impossible? AB sure doesn't seem to help anyone except AB. Without AB (either on the team or away from him in practice) would Burns return to being a decent corner?

 

[Drink IRON City]

I still blame that FAKE PUNT!

we be in the playoffs if not for that FAKE PUNT

FIRE TOMLIN! Yes, just because of that one play, yes im still mad

No wonder your ***** hoes are always looking for work elsewhere, they say they can never please their ******* pimp.............J/K





Salute the nation

 

[Vader]

I look at the Steelers demise these past two years boiling down to a couple of basic things:

1. The loss of Shazier as the lynchpin in the entire defensive scheme was never adequately addressed. He was never replaced with a player that came even 50% close to his abilities. And when that became clear, the defensive scheme wasn't adjusted accordingly, hence having lumbering Bostic/VWill trying to cover backs, TE''s and, gulp, some of the fastest, best WR's in the game.

How could a guy that never played more than 12 games where the team won more games percentage wise without him be the lynch pin of the defense? Shazier is a cult hero now but he was being criticized while he played because 1. He couldn't stay healthy 2. He missed a ton of tackles, 3. He over ran a ton of plays. If anyone had said he was the lynch pin of the defense a play before he got hurt people would have laughed at the thought. It's just another excuse to give Tomlin a pass.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

I put a lot of the blame for 2018 on Colbert. The Bell situation was largely his fault. If you were going to tag him again, it seems
like it would have made sense to non-exclusive tag him so he could see his market value. If someone was willing to pay him, take
the draft picks. If nobody was wiling to pay Bell, maybe he realizes Steelers were offering fair deal.

^^^This^^^ The FO didn't really do anything wrong. It was all on Bell. Everyone figured he'd show up late like last year and for sure by Week 12 like the CBA says, and he led everyone to believe as much. Somehow he thinks different rules apply to him. Only thing the FO should have done differently in hindsight was give him a non-exclusive tag so he could negotiate with other teams and take the draft picks. Unless MeVeon and his agent figured that no one would give up two 1st round picks regardless and holding out for a year was their best course of action.

 

[21STEELERS21]

If you put the non-exclusive tag on him, you get two #1 picks if you let him sign elsewhere. Now we might get a #3, but if we sign a few free agents,
we might get nothing. Steelers need to learn that if a player wants money more than playing for you, you need to let him walk and get your
highest return.

 

[bigben]