So let's rewind...

[Edman]

Within a span of twelve days...

-The Steelers' worst nightmare comes true as Antonio Brown becomes a Patriot.
-The Steelers come out Week 1 and get destroyed by the Hated Patriots. Donte Moncrief has a horrendous game for the record books.
-The Steelers Offense remains clunky against Seattle.
-Ben injures his elbow in the game. Doesn't return.
-Donte Moncrief shifts the game on its head with another horrible game.
-Mason Rudolph plays very well in relief.
-Steelers drop to 0-2.
-Ben's elbow injury is season-ending and Placed on IR.
-Mason Rudolph becomes the new Steelers starting Quarterback.
-Kevin Colbert trades the Steelers' 2020 first round pick for Dolphins' Free Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
-Sean Davis is placed on IR.
-Paxton Lynch is signed to the Practice Squad.

The 2019 Steelers Season is now under command of Mason Rudolph, with his only backup being rookie Devlin Hodges, going into the West Coast to face a 2-0 San Francisco 49ers Team.

2019 will be a season for Steelers' Lore for ever, for either good or bad reasons.

[Rotorhead]

Woh, I kissed the Davis to IR news? What happened there?

[Mojouw]

Within a span of twelve days...

-The Steelers' worst nightmare comes true as Antonio Brown becomes a Patriot.
-The Steelers come out Week 1 and get destroyed by the Hated Patriots. Donte Moncrief has a horrendous game for the record books.
-The Steelers Offense remains clunky against Seattle.
-Ben injures his elbow in the game. Doesn't return.
-Donte Moncrief shifts the game on its head with another horrible game.
-Mason Rudolph plays very well in relief.
-Steelers drop to 0-2.
-Ben's elbow injury is season-ending and Placed on IR.
-Mason Rudolph becomes the new Steelers starting Quarterback.
-Kevin Colbert trades the Steelers' 2020 first round pick for Dolphins' Free Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
-Sean Davis is placed on IR.
-Paxton Lynch is signed to the Practice Squad.

The 2019 Steelers Season is now under command of Mason Rudolph, with his only backup being rookie Devlin Hodges, going into the West Coast to face a 2-0 San Francisco 49ers Team.

2019 will be a season for Steelers' Lore for ever, for either good or bad reasons.

Excellent point. I think the first two weeks have been about fans expectations getting dashed.

I wanted Bush to be defensive rookie of the year and put a jolt to the defense. He still might. But in the opening weeks he’s been victimized for multiple big plays, like a rookie. My new expectation is that he shows growth and doesn’t repeat mistakes.

I thought Davis And Edmunds would flourish being flanked by credible CBS. That hasn’t happened.

I thought JUJU would thrive. Now I just want him to get open.

If they caught a few breaks, I thought they’d make a real run. Now I hope for weekly progress.

Sometimes you get the bull and sometimes you get the horns. They got all the horns any team can be expected to handle. Now we see what they’re made of from top to bottom.

For me, I’m hoping for growth by young players thrust into big roles and weekly compete. Wins and losses are secondary.

[Edman]

Sometimes you get the bull and sometimes you get the horns. They got all the horns any team can be expected to handle. Now we see what they’re made of from top to bottom.

For me, I’m hoping for growth by young players thrust into big roles and weekly compete. Wins and losses are secondary.

This is the critical thing. With no Ben and no AB, and no star power whatsoever. There are no expectations to live up to. No egos to satisfy. No stars to please.

I'm of the opinion that we have something here the Steelers haven't really had in a very long time...a team. Now how good this team actually is, and how good Mike Tomlin is as a coach is yet to be seen. No more leftovers from the Cowher regime. Ben and his influence is out of the picture. Presumably for good.

After twelve seasons, this is finally, and truly, Mike Tomlin's team to mold and coach without the crutch of Big Ben.

It will be quite intriguing to see how they do.

[Mojouw]

This is the critical thing. With no Ben and no AB, and no star power whatsoever. There are no expectations to live up to.

I'm of the opinion that we have something here the Steelers haven't really had in a very long time...a team. Now how good this team actually is, and how good Mike Tomlin is as a coach will be seen. No more left overs from the Cowher regime. Ben and his influence is out of the picture. Presumably for good.

After twelve seasons, this is finally, and truly, Mike Tomlin's team to mold and coach without the crutch of Big Ben.

It will be quite intriguing to see how they do.

So what, for you, would be success? I kinda alluded to where it’s at for me. A year to get things together for a serious run in 2020 and 21.

[Edman]

So what, for you, would be success? I kinda alluded to where it’s at for me. A year to get things together for a serious run in 2020 and 21.

Success would be a postseason berth. I don't expect it, but it would be nice.

7-8 win season with competitiveness and progress is what I can ask far and be successful for this team.

[Mojouw]

Success would be a postseason berth. I don't expect it, but it would be nice.

7-8 win season with competitiveness and progress is what I can ask far and be successful for this team.

I can see all of that. For me it’s progress more than a benchmark number of wins. But I’m really not sure how to define or measure progress. Maybe it’s like pornography? We know it when we see it?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Squeegee Thompson]

This is the critical thing. With no Ben and no AB, and no star power whatsoever. There are no expectations to live up to. No egos to satisfy. No stars to please.

I'm of the opinion that we have something here the Steelers haven't really had in a very long time...a team. Now how good this team actually is, and how good Mike Tomlin is as a coach is yet to be seen. No more leftovers from the Cowher regime. Ben and his influence is out of the picture. Presumably for good.

[B]After twelve seasons, this is finally, and truly, Mike Tomlin's team to mold and coach without the crutch of Big Ben.[\B]

It will be quite intriguing to see how they do.

And that’s also truly the most discouraging thing with this season’s current predicament. Tomlin has never truly had to coach and lead a team from the ground up. I doubt he can do it now.

[Mojouw]

And that’s also truly the most discouraging thing with this season’s current predicament. Tomlin has never truly had to coach and lead a team from the ground up. I doubt he can do it now.

Ok. So walk me through what that means. Not even trying to disagree but I want to understand what you mean.

Are you saying that Tomlin has always had an overwhelming amount of roster talent that he was like a substitute gym teacher who just rolls out the dodgeballs and says figure it out.

[Steeler-in-west]

need a wr to step up and help stretch the field; either Moncreif or Johnson.

Juju and Washington then break open

After that, Conner and the running game start to come alive.

Agreed, about Bush, he should get better soon. Fitz should help the secondary.

I think the team will recover from the first two weeks and be respectable.

[Edman]

Ok. So walk me through what that means. Not even trying to disagree but I want to understand what you mean.

Are you saying that Tomlin has always had an overwhelming amount of roster talent that he was like a substitute gym teacher who just rolls out the dodgeballs and says figure it out.

When Mike Tomlin entered the fold in 2007, he took over an Veteran Squad who was coming off an uninspired 8-8 campaign after a disastrous season of injuries to Ben, one of which was a devastating motorcycle accident. Everyone in that locker room was a battle tested player who had won a Super Bowl and been deep in the playoffs. He re-energized that team to win another Super Bowl and advanced to another.

The Steelers held onto this core for years, before they all gradually left one by one. Tomlin inserted his own pieces like Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, and Le'Veon Bell to keep the thing going with Ben, but as we all know, it didn't quite work out. The Steelers continually disappointed throughout the 2010's despite their talent. Couple with some locker room drama and unchecked egos getting out of control resulted in the whole thing breaking apart. One constant remained through all of this: Ben. Ben was the lone holdover from the Cowher years. A franchise quarterback that had already achieved massive success before Tomlin arrived.

Because of this, and call me crazy, Ben wielded a ton of power and influence within the organization and even the locker room. I mean, he pretty much earned it. He's a two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback. He did before Tomlin got here. Tomlin, as much as he could, couldn't actually say "no" to Ben or step on his toes. If he did, he would've been punted out the door. Tomlin had to find compromise with Ben and pretty much kiss his ass as much as he could without disrupting the team. Ben called the shots. Whatever he said, he goes. Todd Haley is the problem. Gone. Antonio Brown is the problem. Gone. Le'Veon Bell is the problem. Gone. Ben endorses Randy Fichtner as his OC of choice. He got it. Speaking of Randy, he was likely put in the same tough position. Do what Ben wants or else. Run the football? Nope. Ben doesn't like that. Playaction passing? Nope. Play behind center? Nope. Ben wants to stay in Shotgun. Run 5-Wide despite Moncrief playing like dogshit and not having the personnel to do it? Fuck it. Do it anyway. Take Wednesdays off? He can. Because that's what Ben wants. What Ben wants, Ben gets. He's the two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback on his way to Canton. Not you.

Antonio Brown is a nutcase, but he may be that crazy as we first thought, aw who am I kidding, he is crazy, but I digress.

Then, Ben has an elbow injury and is out for the year. Mike Tomlin doesn't have to deal with the ego anymore, and is finally free to do what he was hired to do: Coach this football team. This is absolutely 100% Mike Tomlin's team. HIS players, HIS Quarterback(Rudolph), HIS personnel, and without the Cowher shadow in the locker room. Let's hope Mike finally earns his keep. Now is his golden chance to do it.

[pepsyman1]

This is the critical thing. With no Ben and no AB, and no star power whatsoever. There are no expectations to live up to. No egos to satisfy. No stars to please.

I'm of the opinion that we have something here the Steelers haven't really had in a very long time...a team. Now how good this team actually is, and how good Mike Tomlin is as a coach is yet to be seen. No more leftovers from the Cowher regime. Ben and his influence is out of the picture. Presumably for good.

After twelve seasons, this is finally, and truly, Mike Tomlin's team to mold and coach without the crutch of Big Ben.

It will be quite intriguing to see how they do.

I don't agree with you on Ben. You see Ben and what he's done over the 6-8 years as a detriment to the team but I don't think the results bare that out. In 2008 and 2010 the last 2 years we went to the Super Bowl the offense averaged 21.5 and 23.5 points per game respectively. Whatever issues might exist with Ben, disagreements with coordinators, prima donna skill players, etc. the offense has averaged over 25 points per game over the last 6 years. As much as I might not agree with the play calling at times, the reality is the team has put up points. The DEFENSE is where this organization has gone off the tracks. The 2 Superbowl years the defense gave up 14 and 16 points per game; over the last 6 years that the offense was cranking out those points the defense was giving up over 21 per game. That's not on Ben. We were scoring less points before but had larger margins of victory (7-8 points per game). The last 6 years that margin is only 4 points. Ben runs and guns because he's had to to keep us in games.

[86WARD]

This is the critical thing. With no Ben and no AB, and no star power whatsoever. There are no expectations to live up to. No egos to satisfy. No stars to please.

I'm of the opinion that we have something here the Steelers haven't really had in a very long time...a team. Now how good this team actually is, and how good Mike Tomlin is as a coach is yet to be seen. No more leftovers from the Cowher regime. Ben and his influence is out of the picture. Presumably for good.

After twelve seasons, this is finally, and truly, Mike Tomlin's team to mold and coach without the crutch of Big Ben.

It will be quite intriguing to see how they do.

It was Tomlins team to mold a few seasons ago when Landry Jones and Mike Vick were QB. He molded that into a piece of shit...and did a good job. Looked exactly like shit.

[teegre]

This reminds me of the start of the 2010 season... and, of the playoffs in 2015.

2010:
No Ben. Everyone predicted that the Steelers would crumble and start 0-4. The Steelers went 3-1... playing as a team.

2015 playoffs:
No AB. No Bell. They go into Denver and almost pull out a victory (if not for a fumble). Once again, they were playing as a team.

[AtlantaDan]

Start of the season has been a train wreck but so was the 2006 season (not just Ben nearly getting killed and his appendectomy but Cowher checking out mentally due to contract issues along with his family having moved to North Carolina while Porter was griping about his contract) when I had high expectations for a run at a repeat championship until the Steelers started 2-6. Even before the start of this regular season I had minimal expectations this team could get past the Pats or Chiefs even if the new pieces on offense and defense fell into place.

Worst case scenario at this point is Rudolph getting injured and missing significant time. IMO this season is now about Rudolph getting sufficient reps to see if he is Ben’s successor along with younger players such as Bush and Fitzpatrick developing as building blocks for the defense.

My realistic expectations now are for a 6-10, best case scenario 8-8 season. If the bottom falls out and it is something like 4-12, AJRII has some decisions to make about telling Tomlin to fire his coordinators or perhaps exercising the nuclear option and moving on from Tomlin. Not likely but within the range of possibilities since even before Ben went down the offense looked awful and there has been no apparent improvement with the recurring defensive screwups

[DesertSteel]

The first two weeks have gone exactly like I thought they would.

- - - Updated - - -

One good thing is we’ll get a better view of Fichtner as OC. I think he was likely Ben’s puppet.

[vasteeler]

The first two weeks have gone exactly like I thought they would.

- - - Updated - - -

One good thing is we’ll get a better view of Fichtner as OC. I think he was likely Ben’s puppet.

I can't imagine anybody would have thought the first two weeks would have played out like they did

[AtlantaDan]

2019 will be a season for Steelers' Lore for ever, for either good or bad reasons.

According to FiveThirtyEight for bad - their projection of where this season is heading - Yikes

Even with Roethlisberger, the Steelers had started the season so poorly that, had he not gotten hurt, they still would have been projected for just 7.54 wins, or a record of roughly 8-8 — likely falling short of the postseason again. With Rudolph under center, the Steelers’ outlook drops by 2.47 expected wins. Because Rudolph has not yet started a game, the model projects his performance based purely on where he was drafted (the 3rd round) — which could be too bearish an estimate.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/salfino-QB-INJURIES-0917-1.png?w=450
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-saints-and-steelers-lost-their-franchise-qbs-can-they-still-make-the-playoffs/?addata=espn:frontpage

[Squeegee Thompson]

Ok. So walk me through what that means. Not even trying to disagree but I want to understand what you mean.

Are you saying that Tomlin has always had an overwhelming amount of roster talent that he was like a substitute gym teacher who just rolls out the dodgeballs and says figure it out.

When Tomlin landed the gig in 2007, he did what I've never seen an NFL head coach do before or since: He kept his predecessor's coaching staff virtually intact. He either didn't have the balls to completely create his own staff, or he didn't have the confidence that what he'd put together would be in any way superior to what Cowher had assembled.

Either way, the Steelers have never been 100% Tomlin's team. LeBeau, Mitchell, Butler, Arians, Whipple all came forward to the new regime. As another poster mentioned, when he had Vick and Laundry as QBs, it was his team to mold - and he molded it into a pile of shit.

[EzraTank]

I still feel a 5-11/6-10 season coming. But hey at least we'll get a good pick for the Dolphins!

As others have said Tomlin never really had a team without Cowher's influence even 12 years in. Now will be the test. If he pulls an 8-8 season out kudos to him, but a 3-13 season ... BYE BYE.

[Edman]

It was Tomlins team to mold a few seasons ago when Landry Jones and Mike Vick were QB. He molded that into a piece of shit...and did a good job. Looked exactly like shit.

The Steelers went 2-2 with Laundry and Vick. Not bad, not great either.

And even then, Laundry and Vick were meant to hold the fort down until Ben returned, which he did eventually. Nobody entertained the thought that Landry Jones would be even remotely an NFL caliber quarterback, and he wasn’t. Ben was out, but he was still a major crutch to lean on. Just hold on until Ben comes back. Same case in 2010 and 2016. Just hold on until Ben comes back.

This time is different. Ben is NOT coming back. And it’s unknown if he will ever see the field again, and even if he does, will play at an even remotely decent level. Mike Tomlin’s real coaching ability will be on full display these next fifteen weeks. Hold on to your barf bags.

[Squeegee Thompson]

The Steelers went 2-2 with Laundry and Vick. Not bad, not great either.

And even then, Laundry and Vick were meant to hold the fort down until Ben returned, which he did eventually. Nobody entertained the thought that Landry Jones would be even remotely an NFL caliber quarterback, and he wasn’t. Ben was out, but he was still a major crutch to lean on. Just hold on until Ben comes back. Same case in 2010 and 2016. Just hold on until Ben comes back.

This time is different. Ben is NOT coming back. And it’s unknown if he will ever see the field again, and even if he does, will play at an even remotely decent level. Mike Tomlin’s real coaching ability will be on full display these next fifteen weeks. Hold on to your barf bags.

And this is the year I finally make the pilgrimage to the Burgh to see what it's like to have a quiet stadium with the Steelers on offense. Makes me want my money back ...

[Mojouw]

When Mike Tomlin entered the fold in 2007, he took over an Veteran Squad who was coming off an uninspired 8-8 campaign after a disastrous season of injuries to Ben, one of which was a devastating motorcycle accident. Everyone in that locker room was a battle tested player who had won a Super Bowl and been deep in the playoffs. He re-energized that team to win another Super Bowl and advanced to another.

The Steelers held onto this core for years, before they all gradually left one by one. Tomlin inserted his own pieces like Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, and Le'Veon Bell to keep the thing going with Ben, but as we all know, it didn't quite work out. The Steelers continually disappointed throughout the 2010's despite their talent. Couple with some locker room drama and unchecked egos getting out of control resulted in the whole thing breaking apart. One constant remained through all of this: Ben. Ben was the lone holdover from the Cowher years. A franchise quarterback that had already achieved massive success before Tomlin arrived.

Because of this, and call me crazy, Ben wielded a ton of power and influence within the organization and even the locker room. I mean, he pretty much earned it. He's a two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback. He did before Tomlin got here. Tomlin, as much as he could, couldn't actually say "no" to Ben or step on his toes. If he did, he would've been punted out the door. Tomlin had to find compromise with Ben and pretty much kiss his ass as much as he could without disrupting the team. Ben called the shots. Whatever he said, he goes. Todd Haley is the problem. Gone. Antonio Brown is the problem. Gone. Le'Veon Bell is the problem. Gone. Ben endorses Randy Fichtner as his OC of choice. He got it. Speaking of Randy, he was likely put in the same tough position. Do what Ben wants or else. Run the football? Nope. Ben doesn't like that. Playaction passing? Nope. Play behind center? Nope. Ben wants to stay in Shotgun. Run 5-Wide despite Moncrief playing like dogshit and not having the personnel to do it? Fuck it. Do it anyway. Take Wednesdays off? He can. Because that's what Ben wants. What Ben wants, Ben gets. He's the two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback on his way to Canton. Not you.

Antonio Brown is a nutcase, but he may be that crazy as we first thought, aw who am I kidding, he is crazy, but I digress.

Then, Ben has an elbow injury and is out for the year. Mike Tomlin doesn't have to deal with the ego anymore, and is finally free to do what he was hired to do: Coach this football team. This is absolutely 100% Mike Tomlin's team. HIS players, HIS Quarterback(Rudolph), HIS personnel, and without the Cowher shadow in the locker room. Let's hope Mike finally earns his keep. Now is his golden chance to do it.

Ok. I'm not sure it is all that extreme, but I totally see what you are saying and can completely understand this point of view. Thanks for taking the time to explain it. I do agree that I am interested in what changes come about on offense. Clearly there are things that the rest of the NFL has demonstrated/proven are effective components of an offense, that this team just doesn't do. I agree that that had to come back to Ben.

[fansince'76]

When Mike Tomlin entered the fold in 2007, he took over an Veteran Squad who was coming off an uninspired 8-8 campaign after a disastrous season of injuries to Ben, one of which was a devastating motorcycle accident. Everyone in that locker room was a battle tested player who had won a Super Bowl and been deep in the playoffs. He re-energized that team to win another Super Bowl and advanced to another.

The Steelers held onto this core for years, before they all gradually left one by one. Tomlin inserted his own pieces like Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, and Le'Veon Bell to keep the thing going with Ben, but as we all know, it didn't quite work out. The Steelers continually disappointed throughout the 2010's despite their talent. Couple with some locker room drama and unchecked egos getting out of control resulted in the whole thing breaking apart. One constant remained through all of this: Ben. Ben was the lone holdover from the Cowher years. A franchise quarterback that had already achieved massive success before Tomlin arrived.

Because of this, and call me crazy, Ben wielded a ton of power and influence within the organization and even the locker room. I mean, he pretty much earned it. He's a two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback. He did before Tomlin got here. Tomlin, as much as he could, couldn't actually say "no" to Ben or step on his toes. If he did, he would've been punted out the door. Tomlin had to find compromise with Ben and pretty much kiss his ass as much as he could without disrupting the team. Ben called the shots. Whatever he said, he goes. Todd Haley is the problem. Gone. Antonio Brown is the problem. Gone. Le'Veon Bell is the problem. Gone. Ben endorses Randy Fichtner as his OC of choice. He got it. Speaking of Randy, he was likely put in the same tough position. Do what Ben wants or else. Run the football? Nope. Ben doesn't like that. Playaction passing? Nope. Play behind center? Nope. Ben wants to stay in Shotgun. Run 5-Wide despite Moncrief playing like dogshit and not having the personnel to do it? Fuck it. Do it anyway. Take Wednesdays off? He can. Because that's what Ben wants. What Ben wants, Ben gets. He's the two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback on his way to Canton. Not you.

Antonio Brown is a nutcase, but he may be that crazy as we first thought, aw who am I kidding, he is crazy, but I digress.

Then, Ben has an elbow injury and is out for the year. Mike Tomlin doesn't have to deal with the ego anymore, and is finally free to do what he was hired to do: Coach this football team. This is absolutely 100% Mike Tomlin's team. HIS players, HIS Quarterback(Rudolph), HIS personnel, and without the Cowher shadow in the locker room. Let's hope Mike finally earns his keep. Now is his golden chance to do it.

Good post. Not sure I agree with it 100%, but it certainly isn't implausible.

[Rotorhead]

Well we get to see what Rudolph is now. Ben will be back next season and we will know if we have is replacement on the roster or not by then. I hope our young players grow and learn this season. And if we can win a few along the way, great. I wish the FO would start looking at coordinators for a replacement HC in the offseason, but I doubt that is going to happen anytime soon, maybe mid season if we have 1-2 wins at that time.

[st33lersguy]

Season 2 of Days of Our Steelers is starting off with a bang!

[NCSteeler]

I think they drop a few more games before righting the ship. To me this season will be a success if they show progress, look good even when losing and finish the season out on a winning streak of 5 or 6 games

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

[Fire Goodell]

Season 2 of Days of Our Steelers is starting off with a bang!

Season 3 is gonna be the best thing since Favre / Rodgers lol