Hey, it’s OK to like these Steelers
I like these Steelers, though I see that’s uncool.
I like that they’re 8-5, with a foothold in the AFC North, with their fate in their hands, with the most fantastic offense the franchise has put forth since … wow, ever?
But yeah, I also see and hear and read fans describing this team in the most pained tones. Tune in to any discussion anywhere in the Nation at large, and it’s invariably about the worst secondary they’ve ever witnessed or a lack of toughness or Mike Mitchell’s loose coverage or Mike Adams’ lousy blocking or Ben Roethlisberger’s occasional inaccuracy or Todd Haley’s occasional insanity or how every Towel-waving blasting of ‘Renegade’ now results in a deflating 80-yard bomb or, really, just about anything critical related to Mike Tomlin.
All of that’s fair game. It is. Even the perpetually hot topic of Tomlin’s countless cliches at press conference. I peck about all of that myself in this very space.
But man alive, some of these fans — and it’s far, far too many to simply represent a vocal minority — speak of this edition of the Steelers as if it’s some abomination. And not just on the field, either...........
read more @ http://dkonpittsburghsports.com/2014...like-steelers/
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In practice Wednesday inside the South Side bubble, each time Bryant took to the line of scrimmage, he’d glance to his right to one of the high school referees the Steelers now pay to help them cut down on penalties. Bryant and the official have an understanding. Bryant raises his right arm, as if to ask if he’s onside. The official motions back his approval.
“Every single time,” Bryant told me. “I will not be offside.”
Aha! And it seems to be paying off! We've cut down tremendously on the penalties.
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I like something that Mitchell said Wednesday, as well.
No, really.
I’ve been rough on the guy. He knows that. And he didn’t like, in particular, that a videotaped question that appeared on this site last week — I asked Mitchell how the secondary could cut down on big plays, and he responded, “Have there been big plays?” — cast him in a terrible light.
So he asked the team’s media relations to arrange a meeting between us Wednesday, to which I happily obliged per standard professional protocol. And we talked. And he spoke of feeling as if his words made it sound like he was willfully ignoring all the big plays. Rather, he stressed his belief that the secondary is getting stronger as a whole, that it’s cutting down on the big plays and especially that it’s faring far better on the less-than-big plays.
He also spoke passionately of his wish to remain part of the Steelers and build bridges in Pittsburgh
