Think it can't happen to us?

[Lambert_Loonie]

Apologies in advance if the images are too big...


1 AFL Championship
3 Super Bowl Championships
5 Conference Championships
15 Division Championships
21 Playoff Appearances

And they've been the laughing stock of the league for a decade.



5 Super Bowl Championships
10 Conference Championships
21 Division Championships
30 Playoff Appearances

Won 1 playoff game since Bill Clinton was president. Only relevant because of their meddling owner and heartbreaking ways to lose.



4 AAFC Championships
4 NFL Championships
11 Conference Championships
13 Division Championships
28 Playoff Appearances

Pretty much have been irrelevent since Jim Brown retired.



2 Super Bowl Championships
5 Conference Championships
13 Division Championships
22 Playoff Appearances

Irrelevent since Dan Marino's retirement.

So what point am I making? This is a response to anyone who's ever said "well, at least we're not _____." Just a reason not to take this team's success and it's place in the NFL for granted.

[Dwinsgames]

funny my last twitter post ( few moments ago ) was this ...

DraftSteel Paul

@Dwinsgames 13 penalties 125 yards ... 2 turnovers leading to 10 points against ...typical Raider football wait that was the #steelers today #Pathetic

[MrPgh]

And now joining that group........

[Count Steeler]

Let's remember, before we were the Steelers, we were the Steelers. The team of the 70's was a vast departure from the teams of the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. We were there in the pre Super Bowl era. Chuck Noll and the scouting team were awesome in the 70s.

[stillers4me]

[Count Steeler]

And now joining that group........

Not even close. Yet.

[MrPgh]

Bill, in case you haven't noticed, this isn't that team anymore....

[Edman]

Could it happen? Perhaps it's time to accept that this is happening to the Steelers right now. Maybe it is all over for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Maybe they're joining those once-proud but now mediocre franchises. The competitive mojo is gone, and I don't think it's coming back for a while. Pittsburgh can acquire all the talent they want, but a culture of mediocrity is setting in, and it's deemed acceptable. Look great one week, then you have today's game. No contender worth their salt would go out of their way to LOSE today's game. Period.

No playoff wins since 2010. Consistent Mediocrity for three years and counting.

How fitting is it that this is all happening right at the same time the Pittsburgh Pirates got off their losing ways. Perhaps the Steelers will end up being taking the place of the Pirates as the butt monkey of this town.

Today's clusterfuck of a loss is nothing new. The sign of a losing/mediocre culture isn't merely being a bad team, it's consistently finding ways to lose. Pittsburgh, in every facet possible did everything they could do to lose to the Alarm Clocks, and they did. They didn't try to win. That's the very disturbing part.

When the clock hit zero. I didn't care. I wasn't upset. I wasn't surprised at what transpired. I've come to accept it now. This team will always be in the talk, always promising, but never good enough to win or contend.

The good times are over. 8-8 yet again, perhaps 8-8 next year too. I will not change my position until the team earns it with CONSISTENCY. I will expect the worst when it comes to the Steelers.

[st33lersguy]

Well, they could become irrelevant for a time if they don't find a better coach and if they don't adequately replace Ben

[Edman]

Bill, in case you haven't noticed, this isn't that team anymore....

No, they'll shit the bed against Jacksonville too.

And if they beat Jacksonville, they'll get whooped by the Browns.

This is how this team operates. They don't want to win. They have no pride or accountability. They don't have that edge or hunger to win.

[fansince'76]

I think I'll wait until we post a few sub-.500 seasons and start changing coaches every two years before I go that far...

[Steelermania]

We can do this locally.
Pirates from 1958 to 1992, a period of 35 seasons.
3 World Championships
10 first place finishes
6 second place finishes
10 losing seasons.
From 1993-20012
1 second place finish
20 losing season.

Pitt Football
1973-89
1 National Championship
1 losing season
11 winning seasons in a row.
Ranked at the end of the year 9 times, including 6 times in the Top 10 (Only 20 teams were ranked then)
1990-2013
10 winning seasons
3 teams ranked at the end of the year, none of them in the Top 10, with one being ranked 25th.

Duquesne Basketball
from 1920-21, to 1972-73, 46 winning seasons out of 50 (no basketball for 3 years during WW2), including a stretch of 34 of 35 years.
From 1975-76, to current, 8 winning seasons in 39 years.

The mighty can indeed fall. Ask any Michigan football fan.

[X-Terminator]

Of course it can happen to us. The fans just won't accept it, and many of them will start rooting for other teams as a result. Like it or not, we do have a fairly significant bandwagon fan base.

That said, the hope is that when you do have valleys, that they bottom out quickly and you can rise back to the top. Look at the 49ers as somewhat of an example of that.

[Shoes]

Well Bill, I don't know what vet team your speaking of. As for Tomlin, he address all the issues the same way…..with BS.

[steel9guy]

I may be among the few but I think with the right coaching and more discipline, this is an 11 win football team. I really think we have the talent. Someone has to come in and translate it into wins. Maybe cornerback is weak but I think all the pieces are going to get better, however Mike T is not the coach that will turn it around.

[fansince'76]

Of course it can happen to us. The fans just won't accept it, and many of them will start rooting for other teams as a result. Like it or not, we do have a fairly significant bandwagon fan base.

That said, the hope is that when you do have valleys, that they bottom out quickly and you can rise back to the top. Look at the 49ers as somewhat of an example of that.

True, but two 8-8 seasons and a 2-2 start to the current one is a far cry from the teams mentioned in the OP that have gone DECADES (plural) without doing anything.

The Raiders? They haven't been on top since my sophomore year in high school. I'll be 47 this coming January. Do you realize how long ago that was?

The Dolphins? They haven't sniffed a SB since my junior year in high school and haven't actually won one since Nixon was in office. Again, do you realize how long ago that was?

And the Browns? They haven't won a championship since Beatlemania and that was 3 years before the Super Bowl even started being played. Once again, do you realize how long ago that was?

The Cowboys have been exactly like the Steelers have been over the last two seasons...for about TEN TIMES AS LONG.

A little perspective is all I ask.

[Mojouw]

Well Bill, I don't know what vet team your speaking of. As for Tomlin, he address all the issues the same way…..with BS.

So what would you do? List specific actions with this roster you would take.

[Shoes]

So what would you do? List specific actions with this roster you would take.

The first action is the head coach isn't disciplined himself, that is clear as a bell. If he's not how can the team be? These problems go back to at least 2009 with the same results. As for the roster that is the result of the coaching staff and the FO. No one can blame the players for that. Discipline can go a long way, even where talent is lacking. That is true in football and in any area of life. I have seen that world over with my own eyes.

I wouldn't start with the roster, I'd start with the coaches. This roster wasn't here in 2009, but the same problems were. The immature actions and undisciplined play of the players is a reflection of the head coach. Maybe Tomlin will can another punter this week.

[X-Terminator]

True, but two 8-8 seasons and a 2-2 start to the current one is a far cry from the teams mentioned in the OP that have gone DECADES (plural) without doing anything.

The Raiders? They haven't been on top since my sophomore year in high school. I'll be 47 this coming January. Do you realize how long ago that was?

The Dolphins? They haven't sniffed a SB since my junior year in high school and haven't actually won one since Nixon was in office. Again, do you realize how long ago that was?

And the Browns? They haven't won a championship since Beatlemania and that was 3 years before the Super Bowl even started being played. Once again, do you realize how long ago that was?

The Cowboys have been exactly like the Steelers have been over the last two seasons...for about TEN TIMES AS LONG.

A little perspective is all I ask.

I have perspective, I was just making a point. If fans are going apeshit now over a couple mediocre seasons, imagine what they'd be like if they had 50 years of ineptitude to deal with, like the Browns have had?

We really are a spoiled lot.

[Steelermania]

The first action is the head coach isn't disciplined himself, that is clear as a bell.

Give some proof of this, other than your opinion.

[Shoes]

Give some proof of this, other than your opinion.

Opinion? That's all this form is, people giving their opinion! But how about loosing multiple games like this each year as far back as 2009, how about Tomlin talking about tackling, penalties, year after year with no change. How about poor clock management and not having the team properly prepared year after year. And how about hell freezing over and Tomlin saying it himself. Finally!

http://www.steelers.com/video-and-au...4-b058e83fc538

[Shoes]

Discipline and hard work can go a long way. I remember what Coach Brooks said about the US hockey team in the 80 Olympics. They didn't have much of a roster compared to a professional Soviet team. But coach and player connected.

"They were really mentally tough and goal-oriented," added Brooks. "They came from all different walks of life, many having competed against one another, but they came together and grew to be a real close team. I pushed this team really hard, I mean I really pushed them. But they had the ability to answer the bell. Our style of play was probably different than anything in North America. We adopted more of a hybrid style of play - a bit of the Canadian school and a little bit of the European school. The players took to it like ducks to water, and they really had a lot of fun playing it. We were a fast, creative team that played extremely disciplined without the puck. Throughout the Olympics, they had a great resiliency about them. I mean they came from behind six or seven times to win. They just kept moving and working and digging."

[NCSteeler]

This team is not tough mentally or otherwise. I do believe coaches are paid to lead and motivate and ours is doing a lousy job. On top of all the we no longer have the talent to pull his ass out of the wringer. Gonna be a lot couple of years while we wait for Rooney to see it

[X-Terminator]

Discipline and hard work can go a long way. I remember what Coach Brooks said about the US hockey team in the 80 Olympics. They didn't have much of a roster compared to a professional Soviet team. But coach and player connected.

"They were really mentally tough and goal-oriented," added Brooks. "They came from all different walks of life, many having competed against one another, but they came together and grew to be a real close team. I pushed this team really hard, I mean I really pushed them. But they had the ability to answer the bell. Our style of play was probably different than anything in North America. We adopted more of a hybrid style of play - a bit of the Canadian school and a little bit of the European school. The players took to it like ducks to water, and they really had a lot of fun playing it. We were a fast, creative team that played extremely disciplined without the puck. Throughout the Olympics, they had a great resiliency about them. I mean they came from behind six or seven times to win. They just kept moving and working and digging."

Unfortunately, a coach like Brooks would not fly in today's sports world, much less the NFL. Chuck Noll would have had a tough time connecting with today's athlete. A coach like Clint Hurdle is more of what works today - a master motivator and always positive, but expects maximum effort and knows how to push the right buttons with his players to make sure they are ready to go, even when the deck is stacked against them. Mike Tomlin isn't that.

[Shoes]

Unfortunately, a coach like Brooks would not fly in today's sports world, much less the NFL. Chuck Noll would have had a tough time connecting with today's athlete. A coach like Clint Hurdle is more of what works today - a master motivator and always positive, but expects maximum effort and knows how to push the right buttons with his players to make sure they are ready to go, even when the deck is stacked against them. Mike Tomlin isn't that.

You may be right XT. I remembering Noll saying its not a head coaches job to motivate (my paraphrase). Many of todays NFL players are equipped with mens bodies and a brain of a twelve year old. Give them a lot of money and there you go.

[Steelermania]

I seem to remember Tomlin pushing the team hard his first year, and a whole lot of whining and crying about it, which caused him to back off.

[XxKnightxX]

Well Bill, I don't know what vet team your speaking of. As for Tomlin, he address all the issues the same way…..with BS.

He reminds me of the clown that they hired to replace my friend and I for an operations manager position. The guy tried to act like he was all business and tough but didn't take a second to pay attention off the intricacies of the operation and his response to everything was some bullshit cliche phrase that he got from some business administration class or book or some corporate seminar. Tomlin is that right now. Some delusional buffoon using cliche words.

[X-Terminator]

I seem to remember Tomlin pushing the team hard his first year, and a whole lot of whining and crying about it, which caused him to back off.

He did, and Alan Faneca was one of the biggest whiners back then. Yes, THE Alan Faneca, who is pretty much a saint in Pittsburgh. Ever since then, Tomlin has been soft on the players, caring more about them "liking him" rather than respecting him and his authority as a coach even if they don't like him. Do you think any Patriot really likes Bill Belichick? Most likely not. But I bet you that most of them respect him.

[ALLD]

Their back up QB beat our star. Tomlin should be brought in and sat down.

[Mojouw]

He did, and Alan Faneca was one of the biggest whiners back then. Yes, THE Alan Faneca, who is pretty much a saint in Pittsburgh. Ever since then, Tomlin has been soft on the players, caring more about them "liking him" rather than respecting him and his authority as a coach even if they don't like him. Do you think any Patriot really likes Bill Belichick? Most likely not. But I bet you that most of them respect him.

And any of this can be backed up by what? Tomlin's practice set-ups are still not liked by players. The Steelers practice live in pads more than any other team in the off-season. Possibly in-season as well.

Roster moves to let veterans go have been criticized by player leaders.

But we can go with the version that Tomlin is a cuddly soft teddy bear.

As for preparation, look at the actual #'s.

http://www.nflpenalties.com/

So I guess Harbaugh and Bellicheck should be fired? What about Chip Kelly and Jay Gruden?

Most of Tomlin's previous years the Steelers were one of the least penalized teams in the league.

Hmmm....

- - - Updated - - -

Their back up QB beat our star. Tomlin should be brought in and sat down.

Their back-up QB is a superior talent to their starter. If anything, Tampa's owner should be wondering why Lovie Smith stuck with McCown for as long as he did. McCown had one good year with Trestmann. That's it. Glennon actually played well his rookie year.

But let's not let facts get in the way of a good debate.