Steeler fans protest Vick, not going to games

[HollywoodSteel]

I agree with all who have responded to my comment about "not exposing Cassel" in that Vikings game in London. That game speaks more to our own failings and not to Cassel's abilities. I agree that Cassel has always been overrated due to his success with New England that one season. He should be a #2 somewhere, but that's about all he'll ever be from now on in my opinion.

I still think (personal feelings and bad PR aside) we are much better off with Vick than Cassel. Vick doesn't have to be a world beater to spread out a defense with the tools on this offense, he just needs defenses to believe he is capable of burning them deep if they stack the box. Vick can do that. Cassel can't.

I'm also counting on Vick's maturity and acceptance of his role now. Plus, I think Ben respects Vick, and it always helps if the #1 and #2 QBs establish a good working relationship and ease at communicating. If Vick sees something from the sidelines and points it out to Ben, I believe Ben will hear it better from a QB he respects. Ben's relationship with Batch was always a plus, and he likes having a #2 that he can speak to.

[HollywoodSteel]

The steelers was a awful team at this time(The steelers had start a 0-4 start in 2013 and they had finish the 2012 season with a 2-5 record....)

The Steelers definitely deserved to lose that game, but really that season was when I really questioned Tomlin's coaching ability. We started 0-4 for more than one reason, but the most glaring part to me was that all of us dumb fans knew that he was going into the season without a capable LT. How did Tomlin not know? He had an entire offseason and preseason to prepare for that.

By the time we face the Vikings, we actually looked like a football team capable of playing well, and we had every advantage in that game. It was a "home" game for the Vikings, but outdoors in England should have been an advantage for us. Cassel was stepping in from the bench, so that also should have been an advantage for us. Tomlin refused to bring the team to England early enough to adjust...

That game should have been the turning point to establish that we were a playoff capable team. And the Vikings were NOT an above average team. The memory of Tomlin's failures in that season really make me ill. I know it's not all on him, and I never wanted him fired, but I do believe that he could have put us in better positions to win a lot more than he did.

When it comes to real strategy and game planning, I think Tomlin is at the mercy of his coordinators. I think he'll be in good hands (I hope) with Haley, now that he and Ben seem to be in sync, but Butler is the big question mark. He has a very athletic defense with raw talent that needs a great deal of coaching and game planning to translate into quality football play. I guess it's not fair to put it all on Butler without a Troy (in his prime) or a Farrior and Smith and Hampton to bring it all together for him, but this is his chance to take raw clay and do something with it. I think a great defensive coach could take this bunch of athletes and mold them into a quality defense. I really have no idea what Butler can do with them. I can't put too much on the preseason, but it was not a reassuring sign. If Butler can't get them to play as a gelled unit fairly soon, then I don't think we can make the playoffs with our tough schedule. The offense will win us between 5 and 7 games on their own, but to expect them to win 10 to 12 without a cable defense is unrealistic. Ben always has a bad game or half here and there, and that means a loss without a defense helping you out. Also, a defense that spends too much time on the field is vulnerable to injuries (and we are not deep defensively) plus that time spent takes away drives from the offense, who need every scoring opportunity possible.

[Edman]

Steelers just set a home attendance record Sunday, and Vick played in the game no less.

So much for that.