Was 2016 A Success Or Failure?

[polamalubeast]

[AtlantaDan]

The Steelers met preseason expectations in a down year for the AFC, which is a success but not overachieving.

I tend to regard Vegas odds to be a more valid measure of expectations than preseason picks by sportswriters - one involves putting $$$ behind an opinion, the other only requires an online connection.

Patriots were 11-4 and Steelers were 9-2 in terms of who was the AFC preseason favorite to win the AFC in September 2016. Steelers were 7-2 co-favorites with the Pats to win the 2016 AFC in January 2016 prior to offseason moves

Patriots were 6-1 and Steelers were 10-1 in terms of who was the AFC preseason favorite to win the Super Bowl in September 2016. Steelers were 8-1 co-favorites with the Pats and Seahawks in January 2016

https://news.wagertalk.com/odds-win-...-top-westgate/

Pretty clear Vegas thought the Bryant suspension last March changed the odds - Vegas was correct.

IMO getting to the AFC championship should be regarded as a failure only if the team was the strong preseason favorite to make the Super Bowl, which the Steelers were not.

FWIW biggest underachievers this season were the Bruce Arians Cardinals (4-1 co-favorite in September 2016 to win the NFC) and biggest overachievers were the Falcons (40-1 to win NFC). Those are examples of clear failure and success.

[86WARD]

I would say success.

[st33lersguy]

Let's look at it this way
- 4-5 and losers of 4 straight at one point
- prior to this year no AFC Championship appearances and only one playoff win since 2010
- no. 2 WR gone for the year
- Star RB and team MVP suspended for 3 games and then injured for AFC Championship game
- Top free agent signing slated to start at TE missing all but 6 games
- One starting OLB played only 6 regular season games and playoffs.
- Young team on defense included 3 rookies that ended up starting for much of the season

Yeah I'd say overall the season was a success

[polamalubeast]

The comments below of this article are not very positive!

[Moose]

Won the division.....won playoff game.....everyone healthy ..... I'd say success !

[smokin3000gt]

Success. Nobody expected us to sniff the playoffs let alone make it to the AFCC. Especially with our young defense. The right ingredients are there, we just gotta stir them up a bit next year. All in all I have to say I'm pretty happy how the team has performed while retooling.

[Count Steeler]

Overall a success, just a bad taste and bad memories in the last game. Coaches had a plan, players did not communicate and execute. I still question the wisdom of plan, but if the players don't execute, everyone looks silly, as we did against the Pats*. It is just unfortunate that this was the last game.

I would say next year, the players and coaches need to deliver.

[Born2Steel]

I feel like defensively this season was a monster success. Cannot wait until year 2. Not so much offensively though. Bryant getting suspended, Bell getting suspended, Green unable to play for the most part, and we were considered as one of the best offenses heading into the season. We did not produce expectation on offense. Weneed offensive help. When Bell goes out, AB gets bracketed, and it's game over. Have to have that 3rd and 4th weapon consistently.

Season overall is a success. Always looking to improve is why we're the Steelers.

[LloydWoodson]

Any season with a playoff win is a success.

[SteelerFanInStl]

Success. Nobody expected us to sniff the playoffs let alone make it to the AFCC. Especially with our young defense. The right ingredients are there, we just gotta stir them up a bit next year. All in all I have to say I'm pretty happy how the team has performed while retooling.

According to who? A lot of people picked us to win the Super Bowl this year and pretty much everyone picked us to make the playoffs. We were also touted for most of the year as "the team that no one wants to play in the playoffs". They forgot to add the "*Except the Patriots".

[Method28]

Any season with a playoff win is a success.

This. You win a playoff game, thats not a bad season.

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[steelreserve]

Not a bad year by most standards, but a failure. We were expected to compete for a championship, but we threw away the season because of incompetence.

It would've been one thing if we'd made it to the conference championship, done our best and come up short, maybe been a few unlucky breaks away. But we didn't even give ourselves a chance to win. That showed that if we don't change something, this is exactly our ceiling again next year. Hence the people picking us to contend for a title were wrong, hence a failure.

[polamalubeast]

Only the last game was a failure....

[Mojouw]

Plus repeated posts around here have shown ample evidence that the "failure" game was more on a lack of execution on defense and not ready for prime time players on offense. So another pass rusher, another DB, and a WR besides AB who can get open and maybe they get over the hump?

[polamalubeast]

8 of the 10 teams that have been eliminated in the playoffs,they have been crushed.

[AtlantaDan]

This. You win a playoff game, thats not a bad season.

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For good teams yes - for excellent teams no

That is not what the standard is in New England and was not the standard in Pittsburgh in the 70s

[steelreserve]

I don't know what kind of spin you've bought into, but that loss was NOT a matter of execution.

Like, maybe our execution could've been better, but even if we executed perfectly, we still would've lost with that shit plan.

Call me crazy, but I don't think almost was good enough here, considering the way it ended. Would you call it a "success" if you led the Indy 500 for the first 150 laps, then finished second because someone else put a great move on you? Sure.

Would it be a success if you led for the first 150 laps, then crashed out of the race because your crew chief was too stupid to bolt your tires back on? Not so much. That's the difference.

[polamalubeast]

I don't know what kind of spin you've bought into, but that loss was NOT a matter of execution.

Like, maybe our execution could've been better, but even if we executed perfectly, we still would've lost with that shit plan.

Call me crazy, but I don't think almost was good enough here, considering the way it ended. Would you call it a "success" if you led the Indy 500 for the first 150 laps, Then finished second because someone else put a great move on you? Sure.

Would it be a success if you led for the first 150 laps, then crashed out of the race because your crew chief was too stupid to bolt your tires back on? Not so much. That's the difference.

Your example you gave is like starting the season 7-0 and finishing the season at 8-8.

Of course it would be a failure, but the steelers finished the season in the final four, so on the podium or almost !!!!

[Mojouw]

I don't know what kind of spin you've bought into, but that loss was NOT a matter of execution.

Like, maybe our execution could've been better, but even if we executed perfectly, we still would've lost with that shit plan.

Call me crazy, but I don't think almost was good enough here, considering the way it ended. Would you call it a "success" if you led the Indy 500 for the first 150 laps, then finished second because someone else put a great move on you? Sure.

Would it be a success if you led for the first 150 laps, then crashed out of the race because your crew chief was too stupid to bolt your tires back on? Not so much. That's the difference.

Multiple film breakdown articles on Steelers Depot and other sites have been posted here that demonstrate:
1. Critical plays in passing game were frequently the result of blown assignments by Steelers players.
2. Man coverage resulted in 3 "chunk" plays by the Pats.
3. Steelers pass rushers were stymied in their blitz attempts - including middle pressure with Timmons and Shazier.

So despite what everyone wants to believe, the Steelers did try things beyond "20 yard cushion zones" and not "blitzing Brady", and etc etc.

Was the Steelers defensive gameplan innovative? No. Was it the "best" gameplan they could have come-up with? Maybe. Maybe not. Should they have tried something else? Quite possibly.

But what needs to be remembered, is that we don't have all the information. And the main argument here seems to be that "Butler and Tomlin are morons and know less about football than the average fan". Sorry, I don't buy it. Do I think they make mistakes, poor decisions, and not the best in the NFL at their jobs? Yes to all three. But tI do not think that they just came up with the plan they did use for no reasons.

[steelcityboyz]

For good teams yes - for excellent teams no

That is not what the standard is in New England and was not the standard in Pittsburgh in the 70s

Agreed.

[smokin3000gt]

According to who? A lot of people picked us to win the Super Bowl this year and pretty much everyone picked us to make the playoffs. We were also touted for most of the year as "the team that no one wants to play in the playoffs". They forgot to add the "*Except the Patriots".

Maybe before our 4 game skid. Once we lost 4 in a row people couldn't jump off the bandwagon fast enough. A lot of people on this board didn't even think we'd finish out with a winning season and the playoffs were not only unlikely but impossible. Once we starting winning out the season everyone jumped back on the Steelers/Playoff/SB wagon.

[polamalubeast]

When the steelers were 4-5, the ravens were only 5-4 and the ravens had Dallas and New England on the road in their schedule and also the steelers had another game against the ravens, this time at home, so the chances of making the playoffs at that time was not unlikely.

Of course, being in the AFC title game at that time seemed almost impossible.

[WCSteeler]

I'd say kind of a mixed bag. The defense was not viewed by many as a good defense before the season but really came together and showed promise. Take away Lev Bell and the offense was just ok. Where things really got strange was coaching, the team lost 4 straight and then reeled off an impressive win streak which Mike Tomlin and his staff really have to be given a great deal of credit for. Where concern should creep in is how unprepared the team was for the Patriots game, the team looked so badly over matched and outcoached you wonder how in the hell the Steelers got past the wild card game. I was shocked at how quickly the team fell apart and how adjustments were not made by the coaching staff. Overall the season was a success the team looks as if it is improving every season, losing is never easy but the total domination in the Pats game and really terrible offensive performances the last 2 playoff games gives reason for concern going forward.

[Mojouw]

So here is another way to look at it. If I told you this team made an championship game, how would you feel?

1. The starting QB was basically Browns level away from home.
2. The starting RB misses the first 3 games.
3. The deep threat and game-breaking #2 WR misses the entire season.
4. Due to injury and other reasons, the team relies on a couple of rookies, and a waiver wire claim to take the double teams away from the #1 WR.
5. The TE situation would be unsettled all season. Alternating between can't block and sorta can catch, to can block but can't catch, to who knows if he can do either consistently, to wow he can really catch but is a constant injury risk.
6. The best cover DB is a rookie. The second best is a 2nd year player who got cut by the team who drafted him.
7. The best pass rusher is a 38 year old who everyone thought was going to be done 3 years ago.
8. For most of the season, 2/3 of the defensive line is a rookie and a veteran they pulled off the scrap heap.
9. 3/4 of the starting secondary is made up of rookies or 2nd year NFL players. Communication and recognition were an issue all season.
10. Jordan Dangerfield played a meaningful role.

If you saw that list about any other team, what would your guess at their record be? Final game they were eliminated in? While I realize every team faces significant challenges every year and there is a ton of talent on the Steelers roster, I look at that list it and does not scream SB team to me.

[Psycho Ward 86]

So here is another way to look at it. If I told you this team made an championship game, how would you feel?

1. The starting QB was basically Browns level away from home.
2. The starting RB misses the first 3 games.
3. The deep threat and game-breaking #2 WR misses the entire season.
4. Due to injury and other reasons, the team relies on a couple of rookies, and a waiver wire claim to take the double teams away from the #1 WR.
5. The TE situation would be unsettled all season. Alternating between can't block and sorta can catch, to can block but can't catch, to who knows if he can do either consistently, to wow he can really catch but is a constant injury risk.
6. The best cover DB is a rookie. The second best is a 2nd year player who got cut by the team who drafted him.
7. The best pass rusher is a 38 year old who everyone thought was going to be done 3 years ago.
8. For most of the season, 2/3 of the defensive line is a rookie and a veteran they pulled off the scrap heap.
9. 3/4 of the starting secondary is made up of rookies or 2nd year NFL players. Communication and recognition were an issue all season.
10. Jordan Dangerfield played a meaningful role.

If you saw that list about any other team, what would your guess at their record be? Final game they were eliminated in? While I realize every team faces significant challenges every year and there is a ton of talent on the Steelers roster, I look at that list it and does not scream SB team to me.

well put. as pissed as i am for that sorry excuse of a finale from us, we had a lot to be proud of

[43Hitman]

well put. as pissed as i am for that sorry excuse of a finale from us, we had a lot to be proud of

Yep, I have to agree. I'm not ready to blow it all up anymore.

[JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue]

Success that they advanced further then last year. Horrible meltdown at the end is hard to take though.

[Steeldude]

It depends on what you want to look at. The goal is to win the SB. If you don't achieve that then it is a failure.

[Born2Steel]

It depends on what you want to look at. The goal is to win the SB. If you don't achieve that then it is a failure.

That's the wrong way to approach it. If it's SB or failure no team is successful overall. 1st goal is win the division. 2nd, have a chance to play for a championship. 3rd, win the championship. 2 of 3, not perfect, but pretty damn good.