2017 Steelers look like NFL's version of 2000 Portland Trailblazers

[StillCurtains]

Hello all!

Here we are! The 2017 Steelers are at 7-2 and currently the top seed in the AFC with 5 of their last 7 at home! Excited?! I would have to say for me that it's more of a controlled excitement with the hopes that they will turn things around. The issue is that I'm not too certain they will.

How can I speak of them turning things around when they're 7-2?
Well besides the Steelers, here are your top teams in the NFL:

8-1 Eagles
7-2 Saints
7-2 Rams
7-2 Vikings
7-2 Patriots

Can we say that we can beat any of these teams the way the Steelers are playing right now? I truly can't. Should every game be a blowout for the Steelers? Of course not, but these teams are hitting their stride and handling their business.

This Steelers team reminds me of the 2000 Portland Trailblazers. Like the Trailblazers the Steelers are extremely talented accross the board. Portland had Scottie Pippen, Arvydus Sabonis, Rasheed Wallace, Detlef Shremph, Jermaine O'neal, Greg Anthony, Steve Smith, Damon Stoudemire and Bonzie Wells.

Like the 2000 Blazers, this Steelers team wins off of spurts of the talent that they have. The problem with this Trailblazers team? They were not fundamentally sound. They also had no discipline and had sloppy play. They got by the first 2 rounds of the playoffs on talent alone. They finally faced their Kryptonite in the Western Conference Finals vs the Kobe/Shaq led Lakers in Phil Jackson's first year.

Kobe and Shaq later on had their differences but the 2000 Lakers were very much a fundamentally sound team. For the Steelers, we may not like to admit it, but we need to look no further than the Patriots. With our special teams gaffes and lapses in secondary coverage, the Patriots will destroy us. This doesn't even come to mention their lack of good play calling and execution on offense.

New England showed that they will kill you for your mistakes as they did vs Denver last night with their 3 special teams gaffes. This Steelers team has shown no polish. They have not shown that they are sound fundamentally, lack discipline and are sloppy just as that 2000 Blazers team.

I'm grateful that they're 7-2 and I hope for the best. The truth is though, if they don't clean up their act, a sparkling record will only be a mirage after being dismantled once again by the Patriots in another AFCCG letdown, and that is if they can make it that far.

I can only hope that this team has not peaked yet, but after 9 games of evidence, this team looks like this just may be who they are. Let's be honest, winning the Superbowl is the goal and the Steelers only look close by record. I think we all can say that if the top teams in the league that I mentioned above would have played the Colts, the game wouldn't have been close.

[polamalubeast]

The blazers would have won the title in 2000 without their historic collapse in the 4th quarter in Game 7 against the Lakers.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Wasn't that the Portland Jail Blazer team that smoked a lot of weed?

Stoudamire, Cliff Robinson, Sheed, etc. I guess the Steelers 3 B's of Bell, Bryant and Bong have some similarities.

[Neversatisfied]

It's all quite odd. Arguably a top 3 defense, a great QB, the best RB in football, a pair of WRs that any NFL team would love to have on their team, a fantastic Offensive line. Sounds like a team that should steamroll bottom feeder teams,right?Not with the coaching they have. I blame coaching because it's the jobs of Coaches and coordinators to put all of the pieces together and they don't. Look at fundamental like tackling, this team is and has been known to miss tackles in large numbers. I don't have the numbers but I'd bet they rate poorly. Take a team like New England , similar talent but different results. The Patriots handed the Broncos their asses yesterday and that's what a great team should do to crap teams. Pittsburgh regularly loses to garbage teams. When you watch the Steelers you might as well flip a coin to see if your gonna see a Superbowl contender or an absolute shitshow. The Steelers have the talent but the management has to coach and prepare and they fall short but why? Mike Tomlin is the head football coach and he will just have to figure it out.

[pczach]

They already beat one of the teams listed when they defeated the Vikings earlier this year.

This year's Steelers seem different. They find ways to win games. Over the last 3 or 4 years, we have seen this team sleepwalk through certain games and find ways to lose. This year, the team seems to be able to do whatever it takes to pull out victories. There's a lot of football still to be played, but this years team seems to be improving and seems to be on a mission.

I don't think we've seen this teams best football yet.

[st33lersguy]

Ben's play remains a concern, as does the special teams unit. If Ben doesn't play better and the special teams doesn't do better their ceiling will be AFC Championship appearance by default followed by AFC championship loss. If Le'Veon wears down, things will get even worse. Then there is the issue of the defense and whether or not it will step up against New England

[Geno71]

Ben's play remains a concern, as does the special teams unit. If Ben doesn't play better and the special teams doesn't do better their ceiling will be AFC Championship appearance by default followed by AFC championship loss. If Le'Veon wears down, things will get even worse. Then there is the issue of the defense and whether or not it will step up against New England

Hater. Have faith in the players you claim to root for.

[ALLD]

It's coaching and I would cut the OC and ST's coaches.

[steel striker]

It's a good thing the playoffs don't start this weekend but, let's see what the Steelers like when it is playoff time.

[43Hitman]

It's a good thing the playoffs don't start this weekend but, let's see what the Steelers like when it is playoff time.

I don't follow. If the playoffs were to start this week the Steelers would be the 1 seed, have a bye and home field advantage. Isn't that one of the goals? Unless you think because they played like crap last week that they'll do the same this week? I mean sure it's possible, but this team always seems to bounce back after having a poor performance, I'm confident they'll play better on Thursday. They may still lose because it's the NFL and anything can happen, but I think they'll play better for sure.

[teegre]

I don't follow. If the playoffs were to start this week the Steelers would be the 1 seed, have a bye and home field advantage. Isn't that one of the goals? Unless you think because they played like crap last week that they'll do the same this week? I mean sure it's possible, but this team always seems to bounce back after having a poor performance, I'm confident they'll play better on Thursday. They may still lose because it's the NFL and anything can happen, but I think they'll play better for sure.

Double-secret first seed is better.

[43Hitman]

Double-secret first seed is better.

Shhhh!

[Mojouw]

Double-secret first seed is better.