In 2018 "the Standard is the Standard" as the Steelers lose games to sub .500 teams lose in the wildcard round and Mike Tomlin is absolved or any and all faults.
9-7
Inconsistent offense and a bad defense.
Best case scenario 11-5
Worst case scenario 5-11
Hater = Realist
10-6. 2nd Seed in the AFC. After that the picture is hazy.
Watt hits double digit sacks.
Burns emerges as a playmaker with passes defensed and INTS but who can't tackle.
Haden's play falls off a cliff and he just guesses on every route now.
Davis and Edmunds show flashes of being Batman and Robin back there, but can't keep it going consistently.
Bud Dupree has 8 sacks and great work in space. Everyone is left wanting more but wondering if that is enough.
The front 3 is just a wrecking crew. But they can only impact so much.
VW is VW and Bostic is revealed to be Jon Bostic.
Ben has another statistically impressive season with a few clunkers thrown in. His % of WTF throws increases with Fichtner giving him more freedom. To balance it out, his % of "how did he do that!" throws also goes up.
Bell starts by Week 2 in a rotation with Conner. By Week 5, there is no more rotation and Bell has a statistically staggering season. He gets booed at every home game regardless. DeCastro feels so bad he hugs him before each game.
Conner looks great in limited work and fans chant his name in the 4th quarter of every home game. Ramon Foster hugs him.
AB and Jujubee do what they do. Washington comes on by week 4 and makes a series of impressive catches. Everyone else is frustrating at best.
Vance "Mr. Glass" McDonald plays every 3rd week. When he does play he is really impressive. He joins Ladarius Green in the "What Might Have Been" section of the Steeler scrapbook.
Jesse James and Grimble continue to consistently underwhelm. By Week 10, Shoes is camping outside the Steelers facility to demand a TE draft selection high in 2019.
The offensive line is dominant. There are a few injuries and the back-ups come up and play well. Munchak is elevated to sainthood.
For the NFL - All the rookie QBs play well. Deshaun Watson is the real deal. Gruden's Raiders are hot garbage. Bears are good again. Seahawks are not and Carrol tearfully retires at the end of the year. Mahomes lights up the league for 30+ TDs and he also throws 20 INTS. Harbaugh, Hue Jackson, Garrett, and Marvin Lewis all finally get fired.
3 New HC in the AFC North next season ?!
This is very bold, especially for the Bengals!
At some point, and I hope it is never, but those teams have to realize all of those guys are frauds as head coaches. Watching Hard Knocks was truly enlightening and terrifying. The Hue Jackson led Browns do not even know how to practice well. It took Tyrod Taylor to suggest solutions to the head coach. For the Ravens, if it goes bad this season it just makes sense to wipe the slate clean. Go into 2019 with a new GM replacing Ozzie, new QB, and a new coach along with it. Then I hope the cut T Sizzle Suggs and he catches on with the Steelers for one last dominant campaign! And honestly, can anyone explain why Marvin Lewis still has his job?
The only reason why Marvin Lewis still has his job is their owner....
I think Harbaugh is going to stay, same thing for Marvin Lewis, but if things are not going well for Hue Jackson, he could be fired during the season and I would not be surprised if it's Todd Haley who becomes their HC for the rest of the season!
Steelers looking like they'll finish 3rd in the division behind Cincy and B'more
17-1-1
Yeah I like to see win out but, more like 10-6 or 11-5.