Steelers not as bad off as many fans think
Let me begin by saying that I don’t believe the Pittsburgh Steelers’ situation is as poor as the vast majority of the team’s fan base is making it out to be. Why am I not ready to leap off one of the many bridges in the Steel City? The parity that the National Football League so prides itself on is keeping the woeful men of aluminum … I mean steel … in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Six games into the season, Pittsburgh sits in last place in the AFC North at 3-3. However, first-place Cincinnati is just 3-1-1 with a defense that is looking possibly the worst in the conference, despite having perhaps the most talent. If the Steelers can reel off a modest three-game win streak or take 4-of-5 at some point in the season, they could be right back in the hunt for a division title. It’s that wide open.
However, don’t mistake my previous comments for optimism. While the numbers show a team that is still mathematically very much alive for the postseason, the eyeball test tells a different story. With an offense that looks absolutely inept inside an opposing 20-yard line and a defense that is way too old in the secondary and way too young at linebacker, kicker Shaun Suisham appears to be the most dangerous weapon the team has when it comes to scoring points.
For an organization that has prided itself on building from within, it’s not hard to pick a starting point for the team’s woes of the past three mediocre, playoff-free seasons. Pittsburgh has lost its golden touch at the NFL draft. After going over the franchise’s selections of the recent past, and yes, I do have that sort of time on my hands, I could almost pinpoint the exact draft that spelled the beginning of seven years of sub-standard selections by the Steeler brass.
Behold, I give you the stinker class of 2008.
After hitting the mark the year before by picking Pro Bowl linebackers Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley, not to mention blocking specialist tight end Matt Spaeth, the top punter in the country Daniel Sepulveda and respectable cornerback William Gay, the Steelers decided to make a splash with their first pick of 2008. Instead of taking reliable wide receiver Jordy Nelson or hard-hitting cornerback Brandon Flowers, Pittsburgh decided to roll the dice on one-year wonder running back Rashard Mendenhall from the University of Illinois.
A combination of a fumble problem, injuries and some rather bizarre political views ended Mendenhall’s days with the Steelers after five seasons. He later retired after just one year with Arizona.
If Mendehall was a swing-and-a-miss of a pick, Pittsburgh’s next selection was a complete whiff followed by falling on your rear end and having the bat hit you in the face. Yes friends, I am referring to former University of Texas star wide receiver Limas Sweed.
Sweed was just plain bad. No wait, he was awful. No wait, putridly horrific may be the most appropriate collection of adverbs and adjectives to describe the impressive looking 6-4, 220-pounder. Unfortunately, looking the part doesn’t exactly translate to the field, as the former Longhorn stud spent just two seasons with the Steelers and recorded seven total receptions. He was last seen bouncing around the Canadian Football League.
Who could the Steelers have had instead of Sweed? How about Kansas City superstar running back and Sweed’s college teammate Jamaal Charles?
The rest of the draft lacks any semblance of a true contributor to the Pittsburgh cause. These names include linebacker Bruce Davis, offensive tackle Tony Hillis, quarterback Dennis Dixon and linebacker Mike Humpal. Ironically, the only player to make any sort of impact on the Steelers from this class was the team’s final selection, safety and Pittsburgh native Ryan Mundy.
Pittsburgh missed the mark again in 2009 when the Steelers drafted defensive lineman Ziggy Hood and offensive tackle Kraig Urbik in the first two rounds. To be fair, the Steelers were able to rebound by swiping wide receiver Mike Wallace and cornerback Keenan Lewis with their next two selections.
The franchise’s last truly fruitful draft came in 2010, when current starters Maurkice Pouncey and Jason Worilds slipped on Steeler baseball caps at Radio City Music Hall. Current Denver wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders was also welcomed to Pittsburgh on that night, as was the team’s last great steal, wide receiver Antonio Brown.
Over the past four years, it’s hard to identify even a handful of Pittsburgh picks that have really blossomed into major contributors. Ironically, over that same stretch of time, the Pittsburgh Pirates have become the model of building a franchise internally, as opposed to through trades and free agency.
I can honestly say I never thought I would see the day where the once pathetic Buccos have surpassed the mighty Steelers as the city’s best run organization. As a life-long baseball fan, it is a refreshing change of pace.