Who in their right mind would turn down $14.5 million to simply, play football? Le’Veon Bell, former Michigan State star recently missed his second game, also missing out on $1.7 million in game checks. Granted that the Steelers won their first game this past Monday, they are a lost cause of a team without the best running back in the NFL. James Conner is a solid back, and might just turn into something special one day. However, he is no Le’Veon. Bell is putting the Steelers through hell.
Stalling Offense
The perfect phrase to describe Pittsburgh’s offense in 2018 would be, “Jekyll & Hyde”. They’re averaging 29.3 ppg, which is relatively good compared to some teams, but let me remind you, the Steelers are in hell from now on. Nevertheless, if you have actually watched their games, you’ll notice that there are points in the game where the offense goes brain dead. This is a matter of only have two play-makers in JuJu Smith-Schuster, and the great AB. They’re missing that third guy they could rely for big plays and converting critical third downs. Week 1, against the browns, the Steelers had a chance to put the game away in the 4th quarter and Overtime. They scored a combined ZERO points in those periods, resulting in a tie. Week 2 challenging the best offense in the league in the Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh allowed a 21-0 bloodbath in the first quarter. Finally, the offense turned up to tie the game before halftime, but those first three drives resulting in ZERO points held them back from what could’ve been a statement win to the rest of the league. Week 3 vs Fitzmagic and the Buccaneers was moments away from a total collapse. Pittsburgh rallied to go up 30-10 at the half. However, the Steelers would not score a single time in the second half, inviting the Bucs back into the game. With such an atrocious defense, they need Le’Veon back because outscoring teams is the only hope they have of getting to the playoffs.
Mental Deficiencies
Have you ever lost a game in which you could’ve won if one of your best players were able to play? This is a very defeating feeling. If you think that the Steelers aren’t suffering from this, you’re certified crazy. Imagine not being able to beat a team that hasn’t won a game in over 600 days, then losing a shootout to a hot team next week. Then capping it off by blowing a 20-point lead, a blink away from losing to RYAN FITZPATRICK. Yes, the same guy that threw SIX interceptions in a game last year. Still think they’re fine mentally? Think again. Losing games in this fashion can cause finger-pointing and blame games. All in all, this could lead to Mike Tomlin losing control over the locker room. Currently, the only thing holding this team together is a strong willed coach like Tomlin.
Solutions?
By the looks of this circus, there are only two ways to solve it. Neither option looks appetizing to a Steeler fan like myself. The first option is for the front office committing to a full rebuild. Let Bell go in free agency, or trade him, then lose Big Ben to retirement most likely after this year. Unless the players/picks that they could get from a trade turn out to be stars, they’ll have a long road ahead of them. Option two is for the front office committing to winning now. Pay the man the money he deserves, lose Big Ben to retirement most likely after this year. Although, there will be hope that backups Mason Rudolph and Josh Dobbs come a long way in a short time. There is also the possibility of signing a solid quarterback during free agency, or acquiring their QB of the future through the draft. So is there a way to quickly get out of this “hell” for the Steelers? Unfortunately, the answer is no, and that’s putting me through hell.
