Football is upon us, and so it is time for me to compose my annual essay about how my beloved Steelers are going to win a 7th championship, only to have absolutely none of it come true. But, as always, fanaticism trumps delusion, so there we are. As an aside, we need to find a word to replace “trump” because simply typing that makes me feel dirty. But I digress.
Last year the Steelers relied on Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to lead the offense. It was kinda-sorta OK at the beginning but Wilson faded and they decided Fields wasn’t the answer. So what did they do? They let themselves be held hostage by Aaron Rodgers, another past-his-prime headcase. It dragged on and on, leading Cam Heyward to say “If you want to be here, be here”. Those words would come back to haunt him later, but we’ll get there. Anyway, finally Rodgers signed, and by all accounts he’s been professional and not nuts, which is a good sign. Two years removed from a torn Achilles but into his football dotage, it remains to be seen what he has left, but if it’s 80% of his MVP form he’ll still be what Pittsburgh needs, at least for this year. The long term solution at QB remains elusive.
Then they traded George Pickens, a guy with million dollar talent and a ten cent head, and picked up DK Metcalf, another mercurial talent. Pickens already confirmed that it was a good trade by acting the fool on Thursday. Metcalf hasn’t made any waves yet, but he likely will sooner or later. We’ll see.
Then TJ Watt had his contract done after much handwringing, but they needed to do it so it finally got done.
And THEN Cam Heyward, team captain, team leader, Walter Payton Man of the Year, and source of the aforementioned quote about “being there”, decides to alienate every fan with a hold-in a year after signing a contract coming off a pretty severe injury. Apparently he made some sort of implied deal that he’d be back for more if he outperformed his contract, which he admittedly did. I’m good with players getting theirs, but that’s why you have an agent, so deals aren’t implied. So he played his little game, which was really a bad look, but yesterday got his money so that’s finally over.
Now, with all the political junk out of the way, we can get down to it. The defense is as stellar as usual, they imported a bunch of free agent secondary players like Darius Slay and Juan Thornhill and traded Minkah back to Miami for Jalen Ramsay. Add Porter and you pass on them at your own risk. Plus they still have Watt, Highsmith, and Heyward, and some solid interior linemen like 1st-round pick Derrick Harmon so it could be something special to see this year.
The offense is a different story. They let Najee Harris go and sent Pickens away but picked up Jonnu Smith and Metcalf so they still lack a definitive number 2 receiver, though I’m hoping Calvin Austin or Roman Wilson step into that role. The featured back is Jaylen Warren, good as a slashing complement to the bruising power of Harris but maybe not as the primary option. Broderick Jones is finally in his natural position so he needs to show out or he’ll be out of town soon. And, of course, A.A.Ron. I swear, I’m going to lose my mind if he starts his whackadoodle shit again.
Anyway, the pieces are all there to be successful. But they have to prove it, and in that division that’s a real challenge. The Rats are once more expected to win the division, the Bungles have offense for days but a defense that couldn’t stop a pickup team from Cal Tech, and the hapless Browns led by the Elite Joe Flacco, the best choice in a room full of blah.
And then you have the Bills, who in true Buffalo fashion can’t get over the hump, the Chargers might actually be good this year, Denver is surging, the Chiefs aren’t out of it though they are noticeably weaker based on Thursday’s game… the AFC is hyper-competitive and wide open at the same time.
And then there’s the Eagles. I have no idea how they haven’t busted the cap with all the blue chips they keep getting, but they’re ludicrously stacked, easily the class of the NFC and maybe the NFL. But it only takes one loss at the right time and they’re out, so let’s not crown their asses just yet.
In any case, if you cared enough to read this, here is my prediction: 17-0, domination, undefeated Supe…
OK, really. I think they’ll do better than the 9-8 (or even 8-9) that the pundits have predicted. I’ll call for 11 wins and at least a wild card, and I’m optimistic about a playoff win this year. Omar Khan (the GM) has them going the right direction. We’ll see how it plays out.
Enjoy the season, everyone.