There was a time when I would hear fans say a particular season was “Super Bowl or Bust” and I would just shake my head in disbelief. I felt those expectations were insurmountable, and how only one team out of 32 total teams gets to hoist the Lombardi trophy every year. Placing expectations on a team that lofty made me feel as if they were be set up for a let down more than anything.

Recently, I was doing the activity which provides me the most mental acuity, cutting grass, and I was thinking about the upcoming 2024 regular season.

Mainly the changes which have been made.

• Russell Wilson
• Justin Fields
• Patrick Queen
• DeShon Elliott

All free agent acquisitions, among others which you know their names.

Then came the 2024 NFL Draft class which provided the future of the trenches, mainly along the offensive line.

I couldn’t help but look at the moves made by General Manager Omar Khan and company and think about how they’ve done about all they could do to improve the roster before the start of the regular season. Could they have found a way to get another wide receiver? Yes, but every team has holes on their roster. No team is perfect.

The more I thought about this, the more I felt the team was pushing their chips into the middle of the poker table and saying, “We’re all in.”

They are hoping the quarterback position pans out in their favor, but the fact remains this team has made changes which they feel will get them over the proverbial hump. And when I refer to the proverbial hump, I’m not talking about winning a playoff game. I’m talking about winning a Super Bowl.

If the roster changes weren’t enough, Art Rooney II showed his support for Mike Tomlin by giving him a 3-year contract extension, keeping him the head coach for the next three seasons. Not just a figurative show of support, but a true sign he believes Tomlin is still the man to get the Steelers their 7th trophy for their trophy case.

There will be many who believe the Steelers are years away from vying for another Super Bowl, but if the organization sees it as this year being “the year”, why shouldn’t fans echo this very sentiment? Why shouldn’t we elevate our expectations to mirror those of the organization who make decisions on a yearly basis? Why should we water down our own expectations based on our own thoughts?

I’m not suggesting fans shouldn’t have their own gut reactions and instincts on the moves which have been made. Far from it. What I’m referring to is the fact the expectation should be a championship…every year. We might believe the team is years away, but if the team expects to win a championship every year, so should we, right?

In other words, for all those people who have said “Super Bowl or Bust” on a yearly basis, and who I may have chastised for those very comments, I’m sorry. This year, I ramp up my expectations. Sure, the rebuild might only be partially complete, but I’ll be damned if I don’t have the same expectations as the players, coaches and front office personnel. What coach or player would keep their job if they said, and believed, a year was just considered another step in the rebuilding process. Another year where they might get “closer” to competing.

Sometimes to get the results you desire, you have to go out on a limb and make bold declarations.

You have not, because you have asked not…or something along those lines.

So, say it with me folks.

2024 is Super Bowl or Bust for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Believe it, and achieve it.