If you listen to my “Let’s Ride” podcast you know all about the dangers of the word ‘potential’ with me. There is a reason why. When someone, or something, is brimming with potential doesn’t mean they’ll ever live up to those expectations.

This is true in life, as it is in football.

With the Pittsburgh Steelers, mainly the offense, everyone was excited and ready for the 2023 regular season. Ready to see the offense which went a perfect 5/5 with drives resulting in touchdowns in the preseason to unleash a fury on opposing defenses this season.

• Pickett to Pickens.
• Harris and Warren in the backfield.
• Mount Washington and MUTH.

While it’s only been one week, fans haven’t seen any of it. The 30-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers has the fan base wondering if all the hype surrounding the group this preseason was nothing more than that — overblown hype.

This brings us full circle back to those lofty expectations set with that dangerous ‘p’ word (potential). You can have a bright future, but at some point results matter. As the Steelers prepare for the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 2, talking about potential is pointless. Time to see results.

When talking about players and/or units, at some points results matter more than anything else. The fact Kenny Pickett hasn’t had a game where he’s thrown more than one touchdown in his 14 games played means something. It doesn’t matter if you are a staunch Pickett supporter or not…

At some point results matter.

When talking about the defense, who has touted their defensive line depth all preseason and throughout training camp, you might be without both Cam Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi on Monday night. Is the depth as good as everyone thought?

At some point results matter.

Matt Canada as a play caller has been given years of time to improve upon the game plan, scheme and overall approach to the Steelers offense. Improvement has been evident? Not ay all.

At some point results matter.

In today’s NFL, points are the standard. If you aren’t scoring, you’re losing. The Steelers averaged 18.1 points per game last season, and scored just 7 in Week 1.

At some point results matter.

Don’t misconstrue this message. I’m not calling for Pickett to be benched or Canada to be fired. Rather, I’m just hopeful the results we’ve all been hoping and waiting for is on the horizon.

Signs of life is all I, and most Steelers fans, seek right now. We, as a collective, have grown weary of the talk of potential. Instead, we only seek one thing — results.

Time to get the job done.

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 2.