I hear the phase “Steelers fans are spoiled” thrown around a lot. Perhaps we are, but it’s not because of playoff success or all the championships. If you don’t believe me, check out the last decade and acknowledge the fact that we are all still here. We are spoiled in that regardless of the result, past Steelers teams were going to be the toughest SOBs on the field. They played with intensity, would fight to the finish, and had each other’s back. Every opposing team knew a tub day was in order after a trip to Pittsburgh.

The playoff game in Baltimore was not hard to watch because the Steelers lost the game. The Ravens have a better roster, an MVP candidate at QB, and a true identity as a team. The Steelers were underdogs for a reason. It was hard to watch because of the way that Pittsburgh lost. I didn’t expect them to win, but I expected them to play with pride and compete on every down. That did not happen. I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen that attitude from a Steelers team where the lack of effort and belief was that obvious. Add in the fact that it was a playoff game against their biggest rival, and it becomes almost unbelievable. We’ve gone from Joey Porter Sr beating on the bus wanting to fight the entire Ravens team in the parking lot to players jumping out of the way to avoid contact on the field.

I had to watch some Greg Lloyd highlights to get the bad taste out of my mouth. I highly recommend it as a palate cleanser. It brought to mind some quotes from legendary players that never played a game at half speed.

Joe Greene – We may not win the game, but I was going to win the fight. – When you think of me as a football player, I would like for people to think that I put it on the line every time. Good or bad, win or lose, I put it on the line.

Greg Lloyd – I love playing the game and I love playing at the outside linebacker position, and I don’t accept complacency from anybody. – When you come through that tunnel, and you see “Avoid Lloyd” and “Just Plain Nasty” and it’s like all this is for me – this is all mine – and you got 50,000 people screaming your name and I mean – it’s a fire that comes on inside you. It’s like “Alright, they are here to see me. Let’s give them a show.”

Then I think of the quote from George Pickens last year after he gave zero effort and did not block on a running play.

George Pickens –I was just trying to prevent the Tank Dell situation, the same thing that happened to (him). I ain’t want to get an injury. When you stay on the block too low, you can get ran up on very easily.

Because of that, I do want to call out the few players that stood out and played like Steelers Saturday night. Cam Heyward and Jaylen Warren played every down to the max, and Calvin Austin proved over and over that size has little to do with toughness. Even when others looked disinterested and ready to pack it in, they played hard every down.

The people of Pittsburgh and Steelers Nation around the world understand that no one wins all the time. It’s not really about winning. It’s how you carried yourself, and if you gave it your all. There is a difference, and it means everything. If this team has lost that fire, there’s not much left. They aren’t winning on game planning and strategy with this current coaching staff. They roll out the same basic designs and concepts game after game. After the midpoint of a season when there is enough tape to predict tendencies, if the player doesn’t beat the man in front of him with strength, speed, or skill, he isn’t going to win.

Mike Tomlin placed much of the blame on the offense not possessing the ball in his post-game press conference, but the defense gave up 95 yards in 13 plays on their first series. That can’t be blamed on the offense. Perhaps it was that weird strategy they came up with to tackle the guy without the ball, lose outside contain, and allow Jackson scoot around the outside for huge gains over and over. Call me crazy, but after a few times of that, I’d tell my guys to focus on the dude with the ball in his hands.

Major changes are needed, but they most likely will not be coming. With the NFC North and AFC East on the docket next year, another murderer’s row is on the way. It could be a rinse and repeat of this year…and the one before that…and the one before that. Actually, as the team is constructed right now, when I put pen to paper I have next year’s way too early prediction sitting at 7-10.

Sometimes a strength is also a weakness. I love that this organization doesn’t fire people after one bad season, but they are so averse to change that it eventually becomes a detriment. Chuck Noll is the greatest coach in the history of the organization, but when you look at the team record from 1984 to 1991, it wasn’t doing any service to Noll or the Steelers:

1984: 9-7

1985: 7-9

1986: 6-10

1987: 8-7 (strike year)

1988: 5-11

1989: 9-7

1990: 9-7

1991: 7-9

The game had advanced, and Coach Noll had not. That takes away nothing from what he built and achieved in the 70’s. It’s just a fact. In this new era of super-charged offense, relying on individual efforts from a few star players on defense will put the team exactly where they find themselves right now, stuck in purgatory. The game has advanced past Mike Tomlin’s approach of relying on an individual to make a defensive splash play to squeak out a close win after handcuffing an offense from being anything other than predictable.

T.J. Watt has not shown up on the box score for a game since Christmas Day against the Chiefs. That is football malpractice. Lining him up way outside and having to hit the tackle, tight end, and running back on almost every play does nothing but wear down a great player. Tomlin and Austin effectively schemed Watt out of games by not scheming plays for him. Conversely, the Steelers have a terrible record when Watt misses a game, which speaks to his greatness, but also blatantly shows the weakness of the scheme. When Chris Jones missed the Christmas Day game, the defensive line still dominated, because they relied on scheme to assist the individual effort.

People are who they are. George Pickens is not going to change. He will give you one good game for two bad ones, and that’s the way it will be. Mike Tomlin is not going to suddenly become an aggressive offensive innovator and score 30 points a game on a consistent basis. The standard is set, and right now it is stuck in neutral. Does anyone believe that this current staff can develop a young quarterback or game plan for a different style of play? Will it take something as drastic as empty seats in the stands or fans with paper bags over their heads? We already heard the booing of Renegade by the home crowd this year, and if that doesn’t get Art II’s attention, I’m not sure what will.

SCN readers and listeners will not leave. We will play the podcasts, watch the youtube shows, and read the articles in the offseason. We will all be excited as the draft nears and new players don the Black and Gold, and we will all be waving our towels when the season kicks off again, because that’s what we do. We don’t change our colors, but it’s time for Art Rooney II and the organization to do an honest evaluation and make some changes to ensure that Steeler Nation does not.