Recently I was thinking about my time writing about the Pittsburgh Steelers. Throughout my career doing so, I’ve essentially done it all.

Commentary, news, breaking stories, features and even took a stab at simple film room breakdowns.

The one thing I’ve never done is work on just a random thought type format.

I can’t speak for you, the reader, but I am always thinking about writing and the Steelers. Thinking about different aspects of the team and game. Thanks to reading Myron Cope’s biography I decided to put a unique spin on this type of feature.

Now, for the name of the article, anyone who is familiar with the Styx song “Renegade” should know where it came from. If not, this is where it came from…

The jig is up, the news is out
They finally found me
The renegade who had it made
Retrieved for a bounty
Nevermore to go astray
This’ll be the end today of the wanted man

The jig is up…time for some randomness.

The Pro Bowl remains the NFL’s lone Black Eye

The NFL has made its money off making rather mundane events into must-watch television. Two events come to mind: The NFL Regular Season schedule release and the NFL Draft. Both of these events used to be a footnote in the newspaper, and have become spectacles which have become appointment television.

The only event which remains a dud for the NFL is the Pro Bowl, or the Pro Bowl Games as they call it now. I give the league credit, they are trying to make it more appealing than a half-effort football game, but it isn’t sticking. Maybe it’s the players who are pulling out of the games due to injury, or lack of interest, or the fact fans are more focused on the upcoming Super Bowl. Either way, the Pro Bowl Games just miss the mark, and it is something the NFL has to be annoyed with considering the massive changes the event has undergone in the last decade.

The 2005 Bus Ride

Any Steelers fan who was alive for the insane 2005 playoff run remembers the AFC Divisional Round game vs. the Indianapolis Colts. The Steelers red-hot start, the botched Troy Polamalu would-be interception, and, of course, Jerome Bettis’ fumble. While Bettis has talked about that play a million times, I’ve never heard him go into such great detail as he did when he joined Ryan Clark’s The Pivot Podcast earlier this week.

Take a look for yourself:

Still a crazy story from that 2005 Divisional Game. Bettis shares some details I’ve never heard before. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/PdTfi2nbBq

— Jeff Hartman (@JHartman_PIT) January 30, 2025

Hearing Bettis get shut out by his teammates on the sideline made me unusually sad, but I also can understand how his teammates had to feel watching Peyton Manning and the Colts move quickly down the field into field goal range. Thankfully it all worked out in the end.

Not Everything Was Bad

The past 2-3 weeks of the offseason have been bad. I’m not going to lie to you, but when the Steelers put out their Top 10 plays from the season on Twitter, I had to watch. It was good therapy for me to remember not everything this season was a kick in the nuts, and that they were 10-3 at one point.

Watch the selected plays below:

Top 🔟 plays from the 2024 season

More on https://t.co/XL7UQscxtd pic.twitter.com/CwNBRod5Pf

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 29, 2025

The other takeaway I had after watching this highlight reel were the plays which weren’t on the list. In fact, the plays that didn’t even count. Like Justin Fields’ 50-yard laser to George Pickens in Denver which was negated by a Broderick Jones penalty? How about T.J. Watt’s strip sack of Kirk Cousins in Week 1 which was nullified due to them saying he jumped offsides, even though he timed the snap perfectly? Those plays were great too, even though they didn’t count.

What would a modern Justin Fields Offense look like?

This week everyone is debating what the Steelers should do at the quarterback position this offseason. I have been in the camp of see if Justin Fields would take a cheaper deal, and see if you can build an offense around his skill set. What might that look like, you ask?

Let’ Coach K.T. Smith outline what the Steelers tried to do with Fields at quarterback this season, and what it could/should look like if they bring him back in 2025 as the QB1.

What might the Steelers look like if they re-sign Justin Fields and lean into modern offensive concepts? Here’s a breakdown. pic.twitter.com/aZaSaVOA67

— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) January 29, 2025

Mobile Mania? Not so much…

This week/weekend has been the Senior Bowl weekend, and it is the unofficial kickoff to the 2025 NFL Draft season. The Steelers brass has descended upon Mobile for the week’s worth of practices leading up to the game this weekend.

Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith are here in Mobile at the Senior Bowl pic.twitter.com/DydI3adH0L

— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) January 28, 2025

While I typically get extremely excited for this event to truly kickoff the offseason, I can’t say I’m overly excited for the offseason this year. The way the season ended it doesn’t give me a ton of hope for things to potentially change in the near future. I’m sure by the time the new league year begins and free agency starts I’ll be excited, but right now I’m just not there.

Fields, Wilson, or Neither?

As Art Rooney II has done the proverbial rounds with media, one question which has always been discussed after Rooney said he could see one of the quarterbacks who was on the roster last season return, but he is doubtful both return, is which one will return?

Will it be Justin Fields? Russell Wilson? Or will be it neither?

Do to the way Wilson finished the season, combined with his age, has many fans not believing in his ability to be the answer moving forward, especially if the Steeles are looking for a player to be more than a one-year contract.

Fields makes sense from an age perspective, but do the Steelers have the team to build a system around him to be successful and minimize his shortcomings as a thrower?

Or will it be neither of these two players?

I’m extremely curious how the Steelers will handle this situation and if they can lock up one of their own before free agency. If they were to sign Fields to a deal before free agency starts, it would be a statement about their desire to keep him, and his desire to be in Pittsburgh. Going to be interesting to watch…

Are the 80s calling?

Last weekend I was visiting my brother near Richmond, VA and he has a really cool basement where he found the real newspapers from all of the Steelers Super Bowl wins. He has them all framed and hanging in his basement, see the video below, and I couldn’t help but notice the last victory from the 1970s headline. Everyone was expecting the good times to keep on rolling throughout the 80s.

Are the #Steelers on the verge of another 80s like era? pic.twitter.com/oVBzZieZuh

— Fans First Steel City (@FFSNSteelCity) January 25, 2025

The 80s weren’t kind to the Steelers, despite a couple teams and players who were beloved by the fan base, and I wondered if the Steelers were on their way to another 80s type era. There is no quarterback in place, and there are major questions on the roster. Sure, there are great players, but even the most optimistic fan can’t say there is a reason why there should be hope moving forward.

Announcer Tom

FOX Sports has the Super Bowl next weekend, which means we will hear Tom Brady on the call, again. Down the stretch of the regular season and the playoffs, I’ve heard Brady on more calls. I have to admit, he has improved. I asked on Twitter what everyone thought of Brady as a color commentator…

I will say this, Tom Brady has improved throughout the season, but is he any good?

What say you? Tom Brady as an announcer is…

— Jeff Hartman (@JHartman_PIT) January 26, 2025

There are some rumors Brady is going to be a one-and-done with FOX after being named a part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, but FOX signed him to a 10-year deal which I’m sure they’ll want him to complete. Otherwise, I think Brady is getting better as an announcer, but he still isn’t on the top of my list for color commentators, that would probably go to Greg Olsen.

That does it…the jig is up, they’ve finally found me. This renegade is outta here…be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the offseason.