TB wrote:Last place in the AFC North.
Better get used to it.
Gonna be a place we're going to have to get accustomed to seeing as fans, but it's going to be a reality for a long time.
We are easily the least talented and worst coached team in the division.
Our QB is 32 and is trending down. Arguably not even a top 5 QB in the AFC right now (certainly behind Rivers, Manning, Luck, and Brady). We have the worst #2 and #3 WR that we've had since I can remember. Heath is done with nothing behind him. We just handed out long contracts to a shitty CB and an average RT. Troy is done, Ike is done. We don't have a quality rush LBer on the roster. Mike Mitchell looks like a one year wonder who won the lottery. We've got a guy we drafted to be a backup center starting at LT. We just drafted a 3-4 ILB that played at 215 pounds in college and is constantly banged up. Dri Archer. Landry Jones. Mike Adams.
All coached by a guy who won the head coaching lottery and has gotten exposed. Took over a loaded team and has had no idea how to sustain it and is clearly in over his head.
I agree. We're seeing the results of a failed defensive rebuilding project. We spent too many precious resources trying to rebuild the defense, including 4 first round draft picks in 6 years. Hood is already gone, Heyward has taken a massive step back, and Jervis has been shaky. The secondary is in shambles, the LB corps isn't as good as it needs to be given the investment- 3 1st rounders and a 2nd rounder, and the DL is sub-par. Maybe Heyward and Jervis step up, and maybe Shazier will work out to be above average. Even if they do, the defense still won't be very good.
Meanwhile, the offense has been depleted. Pouncey and DeCastro have been worth their 1st round picks, and Bell is great, but we've used two 2nd round picks to find one half-decent RT. We're starting a guy at LT who was drafted in the 7th round to be the back-up center. We waste 3rd round picks on ill-conceived experiments like Dri Archer. Just imagine how bad this offense would have been if the FO hadn't lucked out on AB.
On top of all of this, we've only had one decent FA signing (Cotchery) since finding Ryan Clark in 2006.
I'm a huge Ben Roethlisberger fan, but, as others have pointed out, it might make more sense to try to trade him. The team needs as many high round picks as it can get, and this is going to be a long rebuild. On the other hand, I don't trust Colbert and Tomlin to use those picks fruitfully.
