Mason Rudolph is in the conversation for a change and Kenny Pickett is still in the organization’s good graces. But there are layers of variables to resolve on the way to determining 2024’s starter.
They’re no longer who they were, individually and collectively. But there’s still work to be done if they want to become the team they intended to be all along.
Hindsight suggests they could have played him sooner. But there was no reason to perceive Rudolph as anything other than a last resort until he finally proved otherwise.
They’ve earned the criticism they’ve been receiving since Arizona and New England. But when it comes from within it has to be either answered or acknowledged.
The difference in their offense without former coordinator Matt Canada was more subtle than spectacular, initially. But for a change, there’s hope on the horizon.
The offense was getting worse, not better, as was quarterback Kenny Pickett. That left Mike Tomlin with little choice but to do what needed to be done.
They kept their prized draft picks under wraps intentionally, for whatever reason. Now we’ll find out if turning to rookies can alter the season’s course.
Sunday might constitute their best, last chance to finally get the offense in gear. Failing that, it might start to get really ugly for coordinator Matt Canada.
Harris suggests that it's the players, not Matt Canada, who have gotten the Steelers into the mess they are in and it's the players who must get them out of it.
The season destined to end on Sunday wasn’t a 100-loss debacle. They’ll have to aim higher moving forward, but they’ve at least taken baby steps over a low bar and in the right direction for a change.
There seem to be more reasons to be excited about Mike Tomlin’s team than there have been in quite a while. But there are also concerns and unknowns that may yet get in the way of another chance at the Super Bowl.
As great as the Buccos keep insisting PNC Park is, it isn’t all that different from most other stadiums. But what happens once the ball gets pitched in places such as Atlanta is another matter entirely.
Former players’ annual pilgrimage back to Saint Vincent College is a part of Steelers’ lore and Steelers’ culture. And it’s one of the things that defines the organization in the eyes of former safety Ryan Clark.
They won’t win a pennant, probably won’t even finish with a winning record. But what they’ll put on display the rest of the way has a chance to resonate sooner rather than later.
Rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has the physical skill set and the pedigree. And the early indications at training camp are he’s starting to get it, as encouraging a development as any so far for the Steelers.
It’ll be the head coach, and not offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who sets the tone and determines the direction in which Kenny Pickett and Co. are permitted to head this season.
They’re on the right track in the initial stages of the Kyle Dubas roster remake. Making a big splash just to make one won’t necessarily make the Pens better now or later.
Their motives have been as questionable in recent seasons as their ability to win games. But the drafting of Paul Skenes has confirmed a long-overdue seismic shift in approach.
Getting better in the present may be more difficult than even Kyle Dubas has acknowledged. But the future, too, is looming, as Dubas is apparently well aware.
Stan Savran's passing has inspired an outpouring of passionate reaction that he’d have thought was excessive. But when you do it as well as Stan did it for as long as Stan did it, recognition of a job well done and a life well lived is as inevitable as it is well-deserved.
The Pirates aren’t yet resurrected, far from it. But their return to relevance has made baseball fun again at PNC Park, and for now that’s more than enough.
He has a lot of work to do, as will the eventual new GM. Both will need to realize the gravity of the challenge they’re facing first and foremost to have any hope of eventually getting the job done.
The last two years haven’t been good enough. But in the wake of the draft and the natural evolution of the offense, the embattled OC, at last, has what he needs to change the narrative.
Not being a member of that oh-so-tight inner circle on the South Side, I don’t know for certain who the Steelers are about to draft. But I know what I’d do.
Just missing the playoffs when a spot was there for the taking is as frustrating as it is disappointing. But the bigger problem is the Pens are about to slip into the abyss, if they haven’t already.
The Pirates are coming off their first back-to-back, 100-loss seasons since the 1950s. But they’ve at least hinted this season might finally be different. We’ll see.
He’s been to Super Bowls and he’s failed to make the playoffs. But the Steelers’ head coach continues to embrace the job and the process no matter the results.
It was intriguing he considered un-retiring, but it's what he had to say about his successor and the Steelers' offensive coordinator that should be making headlines.
Kenny Pickett’s rookie season was promising but how long he’s perceived as the answer remains to be seen. That will depend, in part, on economics eventually, ask Lamar Jackson.
They didn’t stop adding talent after drafting Kenny Pickett last year. They need to follow suit — no matter who winds up first on their list this time around.
Jeff Capel’s team has a collective maturity that includes veteran perspective. That explains why it’s not about 20 wins for the Panthers, it’s about the next one.
