I love Najee, but....

[RaynorShyne]

It's January football.   

I wish we had a Bus and a FB in the garage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0mtG-8DWYk

[dbsfgyd1]

It's January football.   

I wish we had a Bus and a FB in the garage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0mtG-8DWYk

We have a FB. Mostly it’s been parked at the curb. I will agree a clock controlling running back would be great.

But, now that you got me thinking of this game with the Chiefs, I would love to see the Steelers open up with the same game plan we unloaded on the Colts back in the 2005 playoff run.  First play, PA pass to Feiermuth down the seam…. Totally caught the Colts off guard as they were expecting a a steady diet of Parker and Bus.

Thanks to Tim, you can watch those opening salvos right here on M&W!

[mcmillenandwife]

We have a FB. Mostly it’s been parked at the curb. I will agree a clock controlling running back would be great.

But, now that you got me thinking of this game with the Chiefs, I would love to see the Steelers open up with the same game plan we unloaded on the Colts back in the 2005 playoff run.  First play, PA pass to Feiermuth down the seam…. Totally caught the Colts off guard as they were expecting a a steady diet of Parker and Bus.

Thanks to Tim, you can watch those opening salvos right here on M&W!

I'm with you. I think Ben coming out on the attack would give us our best chance to win. Their defense gives up a lot of passing yards, although I don't think we have the offensive talent to exploit it.

If only we had the O-line, wide receivers, offensive coordinator, head coach and defensive talent of that 2005 team. 

Unfortunately, the Matt Canada passing game doesn't have an ounce of aggressiveness in it. Endless flanker screens (never mind that we have a fantastic RB who could run "normal" screens with POWER if given the chance) and shallow crosses are all we have to offer, with an occasional wasted deep throw to receivers who can't make proper reads, stay on their feet or get any separation.  

My mind is absolutely blown when I watch the footage of young Ben dropping back with a little time and pushing the ball down the field. On 3rd and 10, he actually attempts (and completes) passes 10+ yards downfield instead of dumping predictable, poorly designed and poorly executed WR screens thrown behind the line of scrimmage for a max 3-yard gain to set up a shitty punt. 

Quick rant. I watched a clip from NFL Network's absolutely awful "Good Morning Football" today and they were mocking Ben. Absolutely ridiculing him while saying how brilliant Tomlin is and that this is his best coaching job.   I threw up in my mouth at least 6 times. They're idiots. Disrespectful pieces of $#!t who are clearly not watching these games and not factoring the terrible offensive scheme, poor offensive line and posse of receivers who drop balls, fall down and don't understand how to adjust their routes.  

Ben is arguably the best 4th quarter QB in history. Only Brady has more 4th quarter game winning drives. Ben is the one pulling these games out, not Tomlin. BEN. This year and every year. It's been that way his whole career. 

But I digress. 

Like you, Dave, I'd love to see them just put this game in his hands, start to finish. Not once we're down by 21, but right out of the gate. Lots of no huddle (but not hurry-up), Ben calling most of the plays. Doubtful it would be enough, because the Chiefs are a far better team than the Steelers right now. But at least it might give us a chance.

Confident it won't happen. But a man can dream. 

Our prospects of a win in KC are obviously very small. But it's not impossible. They've lost 5 games, and could've lost several more. They are truly explosive, but they also make mistakes. When they've lost, it's because they turned the ball over multiple times. Mahomes is very human when he feels pressure, and our defense is definitely capable of applying pressure. That HAS to happen Sunday. 

• We MUST get to Mahomes. The team needs at least 4 sacks. 
  
• We MUST force a minimum of 2-3 turnovers while not committing any ourselves. 
  
• Whatever the defense was trying to do in the last game... do something different. 
  
• Special teams MUST contribute, be it by pinning them deep (which we have rarely done this year), blocking a kick, getting a big return or two, forcing a turnover on a muffed punt. Something. This unit has to make something happen. And no dumb penalties.
  
• The receivers MUST play with consistency for once. No dropped balls. No falling down. No wrong routes. EARN YOUR PAYCHECKS. Diontae and Claypool must have career games. Not numbers-wise, but execution-wise. Don't make dumb mistakes, and big plays will happen.
  
• As you pointed out, Muth needs to be a factor, including at least 1 score.
  
• Matt Canada can't call 3rd down plays. PERIOD. Leave him and his bullshit 3rd-and-long flanker screens on the plane. 
  
• The line has to dig deep. Step up. Ben needs a little extra time, Najee needs a little extra push.
  
• Offensively, Najee is key. The line HAS to give him better yards before contact.
  
• Gotta keep it close. Weather the storm and don't let them get out to a big lead. Andy Reid's sphincter puckers (eww ) in close postseason games. Make him sweat and he'll make mistakes. 
  
• Don't leave points on the field. No dumb 4th-down tries. No red zone turnovers (or turnovers at all). No sacks that knock us out of FG range. No missed FGs or PATs.
  

Here's the thing. I think pretty much ALL of these things have to happen Sunday night for the Steelers to have a chance. It's going to take a near-perfect performance. 

Likely? No. Plausible? No. Realistic? No.

Possible? Yes.

If the '89 squad could win a playoff game, so can this one. This is not a favorable matchup for us. I wish we had the Bills instead. But it is what it is. Here's hoping the team digs down deep for a little extra to extend Ben's career another week.

[sandfan]

The TV and print "experts" all too often slant their comments and opinions to fit the social justice crap we all are fed daily by most media outlets. None of them are as familiar with Tomlin or Ben as a dedicated Steeler fan.

Favoring Tomlin over Ben, in my view, represents their attempt to fit their offerings into the NFL social justice/racial bias format. Tomlin has a good record but I submit Ben has carried his water for his entire career. I can't recall one example of a Tomlin game decision that turned the tide in a game, for example the on side kick by the Saints in the super bowl, however we have numerous examples of outstanding plays by Ben that carried his team to victory.

Tomlin never had a losing season. Blah, blah, blah. Neither has Ben but that seems to be mostly ignored by the media and way too many fans. Tomlin has been neither the best nor worst coach in the pro game. On the other hand Ben will rank near the top of all QBs in the history of the game in key categories as he wraps up his career.

I submit Ben would be great with or without Tomlin. I doubt the opposite would be true. I feel the FJB moniker would be easily adapted to most media personnel and outlets. That's why I don't give a damn about any of them.

[mcmillenandwife]

The TV and print "experts" all too often slant their comments and opinions to fit the social justice crap we all are fed daily by most media outlets.  None of them are as familiar with Tomlin or Ben as a dedicated Steeler fan.

Favoring Tomlin over Ben, in my view, represents their attempt to fit their offerings into the NFL social justice/racial bias format.  Tomlin has a good record but I submit Ben has carried his water for his entire career.  I can't recall one example of a Tomlin game decision that turned the tide in a game, for example the on side kick by the Saints in the super bowl, however we have numerous examples of outstanding plays by Ben that carried his team to victory.  

Tomlin never had a losing season.  Blah, blah, blah.  Neither has Ben but that seems to be mostly ignored by the media and way too many fans.  Tomlin has been neither the best nor worst coach in the pro game.  On the other hand Ben will rank near the top of all QBs in the history of the game in key categories as he wraps up his career.

I submit Ben would be great with or without Tomlin.  I doubt the opposite would be true.  I feel the FJB moniker would be easily adapted to most media personnel and outlets.  That's why I don't give a damn about any of them.

I pretty much agree with every word. 

Please tell me another coach who gets worshiped like Tomlin despite not winning a championship in 13 years? Pete Carroll has a better postseason record (11-10 vs Tomlin's 8-8) and a comparable regular season record (despite not having a Hall of Fame QB his entire career like Tomlin) and I never -- NEVER -- hear the wankers on "Good Morning Football" worshipping at Pete Carroll's altar. Same with Mike McCarthy. 10-8 in postseason, including a win over Mike Tomlin (although McCarthy has had some pretty good QBs to work with). 

And now these flunkies are perpetuating the myth that 2021 has been Tomlin's best coaching performance? Are you f$#%ing KIDDING me? WTF are these people watching? Because it's clearly not the Steelers. Tomlin has been average at best, and it's been that way for the better part of a decade. 

I'm not saying Tomlin is terrible; he's not. But he's squandered at least half of Ben's career and he's certainly not worthy of the worship he receives from the media. 

Ben was 5-1 in the postseason in 3 years under Cowher, then 3-1 in Tomlin's first 2 years (with the team that Cowher built). 2010 was also a pretty good year with a Super Bowl appearance. Since then? Tomlin has delivered season after season of squandered opportunities, poor team preparation, playing down to the competition and locker room drama. 

Bill Cowher was 12-9 in the postseason, and he only had Ben for 2 playoff runs. He did the rest with complete CRAP under center, winning playoff games with Mike Tomczak (!!!), Kneel O'Dollar, Kordell Stewart and Tommy Maddox. Cowher's playoff record before Ben arrived was still 7-8, which is almost as good as Tomlin's record with Ben the entire time.

So why the Tomlin worship in the media?

[RaynorShyne]

The answer is simple, Tim. He's the poster boy. Why do you think the Energizer Bunnies are beating the "Never had a losing season" drum? It's all in this story:
https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/lists...y-are-now/


During and right after the 2018 regular season, five NFL teams fired their Black head coaches. There was Hue Jackson of the Browns, Marvin Lewis of the Bengals, Steve Wilks of the Cardinals, Todd Bowles of the Jets, and Vance Joseph of the Broncos. All five of those coaches were replaced by white candidates — Gregg Williams (interim) and Freddie Kitchens for the Browns, Zac Taylor for the Bengals, Kliff Kingsbury for the Cardinals, Adam Gase (ouch) for the Jets, and Vic Fangio for the Broncos.

That bloodletting left two Black head coaches in the NFL — Mike Tomlin with the Steelers, and Anthony Lynn with the Chargers. Lynn was fired in January, 2021 and replaced by former Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley — another white candidate.

Now, after the somewhat surprising firing of former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores on Monday (the former Patriots linebackers coach and de facto defensive coordinator was hired by Miami in 2019), there are exactly two Black head coaches in the NFL — Tomlin, and David Culley of the Texans. Culley was brought in this season to calmly oversee an absolute disaster of a franchise, and his fate after a 4-13 record remains to be seen. If Culley is fired this week, and no Black coaches are hired to replace the head coaches who got their walking papers this season, that would leave just one Black head coach in the NFL.

[RaynorShyne]

It's called "The ROONEY RULE".

Even if he was 0-17 for the next two seasons, Tomlin is the safest coach in the NFL. He has the job until he doesn't want it anymore.

[sandfan]

When any organization focuses its hiring and decision processes on anything except talent it is setting itself up for failure. One cannot optimize returns using metrics other than the best talent available. That might upset liberals but I'm not sure society can make a case that decades of forcing minority hires, gender or race based, has made a significant improvement or step forward.

Somehow we can agree that the best athlete, regardless of race, should get the position. However, when the scenario is changed to management positions or entry into universities or just about any other walk of life we expect the entity or society to excel by giving less qualified candidates the nod.

Stupid is as stupid does in my view. When liberal guilt enters into a decision process the end result is all too often degraded. Tomlin is the outlier but, I feel, mostly because of Ben.

Tomlin has had success but he's had Ben for his entire tenure. In the nfl, unless you are totally unqualified or saddled with an incredible amount of bad luck, it's hard to not have a good record with a HOF QB running the show.

[Chucktownsteeler]

Najee still hasn't practiced but I think he will play.

[dbsfgyd1]

Najee still hasn't practiced but I think he will play.

He may be dealing with inflammation from his injury  that really doesn’t stop building up until at least 48 hours after the injury occurred.  He’s probably using the RICE protocol Rest Ice Compression therapy. As well as other treatments.