ayyfour-blog:

Well, that was terrible. I knew this was going to happen. Buffalo, fuck you guys for putting us in this spot. Really wish Heeea—oh-Jesseeeee would have made that catch…After high hopes of a rematch against the mighty Patriots where Ben was to exact his revenge on the evil empire. Jesse was to make the catch, and Tomlin is to declare he’s ready for that ass again, the Steelers overlooked an opponent that proved to be too much to handle.



We all know the story, but let’s re-hash just to pour some salt in your freshly opened wounds:

The Steelers came in unprepared, watching the Jaguars take an early lead in the game. For some reason, the crowd did not feel alive. Not a very Heinz field playoff vibe, it appeared Steeler Nation as a whole was overlooking this one. The team and crowd finally woke up near halftime, cutting the lead down to 28-14 by the break. The team looked hopeless, and this game just had the feel of something about to go horribly wrong, and that it did. While the Steelers mounted comeback after comeback, it was two 4th-and-1 play calls in Field Goal Range combined with a horribly called onside kick that is leading to many questioning the coaching staff. While speculation of coaching turnover looms, the Steelers will be watching the next 2 playoff games from the sidelines thanks to the play calling itself, which is a fucking shame.

We should have been there. What a storyline it would have been, Ben possibly retiring Brady, overcoming the team he can never get past and transitioning into the AFC’s top QB. But now we’re here. In the pit of misery. Dilly fucking dilly.

So how did we get here, you ask? Let’s examine some lingering issues that need addressed.

I’ll let you all imagine the possible scenarios that play out, as there are many calling for Tomlin’s head, Haley’s neck, Butler’s appendage, etc….slow down..

Let’s just step back and focus on the present details:

Speculation is Ben will be back for 3 more years (!), Bryant wants to play with Ben once more, and Bell may be sitting out if he is franchised. The Steelers are re-signing some of their current free agents and the team is already gearing up for a promising 2018 campaign. While I really thought this was the year we’d exact revenge upon Tom Brady, I feel like his time may just pass by and we never get our chance, and Ben can take his rightful throne atop the AFC’s quarterbacks.

The thought of this possibility combined with Ben playing 3 more years makes me think we may be on the road to #7 as well as a possible #8. I’d also bet Todd Haley won’t be returning. If Ben’s playing 3 years, I’d doubt he’d want to commit with this asshole on the sidelines. Between Haley’s rift with Ben, the infamous bar fight (I bet he got his ass kicked), and the shoddy playcalling last week, Haley has to be on the chopping block. Couple that with Offensive line coach Mike Munchak reportedly turning down the HC job with the Cards, signs point to the Steelers making some moves including Munch in the fold. Hopefully as the OC, with our offensive line’s production, the old OL coach would be great to progress the Steelers smashmouth running game even further. Bell may want to stick around despite the franchise tag, as this line and running game has come a long way since the Mendenhall years.

As far as the defense goes, I honestly cannot blame the scheme. An apparent lack of preparation and focus which allowed BLAKE FUCKING BORTLES to throw all over us is unacceptable though. I am not sure who’s to blame, but the D needs to get it together next year. Bud Dupree, step your game up. We obviously need to fill a huge hole at MLB with Shazier’s injury, but the Linebacking corps looked completely unprepared to handle the Jags running attack. In a city where linebackers are paramount and drafted highly, we’ve failed to hit multiple times and need help inside. Kinda makes you miss Lawrence Timmons, doesn’t it? We have talent in some key spots, but is it enough to get us over the hump? Depth is needed and some spots need players to mature.And finally, the Steelers need to find answers in the secondary as well. Joe Haden looks good enough, Burns can hold it down, but the Safety’s are suspect and their mentality needs to change. Big hits are great, but it gets kind of old seeing a horribly blown coverage from Mitchell where a player burns him.

So whos to blame for the Defensive woes? That remains to be seen. Coach Peezey and Lake could be swimming together down the Monongahela out of town( get the reference? Joey Porters TD celebration 2 years ago….). I think Butler’s on thin ice, but the likelihood of his departure is far less than the others. I’d bet on some sort of coaching turnover on D, but not as drastic as the offense.

I am looking forward to 2018’s iteration of this team. 2017 will be looked upon as a failure by many with such high expectations and an awesome 13-3 record leading to this sad ending. Hopefully the season also as a stepping stone toward something great. Only time will tell.

As for now, to anyone but the Pats I say #herewego. Hopefully you do what the Steelers didn’t get the chance to this year.