It started bothering me almost immediately. Scrolling through Twitter as a Steelers fan became a little nauseating. We were forced to view an unending stream of smiling Steelers players in their new shiny red AFC uniforms. All of them seemingly very content in the fact that the Pro-Bowl was the best this team could do. Is the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers had by far and away the most players in the game something to be celebrated? Having nine players and the entire coaching staff in this game seems more like an epic failure than a major accomplishment. What it shows is this particular team had the most talent in the league, and squandered it.
The most worrisome part of all of this is that Steelers management is apparently good with this. There will be no major changes to the coaching staff or the roster for the 2018 season. Sure Todd Haley is gone, but that’s not much of a change at all. Hiring quarterback coach Randy Fichtner pretty much means more of the same. On defense the entire staff inexplicably will be brought back. Other than draft picks, don’t expect the roster to look much different either. With no cap space, only veteran minimum players will be able to be brought in. So there it is, the Steelers are running it back again essentially with the same cast they had in 2017.
So how can we expect any different in 2018? Sure the Patriots could suffer major injuries, or the offense could go on an epic tear through the playoffs. Anything is possible right? Hoping and wishing didn’t used to be how the Pittsburgh Steelers planned on winning Super Bowls. Then again it was never just good enough to have the most players in the Pro-Bowl. Watching this weekend unfold, from the head coach on down this group seemed pretty content on their AFC win. It’s just not the AFC win most of us were looking forward to.