Steelers: Pittsburgh needs to prove it's not NFL's biggest tease

Steelers: Pittsburgh needs to prove it's not NFL's biggest tease
Beat New England? The Steelers couldn’t beat Jacksonville to get the opportunity.“I’ve learned to live in the now, man,” Brandon Graham Jersey Cheap
Tomlin said to Jason Kelce Jersey Cheap
USA TODAY Sports as he stood at the edge of the practice fields at St. Vincent College this week. “We all grow from our experiences. It’s not like I’m resistant to growing. But I never use what transpired last year as a platform, a catalyst https://www.carsonwentzfanjersey.com/authentic-randall-cunningham-jersey-sale-1_54.html
or an indication of this journey. New components. Even the ones that return evolve in different ways.”Fair enough. It’s a new season. They’d better evolve.Yet the Steelers still look to have one of the NFL’s most prolific offenses, with all of that star power (assuming Le’Veon Bell ultimately signs his franchise tender and shows up). They still have the championship standard that comes with winning six Super Bowls, more than any other franchise.The Steelers, though, also look a lot like the NFL’s biggest tease.<strong style="margin-right:3px;">More: Alex Smith's presence helps unify long-divided Washington Redskins<strong style="margin-right:3px;">More: Todd Bowles: Jets WR Terrelle Pryor should 'keep his mouth shut' on injuryTomlin may not want to frame it as such, but there’s unfinished business to be chased with the window getting tighter on 36-year-old quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, juxtaposed against the plain-old perception that the Steelers can’t be trusted to get over the hump.Granted, they are almost always in the hunt. But it’s been seven years since the Steelers advanced to the Super Bowl, nine years since they won it all. And getting back to that stage won't get Derek Barnett White Elite Jersey
any easier as long as Bill Belichick and Steeler-searing quarterback Tom Brady are still leading the Patriots.Tomlin won the crown in his second year at the helm, back when he was considered the “coolest” coach in the NFL. Now many people, including former Steelers linebacker James Harrison, openly question whether the Steelers lack focus and discipline.Furthermore, Tomlin has made some head-scratching game-management decisions, like the onside kick that backfired in the waning minutes of the 45-42 loss to the Jaguars in the AFC divisional playoff with two timeouts and the 2-minute warning in tow. No, Tomlin didn’t have much faith in a defense that never sacked Blake Bortles and allowed the most points in a home playoff game in franchise history.Like it or not, questions about the championship mettle of that defense remain.Another key question: Have the Steelers had enough drama?Bell’s absence from training camp is familiar territory, and last season he wound up with 1,946 yards from scrimmage (second in the NFL, after the Rams’ Todd Gurley). But there have been several other notable disturbances in the last year: (since-departed) disgruntled receiver Martavis Bryant calling in sick, the mysterious deactivation and ultimate release of Harrison (who provided a spark for the Patriots en route to the Super Bowl) and even Tomlin making headlines in early December by forecasting an AFC title game rematch against the Patriots – “the elephant in the room,” he told NBC’s Tony Dungy – that left egg on his face.It was always something. One week, Antonio Brown had a sideline outburst. Another week,  Rothlisberger had five picks against the Jaguars. Yet Pittsburgh finished the regular season at 13-3.“If you’re a good team, there’s a certain amount of attention that’s paid to you,” Tomlin said. “If you’re resistant to that you’re resistant to being good. That comes with it. You’d better embrace it.”Or just eliminate certain distractions.Brown, by the way, coming off an NFL-high 1,533 receiving yards, looked to still to the best in the league at his craft during Sunday’s practice, when he caught everything and made the spectacular grabs look automatic. The next day, the eccentric receiver directed a Twitter lashing of a local beat writer. Brown disputed a report that he limped off the field at Monday’s practice. Drama, always looming.Roethlisberger, meanwhile, is leaner and connecting with new offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner, though the quarterback was undergoing evaluation as part of the concussion protocol Tuesday. Fichtner's ascension to the role from Roethlisberger’s position coach, and before that receivers coach, is expected to yield a smooth transition. Besides, if you’re coordinating a unit with the Roethlisberger-Brown-Bell trio complemented by the Mike Munchak-developed line and an emerging JuJu Smith-Schuster, there’s something to work with.Still, it’s notable that the message from Roethlisberger – who produced the NFL’s only 500-yard passing game in 2017 – has been tweaked. A year ago, he considered himself year-to-year, citing the desire to play with his kids as he aged. Since Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph was drafted in the third round in April, Roethlisberger has talked of playing another three to five years, citing an O-line that might be the NFL’s best. Drama pending?“That’s what I mean by perceived drama,” Tomlin said. “When a guy is mentally and physically fatigued, sure, he’s going to tell you he’s year-to-year. Ask a guy in the middle of the summer when he’s coming off vacation, sure, he can play for a long time.”Tomlin is Nike Fletcher Cox Jersey On Sale
hardly trying to project just how many throws Roethlisberger has left.“That’s not something that registers on my radar,” Tomlin said.Not when you’re living in the now, with so much to prove.Follow Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.Nike Tim Jernigan Jersey On Sale
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