No team wants to start the season 1-3. No one plans for that. Especially not with the overwhelming number of appalling issues that plagued the Pittsburgh Steelers through their first handful of games. Yet somehow, going into their bye week, the team managed to secure a 3-3 record – issues be damned.
In a perfect world, the guys are taking the week off to rest, reflect on those six stress-riddled wins and losses, and figure out how in the world to become a better, more consistent football team – maybe even a good one. The potential is there. With names like T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Najee Harris, Diontae Johnson and so many others, there should be no ceiling for this team. But here in Pittsburgh, we know perfect worlds don’t exist. Jesse James didn’t get the catch, Joe Haden was declared offsides, and there is no telling what we should expect when the boys come back to take on the Cleveland Browns at First Energy Stadium next Sunday.
Their issues run deeper than inconsistent effort, missed tackle, momentum swings, and even the offensive line. And they’re even, dare I say, slightly more specific than the age-old Yinzer diatribe calling for “better coaching.” So as we coast on through a week without Steelers’ football, here are three things I’m looking (and hopeful) for the team to address moving forward: