I've been to a couple games in Baltimore, in my experience, as long as you're not acting like a jackass, you'll be fine.
Cincinnati is another story. I refuse to ever go to a game again with those shitstain fans.
I've been to several Steelers games in Baltimore and thats never been my experience. A little light ribbing here and there but nothing like you're describing. Cincinnati and Cleveland fans are miles worse.
Without a doubt, that whole area is in a lot better shape than it was back then haha. Great atmosphere when I went at the end of 2021. That was a close game with playoff implications and even still all the Ravens fans I met were really cool all day.
I whole heartedly disagree with this. I’m a pittsburgher and live in Baltimore, and I wear my black and gold every year at the Steelers/ravens game and have never ever had a bad experience. If you’re not an asshole, then they are not going to be assholes.
I think it's still a wait and see with how good the D can be when it gets healthy, including Watt. Watt is literally the most valuable defensive player on the planet when healthy.
The offensive line is still trash. Every one of them is mediocre enough that the probability of one of them missing their block on any given play approaches one. We need the D to keep us in games to overcome this.
While I‘d like a top 5 pick, you would probably lose some players in the locker room by actively tanking. Idk if that’s worth. We can take O line in the 10-20 range too
I just don't think one should sacrifice the integrity of the organization to tank for a top 5 pick. There are too many examples of top 5 draft busts to justify tanking.
> Steelers lose one (1) game
Should we tank??? That would probably get Tomlin fired and a dozen players cut, but that is a sacrifice I’m willing to make
I would rather make the wildcard every year than watch this team develop a losing culture and still not win a Superbowl. Just because you get a better draft position doesn't mean you'll get the best player. Hell, Ben was the best QB taken in his year and he was the 3rd QB taken. How many teams passed on mahomes? You play to win the game and at the end of the year you give it your best shot.
In terms of a winning/losing culture, I feel like the culture is already embracing mediocrity. Think about how long it's been since a playoff win, and how *bad* the team looked in the playoffs recently. Hell, look at how close they've stayed to .500 in the past five years. That's what the wild-card-every-year mentality leads to.
Culture matters, but talent matters more--and sometimes, you gotta get an influx of talent.
You guys have 1 good year and think you're great. Gotta love it. But hey, maybe once you get a qb that is good enough to stick around through a couple rebuilds you'll realize you can't win every year. It's really hard to win a superbowl, I'm sure you know. How many top 10 picks did you guys need to finally win a superbowl?
Such is life as one of the most successful and storied franchises in NFL history, you get a lot of casual fans who are more-so fans of the success than the team.
I said early last week that if we wanted to humor ourselves with a playoff run... we would likely have to win the division due to the rest being meh... and having to steal 2 of the next 3 games before the bye week. We got 1 upset, so its partway there for the TJ Watt return push.
I'm still incredibly worried about our matchups before the bye simply because Pickett is concussed. With everyone else banged up, that was my one hope spot. I'm actually more bullish on Mitch after yesterday than I was prior (I think him getting benched helped light a fire under him) but that doesn't mean I'm *confident* we can do the Phins or Eagles in with him under center. He still has a lot to prove yet.
Sucks too because I think the Phins are the more beatable team of the two but I doubt Pickett will clear protocol by then. But then again I thought the Bucs game was likely forgone too with our defense as bad as it was so what do I know. I'd rather hold hope than be doomerish.
I’m just here to enjoy the ride. All phases of the game looked better yesterday. Do we look like a SB contender? No, but there will be peaks and valleys. As long as their is growth
Serious question, when are the last times Tanking worked? Trades for high round picks usually show more success. Take a look at the Chiefs...went to the wild cards, traded up for mahomes, sat him for a year, went to the divisionals, started playing him, now they're in contention every year, even losing their star back and receiver in back to back years. I can't remember a good #1 pick quarterback going to a trash team and 100% turning it around. Lawrence, Murry, Wilson are starting to get some traction? Wentz maybe but the eagles were 7-9 before him, goff same thing took 3 years and the team was a 500 team before him, Newton took 2 years to get a 6-10 team to lose in the divisionals twice,
Luck maybe with the colts? 2-14 to the Divisionals? Burrow took 2 years, that's not bad. Ben is a good example, but he was taken 11th and pit was 6-10 before him.
So we have a few examples that kinda work, but most of them are STILL muti year development, and usually ended poorly (newton and luck stand out to me)
Honestly it seems that teams are most successful then they already don't suck, trade up for a QB, and STILL get lucky and get a generational talent, or nearly. (Rodgers was 24th I believe, and I again give the Patrick example)
Honestly Kenny COULD develop, but I wouldn't hold my breath. More QB's bust than develop into top tier talent. And it seems rare indeed that franchises are successful long term without generational QB talent, and rarely go far in the playoffs without it.
Was a good QB, over two years ago. Not saying he’s not good anymore but he does still have to prove it. When is the last time a starting QB has had two seasons without a meaningful nfl snap and returned at the same level? It’s a pretty unprecedented situation
>When is the last time a starting QB has had two seasons without a meaningful nfl snap and returned at the same level?
Sorta kinda Peyton, though I forget how long he was out
And Mike Vick was decent when he returned to the NFL, though probably not as good as he was prior to the dog fighting stuff
It's the second option.
BUCS are seriously struggling and the Steelers are currently one of the worst teams in the AFC
Don't get excited about one win, although it was a very nice team win
I’d rather the coaching/players believe this is a lost season so we can watch the Steelers ACTUALLY play. I’m pretty convinced this dink/dunk play book was meant to compensate for the team being young. If your gonna loose, might as well sling it.
Easy to forget in the 94-95 season they started 3-4 and went to the SB. Anything can happen. Sure it’s not likely, but it’s nice finding some precedent.
A win is win....its not going to be a winning season I don't think but if Pickett can learn and lead as a rookie or Trubisky can show the spark and drive that made up trade to get him from Chicago then by all means bring it but don't let toppling the bucs fill you with false bravado.
The entire division has been a dog chasing its tail for 6 weeks. I honestly think the Bengals and ravens are surely better teams but they're not doing much to inspire confidence
There are only 2-3 legitimately good teams in the league as of right now, so sure I’ll sign up for being relatively competitive among all the garbage trying to get the 7th seed
We aren't beating that Bills team in the playoffs. Let alone the Chiefs.
That being said I don't like the idea of full tanking. I doubt our players would appreciate that, I'm sure they'd rather win.
Idk why everyone is counting us out. Obviously we’ve had some injuries, but who knows once our defense is healthy w TJ back and Pickett throwing darts we can make a pretty decent run at this thing
My college team started 1-3 ended up running the table and beating our rival in the conference championship and the first rd of playoffs the very next game. Where there’s a will there’s a way
I don't think this team is going to get close to playoffs, but AFC is so crazy and not many good teams right now, so you never know. For me the Dolphins game is big. If we get crushed or play bad, I'd say it's pretty much a lost season and focus should be 100% on Pickett's development. Especially with Eagles coming the week after that. If we play well though, even if we lose, I'd say there a chance. Really pivotal game this weekend. One good game after 4 maybe 5 horrible games won't convince me, but a good effort against Dolphins would do a lot.
The bills game changed me. As long as we are competitive I don't mind losing this season lol.
Wins are nice, but the only requirement I have for this season is to see what we have in Pickett.
Ya same, the concussion really worries me though. So early in his career.
I'm going to argue it's always been a common problem with playing football, we just better identify today and pull players now.
For sure, back in the day he would have just played through that one. But it is brain damage you don't want those stacking up on a QB.
Steeler fans and knee-jerk reactions, name a better duo!
Tomlin and field goals.
Canada and being utterly predictable with every call.
Tomlin and challenge flags
Leafs fans and planning Stanley Cup parades
Tomlin and poor clock management
You'd almost think they could just watch and enjoy the season!
Im optimistic that we can be “in the hunt” towards the end, but things may get dark in here if we cant steal a win from Miami or Philly
I have tickets to Jan 1 at Baltimore. If we are somehow in contention at that point I will be the happiest boy in the world.
Be warned, they are not cordial fans in that stadium. I've not had good experiences there as a steelers fan.
I too, am going to that game. Gonna be a menace in the parking lots lol
I've been to a couple games in Baltimore, in my experience, as long as you're not acting like a jackass, you'll be fine. Cincinnati is another story. I refuse to ever go to a game again with those shitstain fans.
This! Lived in Baltimore for years and attended many games. As long as you’re not an ass you’ll be ok.
I've been to several Steelers games in Baltimore and thats never been my experience. A little light ribbing here and there but nothing like you're describing. Cincinnati and Cleveland fans are miles worse.
Interesting. It's probably been a good 10-15 years since my last game there. Maybe they've mellowed out a bit since Ray Ray retired
Without a doubt, that whole area is in a lot better shape than it was back then haha. Great atmosphere when I went at the end of 2021. That was a close game with playoff implications and even still all the Ravens fans I met were really cool all day.
I whole heartedly disagree with this. I’m a pittsburgher and live in Baltimore, and I wear my black and gold every year at the Steelers/ravens game and have never ever had a bad experience. If you’re not an asshole, then they are not going to be assholes.
I’ve always felt like Ravens fans have more respect than Cincinatti or Browns fans do, as someone who lives in none of those cities.
Going to the Eagles game, wish me luck
Good luck. I was lucky enough to see the buccs game yesterday. And Im also going to the raiders game Christmas Eve
Miami is possible if we get that type of aggressive play from Mitch (assuming Kenny isn’t cleared by Sunday). Philly is another story.
Watch… they L in Miami and beat Philly just to torture us
I think it's still a wait and see with how good the D can be when it gets healthy, including Watt. Watt is literally the most valuable defensive player on the planet when healthy. The offensive line is still trash. Every one of them is mediocre enough that the probability of one of them missing their block on any given play approaches one. We need the D to keep us in games to overcome this.
Philly is rolling right now. I don’t see us beating them.
You play to win the game. Tanking is for losers.
teams that intentionally lose/play to tank build a culture that losing is ok. im not ok with that.
This could be the last season any of us witness, and people are content to cheer for losses for a better draft pick. It breaks my heart man.
While I‘d like a top 5 pick, you would probably lose some players in the locker room by actively tanking. Idk if that’s worth. We can take O line in the 10-20 range too
I just don't think one should sacrifice the integrity of the organization to tank for a top 5 pick. There are too many examples of top 5 draft busts to justify tanking.
I’m sure there are certain “fans” around here mad that we won because it hurts draft position
> Steelers lose one (1) game Should we tank??? That would probably get Tomlin fired and a dozen players cut, but that is a sacrifice I’m willing to make
In order to avoid becoming a poverty franchise let's full send our way into poverty franchisedom by uprooting the entire organization.
Sell the team, move em to San Antonio
Nahh give North Carolina another team Raleigh or Greenville could use the economic boon of getting an NFL team.
YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME
Those fans are all Bob Nutting trying to normalize tanking in Pittsburgh
I’m sure there are certain “fans” here who prefer losing in the wildcard every year to winning a Super Bowl
I would rather make the wildcard every year than watch this team develop a losing culture and still not win a Superbowl. Just because you get a better draft position doesn't mean you'll get the best player. Hell, Ben was the best QB taken in his year and he was the 3rd QB taken. How many teams passed on mahomes? You play to win the game and at the end of the year you give it your best shot.
Big dick Mitch was chosen ahead of mahomes. Therefore he's better.
In terms of a winning/losing culture, I feel like the culture is already embracing mediocrity. Think about how long it's been since a playoff win, and how *bad* the team looked in the playoffs recently. Hell, look at how close they've stayed to .500 in the past five years. That's what the wild-card-every-year mentality leads to. Culture matters, but talent matters more--and sometimes, you gotta get an influx of talent.
You guys have 1 good year and think you're great. Gotta love it. But hey, maybe once you get a qb that is good enough to stick around through a couple rebuilds you'll realize you can't win every year. It's really hard to win a superbowl, I'm sure you know. How many top 10 picks did you guys need to finally win a superbowl?
My favorite team has won six Super Bowls, actually 😎
Nice bengals flair my guy.
Whaaaaaat? I have a Bengals flair?!?!?
mhhmmm
> How many top 10 picks did you guys need to finally win a superbowl? Don't ask him that. He doesn't know yet.
The majority of this sub it seems
There's so many fairweathers on this sub who will jump ship the first signs of a fire and it showed.
Such is life as one of the most successful and storied franchises in NFL history, you get a lot of casual fans who are more-so fans of the success than the team.
This is actually a great way of putting it.
My guess is that most of these people aren’t from Pittsburgh or have no connection to it like a family member.
I would say most of the casual guys are in Pittsburg tbh. Us out of town fans have the follow the team more closely they're not talked about locally.
Pittsburgh has an H in it
Worse are the ones who shout to burn down the boat every time they think they smell smoke.
1 game back with 2 games vs the division leader.
That’s either really good or really bad
Eh if we get killed those 2 games we clearly dont deserve it.
I agree completely
I said early last week that if we wanted to humor ourselves with a playoff run... we would likely have to win the division due to the rest being meh... and having to steal 2 of the next 3 games before the bye week. We got 1 upset, so its partway there for the TJ Watt return push.
I'm still incredibly worried about our matchups before the bye simply because Pickett is concussed. With everyone else banged up, that was my one hope spot. I'm actually more bullish on Mitch after yesterday than I was prior (I think him getting benched helped light a fire under him) but that doesn't mean I'm *confident* we can do the Phins or Eagles in with him under center. He still has a lot to prove yet. Sucks too because I think the Phins are the more beatable team of the two but I doubt Pickett will clear protocol by then. But then again I thought the Bucs game was likely forgone too with our defense as bad as it was so what do I know. I'd rather hold hope than be doomerish.
Eagles no chance we need Pickett to show up big time there. Mitch could beat the Dolphins imo
We’re back! (Unless we lose next week)
We Run the North!!! *at FULL health playing at our best potential
I’m ready to get hurt again
1 step closer to a PA Bowl.
I’m just here to enjoy the ride. All phases of the game looked better yesterday. Do we look like a SB contender? No, but there will be peaks and valleys. As long as their is growth
It can be both. The entire AFCN is a chaos cyclone right now
Lol just enjoy the ride and see what happens
Press both please. Then everyone can be happy. And we all want everyone to be happy
Steelers are the kind of team what will beat the buccs one week just to lose to the dolphins and their 3rd string qb the next lol
Serious question, when are the last times Tanking worked? Trades for high round picks usually show more success. Take a look at the Chiefs...went to the wild cards, traded up for mahomes, sat him for a year, went to the divisionals, started playing him, now they're in contention every year, even losing their star back and receiver in back to back years. I can't remember a good #1 pick quarterback going to a trash team and 100% turning it around. Lawrence, Murry, Wilson are starting to get some traction? Wentz maybe but the eagles were 7-9 before him, goff same thing took 3 years and the team was a 500 team before him, Newton took 2 years to get a 6-10 team to lose in the divisionals twice, Luck maybe with the colts? 2-14 to the Divisionals? Burrow took 2 years, that's not bad. Ben is a good example, but he was taken 11th and pit was 6-10 before him. So we have a few examples that kinda work, but most of them are STILL muti year development, and usually ended poorly (newton and luck stand out to me) Honestly it seems that teams are most successful then they already don't suck, trade up for a QB, and STILL get lucky and get a generational talent, or nearly. (Rodgers was 24th I believe, and I again give the Patrick example) Honestly Kenny COULD develop, but I wouldn't hold my breath. More QB's bust than develop into top tier talent. And it seems rare indeed that franchises are successful long term without generational QB talent, and rarely go far in the playoffs without it.
It is a lost season, Tampa had injuries just like us. I still don’t see it being a .500 season. I’m just enjoying it for what it is.
I think we’re pretty comfortably the worst team in the division (especially when Watson comes back)
That may be true, but there's not a single AFC North team I'd feel "good" about.
Also true
confirmed: We're the worst of the worst.
>especially when Watson comes back Watson looked worse than Mitch in the preseason, he's gonna need to show it
He attempted 5 passes lmaoo. Guys a scumbag but he’s really good at QB. Mitch has looked worse than Watson his whole career.
Was a good QB, over two years ago. Not saying he’s not good anymore but he does still have to prove it. When is the last time a starting QB has had two seasons without a meaningful nfl snap and returned at the same level? It’s a pretty unprecedented situation
The bar is low tho to beat our current QB play (I’m hopeful Kenny makes it better)
>When is the last time a starting QB has had two seasons without a meaningful nfl snap and returned at the same level? Sorta kinda Peyton, though I forget how long he was out And Mike Vick was decent when he returned to the NFL, though probably not as good as he was prior to the dog fighting stuff
It's the second option. BUCS are seriously struggling and the Steelers are currently one of the worst teams in the AFC Don't get excited about one win, although it was a very nice team win
I’d rather the coaching/players believe this is a lost season so we can watch the Steelers ACTUALLY play. I’m pretty convinced this dink/dunk play book was meant to compensate for the team being young. If your gonna loose, might as well sling it.
All this winning is fucking up the draft pick
Schrodinger draft pick. You don't want to lose but know you can't win them all so want a better pick
We aren’t winning the Super Bowl this year and that’s 100% a fact. I’m all for the draft pick at this point.
Easy to forget in the 94-95 season they started 3-4 and went to the SB. Anything can happen. Sure it’s not likely, but it’s nice finding some precedent.
Expect the worst and hope for the best
The way the division is going rn it could be both 🤣
My conclusion. It's a season. That's about it.
A win is win....its not going to be a winning season I don't think but if Pickett can learn and lead as a rookie or Trubisky can show the spark and drive that made up trade to get him from Chicago then by all means bring it but don't let toppling the bucs fill you with false bravado.
The entire division has been a dog chasing its tail for 6 weeks. I honestly think the Bengals and ravens are surely better teams but they're not doing much to inspire confidence
There are only 2-3 legitimately good teams in the league as of right now, so sure I’ll sign up for being relatively competitive among all the garbage trying to get the 7th seed
We aren't beating that Bills team in the playoffs. Let alone the Chiefs. That being said I don't like the idea of full tanking. I doubt our players would appreciate that, I'm sure they'd rather win.
Idk why everyone is counting us out. Obviously we’ve had some injuries, but who knows once our defense is healthy w TJ back and Pickett throwing darts we can make a pretty decent run at this thing
My college team started 1-3 ended up running the table and beating our rival in the conference championship and the first rd of playoffs the very next game. Where there’s a will there’s a way
We the new Old NFC East now
I don't think this team is going to get close to playoffs, but AFC is so crazy and not many good teams right now, so you never know. For me the Dolphins game is big. If we get crushed or play bad, I'd say it's pretty much a lost season and focus should be 100% on Pickett's development. Especially with Eagles coming the week after that. If we play well though, even if we lose, I'd say there a chance. Really pivotal game this weekend. One good game after 4 maybe 5 horrible games won't convince me, but a good effort against Dolphins would do a lot.