Why Sports Podcast Steelers Funeral 12162023

The Wise Sports Podcast discusses the Pittsburgh Steelers' recent loss to the Indianapolis Colts, which has effectively ended their season. The podcast host expresses his disappointment in the team's performance and questions the coaching abilities of Mike Tomlin. He highlights previous instances where the team faltered in important games and criticizes the lack of discipline and preparation. The host expresses concern for the remaining games of the season and the future of the franchise. Welcome to the Wise Sports Podcast, the special edition of the podcast. This is your boy, Alvin Spain, and what you heard was a funeral march. Because on this day, December 16th, 2023, of our Lord, at around approximately 7.35 this evening, the 2023-2024 Pittsburgh Steelers season died. It died tonight. This is a special version of the podcast today because I'm going to use this as my therapy session today. The Pittsburgh Steelers just lost to the Indianapolis Colts today, 30-13, making their season 7-7, having their record of 7-7. The way this team was playing before, it was a long shot before, it is damn near impossible now especially when you got six other teams that are just better competing for playoff spots. There is so many things to take away from this game, this season, and everything else like that. I don't even know where to start. I'm actually dressed in all black. For those who can't see, I'm actually dressed in all black. I have my Adidas black sweatshirt, I got my black jeans. I am dressed today for this funeral because, quite frankly, that is what today is. You know, we heard it from the national media a couple of weeks ago how the Steelers were just having some really bad stretches this season. They lost to the Patriots and Cardinals, both teams that are just 2-10. They lost to them in their building. I mean, the Patriots, before they played the Steelers, literally lost 6-0. And yet they found a way to score 21 points in the Steelers, including scoring on the first drive. Everything about negative that has been said about the Steelers, unfortunately, may be very true. Starting earlier this week with Ben Roethlisberger saying the Steelers lost their way. I am quite frankly, I think they may have. You know, there is a time that when their backs were up against the wall, the Steelers would find a way to come back and win these games. And even understanding the urgency of it, there was always something about them that would find a way to win these tough games. Well, today, they woke up this morning very much in the playoff run. They actually dropped to 6, but they were still very much in the playoffs. They will wake up tomorrow morning hoping that every other, and actually, they don't even need to wait until tomorrow morning. They can start that hoping tonight with Denver playing the Lions. They got to hope every other team loses. But the only problem with that thought is, they can lose all they want to, but you eventually have to win. The Pittsburgh Steelers, I think, have shown an incapability of doing that or just being a good enough football team to do that this year, and that is very painful. And I think even more painful is what I'm about to say next, because I never thought I would say this. I do think Mike Tomlin may need to step down. And I'll use this theory. When Coach Bill Cowher won the Super Bowl at the end of the 2005 season, the Steelers defended their season, defended their title, and they were 6-10 or 7-9. They were under .500. It was the last time they were under .500. And after 15 years, Mike Tomlin felt like maybe, I'm sorry, Bill Cowher felt like he needed to step away from the Steelers. And quite frankly, he's never looked back. He's been amazing as a studio analyst and in his rightful place in the NFL Hall of Fame. Mike Tomlin will be in the NFL Hall of Fame. But I really do start to feel like this team is not good at any level. And as much as we love Mike Tomlin-isms and as much as we love his press conferences, this is just not a very good football team. It just isn't. I'm going to use this therapy session to talk about the Indianapolis game, but like I said, I've had issues, I never even wanted to say this and admit this, but probably have had my first issue with Mike Tomlin after the, all the way back to the 2011 playoff season, the Tim Tebow game. And as bad as Tim Tebow was, when he plays the Steelers, boy, he ain't going to look that good. The man that upped the Steelers for 28 points, actually 35 because they won in overtime with that amazing catch to Demarius Thomas, God rest his soul. But it was like, for the first time I looked at it, like, man, how did, how did we lose to Tim Tebow? How, because again, the next week he plays the Patriots and lo and behold, he can't throw a football. But when he played the Steelers, even though it was in Denver, even though the Steelers had that higher record, that was just how it was. The Steelers, defensively, could not stop Tim Tebow. You would have thought that game, Tim Tebow was playing Auburn and not the Pittsburgh Steelers. He looked like he was running the Florida freaking Gators. That was like, huh, that's a problem. But then there was the Jacksonville playoff game, and that was the playoff game after weeks ago when Ryan Shazier unfortunately became paralyzed. And I got to tell you, side note, just listening and reading his story, it's just amazing, so inspiring. And I remember he was in the owner's box that day and just thinking, man, the Steelers defense is going to ball out. They're going to have their bye. They're going to ball out for him. And they let Blake Bortles, Blake Bortles, anybody remember Blake Bortles, Blake Bortles lit him up for over 300 yards. And the Steelers lost that game 45-42, even though the Steelers scored a really late touchdown that really didn't affect the game. But the fact that the defense, which at that time was really bad, and they won a lot of games, kind of like this year, a lot of smoke and mirrors. They were 12-4 that year, but they could have easily lost half of those games because defensively they were bad. But then it was like, wow, this team gave up 45 points to Blake Bortles. And then it was like these past couple of years, like when they had their 11-0 start and you thought, man, this is going to be it. I swear, that was probably the last time the Steelers were of any significance after that 11-0 start. It started there. The Ravens game that was delayed due to COVID. And they barely beat Robert Griffin III. Barely beat him. And then they would lose to the Redskins, now Commanders, a week later. And then on Monday night, I think their third-string quarterback, they got trounced. And it felt like something was off from this team, and it felt like it started from there. They made the playoffs that year, and of course, Cleveland ran them out of the building. And quite frankly, nothing has felt good or right since. Yes, they made the playoffs that following year. Actually, they made the playoffs that year, and then, yes, they actually did make it in Ben's final year. Stop me if you've heard this. They got trounced by the Chiefs. The Pittsburgh Steelers, it feels like in these past five years, in big games that matter, feel like they get trounced, or just feel like a team that is unprepared or underprepared and is unable to step up. But at the time, the Steelers were so proud of me. They were the five-star matchup because they would always rise to that occasion. But it feels like when it comes to the big-time situations, this team gets trounced or are not ready or just does not step up, and I will look again at tonight. This team was playing a team that I don't think anybody's going to say is a world-beater. Obviously, they're a good team, but they're a team that 7-6, 7-6, say what you will about how they got to the 7-6, but the Steelers were straight ahead in the playoff. This was on the road in a controlled stadium, and this was a team that had beaten the fans as usual, greatest in the world, traveled to Pittsburgh, or traveled to Indianapolis. They go up 13-0. By the end of the first quarter, and they never score again. They give up the next 30. In the midst of the 30 points was horrible defense, two just really bad turnovers, and eight penalties. This is a team that is unprepared, undisciplined, and just unaware, it feels like, of the moment. I never thought I would say that, and I never thought I would say it is time for Mike Tomlin to step down. From reports that we heard earlier this week, he's not on the high team, and I'm not trying to advocate for nobody firing, and again, and I speak again as an African-American, and him being an African-American coach, I can also be very real that African-Americans may not, you know, if he leaves, you know, those coaches, those coaches for us for minorities become a little bit harder, and that's why part of me doesn't want to see him go in that regard, but the fact of the matter is, this is just not good coaching. This is not good head coaching. This is not good defensive coaching. This is not, there are so many things in Pittsburgh that need to change, and for an organization that prides itself on its stability, and prides itself on its consistency, this is the most inconsistent, unstable, unstable I've ever seen this franchise, and the fact that they had a chance today to compete for the playoffs, just like they have for the past couple of weeks, and this team has fallen flat. If it wasn't, and again, I can go back to, I'll, to spare everybody, I'll just go to these last couple of weeks, and, and against Phoenix, or against Arizona, they score the first field goal, look to score again, they got stopped on the fourth and goal. Kenny Pickett goes out, and then the Steelers give up a 98-yard drive to the Cardinals, and the Cardinals never look back. The New England Patriots, the game before they play the Steelers, don't score a single point. They score a touchdown on their opening drive. This is a, this is a horrible football team. This is a, this is a team that is undisciplined, this is a team that is, it feels like it's out of position, and it really feels like a team that has lost confidence and is disinterested. I am literally afraid for what the next three weeks are going to be like, when they have to face hungrier teams, two of which are on the road. They have their last home game against Cincinnati, who has just been balling. Even without Joe Burrow, they have been balling. I don't think they will win that game. That, and they play Seattle, at Seattle, and at Baltimore, and if they do not beat Cincinnati, I think they lose the rest of their game. Because I just do not see a, I do not see a team that is good enough to compete at a high level. And I think, I start to wonder now that the organization just needs to change. They need to literally hit the reset button. They've drafted well in certain cases, but the free agents they brought in, and the players, especially in the trenches, outside of Keanu Benton, they've just not worked. The offensive line has just been horrible. And unfortunately, without an offensive line that can withstand and open holes, there's almost no need for a Najee Harris. There's no need almost for, and without a competent quarterback, you can't even really use George Pickens or Deontay Johnson. I think when you start next, when you start the offseason, to me, the only four Steelers that are guaranteed a job are T.J. Watt, Cam Hayward, Minka Fitzpatrick, and Jalen Warren. Anybody else, I think to me, is either accessible for trade or just should be released. I don't think Kenny Pick, if Kenny Pickett comes back next year as a quarterback, he should not have that position outright. Even before his injury, he has done nothing to show he is a capable full-time quarterback. Mitch Trubisky, as far as I'm concerned, should not start another game. At this point, you've got to see Mason Rudolph, because Mitch Trubisky has just shown he's just not. For whatever reason, and it's ironic, because I think he goes to another team, he may even have a much better season, but as far as I'm concerned, him in a Steeler uniform as a quarterback should not happen again without injury. If Kenny cannot go next week, you start Mason Rudolph and just tell Mitch to hold the kill it board. We've seen enough. In winnable games, he is just not there. The offensive line has been atrocious, they've had penalties, they cannot, they have not been able to withstand any type of blocking, but when Mitch has had to make plays, it just has not happened on a consistent level. I don't think in Mike Tomlin's tenure has the offense and defense been this bad at the same time, but they are bad. The touchdown, the opening drive, touchdown to the Patriots and giving up those plays, the 98-yard drive to the Cardinals, the fact that Indianapolis ran it right down their throat, unless the Steelers have a special play, in their case the last couple of weeks has been blocked punts by one against the Patriots, one against the Colts, if they don't have those, or if they don't have the TJ Watts strip sacks, they cannot generate a drive, they cannot generate drives consistently, to score points consistently, and they're not a dynamic enough of a defense to make plays. When I look at the Browns, when I look at the Jets, they are dynamic defenses, the Steelers are not. And I think the worst thing I can, I feel about Mike Tomlin is this team's inability to adjust and adapt. When I look at teams this year, and I give Zach Wilson the example, he was as awful as he can be, but for whatever reason, last week the man scored 30 points. How awesome was that? The Steelers have struggled, and it feels like the longest time, for getting third and fourth down, or getting one-yard conversions on third down and fourth down. They have been ridiculously bad, but it feels like there's been no adjustment to that. You don't see an extra fullback, you don't see, it's just this team cannot perform. And I even, in today's game, they even get the fourth of one, they eventually become the touchdown, but even Mitch Trubisky, it's like fumbles the ball, now again, he fumbles it after the goal line, but it's almost like, wow, we can't even do that right. But there's been no adjustment, and it feels like, with Mike Tomlin, this team does not adjust. People can throw it down the middle, and the Steelers, and it just keeps happening. The Steelers give up the runs, and it just keeps happening. Every team this year has shown some form of an offensive growth, except the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tommy DeVito and the Giants have scored more points. Zach Wilson scored 30. With the Pittsburgh Steelers, they cannot run, they cannot pass, they cannot block. And Matt Canada's gone, and outside of the 400-yard game that they had against Cincinnati, which in the locker room, they threw a damn celebration for, which I guess in hindsight makes sense, because it will be the last thing they can celebrate this season. They have just been bad, and it's not the fact that they haven't performed, it is the people they have been losing to. I'm going to list off the quarterbacks from their last five games that they have played, and I want you just to hear. Dominic Thompson-Robinson from the Cleveland Browns, Jake Browning for the Bengals, Tyler Murray for the Cardinals, Bailey Zappi for the Patriots, and Gardner Minshew today in the Colts. The Steelers have lost, out of those games, they have lost a total of four out of the last five. In that streak, they did beat Jacob Browning in Cincinnati, or Jake Browning, I don't think they'll beat him this go-around, and to Tyler Murray. Any other quarterback I mentioned in that streak are backup quarterbacks. Some are experienced, but the fact of the matter is, this defense has not been able to rise up against backup quarterbacks. Even against the game in the Browns, where the defense only gives up 13, they can only score 10. This is a bad football team. When you go through their offensive numbers, this team has not scored 30 points in a game. Tonight's and today's loss is the third time they've given up 30. Obviously, they are 0-3 in that. These are the Steelers' point totals all season long. They've only scored 7 against the 49ers, 22 against the Browns, and again, that is two touchdowns. Two defensive touchdowns and a long touchdown pass to Calvin Pickens. 23 from the Raiders against the Raiders, 6 against the Texans, 17 against the Ravens, and those had to come from special teams help. 24 against the Rams. That might be their best game of the season, and again, it took a T.J. Watt strip sack to kick off the rally. 10 against the Jaguars, 20 against the Titans, 23 against the Packers, 13 or 10 against the Browns, 16 against the Bagels. That's the game they scored 400 yards, and the best they can do is 16 points. 10 against the Cardinals, 18 against the Patriots, 13 against the Colts. This offense has only been able to score 20 points twice against the Raiders, or actually three times, the Raiders, the Titans, and the Packers. The Browns, again, they got two defensive touchdowns in that game, but they feel like they were doing okay. Bill Parcells has always said, you are what your record is, and I think right now, and I think early, that could have been misleading, because at 7-3, the thought was the Steagals were a good football team, and the fact of the matter is, they were a lucky football team. They made plays late, and I don't want to ever discredit my team, but what they were doing was just not sustainable. And now, it is becoming very painfully obvious as the rest of the season goes. Offenses against the Steelers now are not holding the ball a long period of time. They're not letting T.J. Wadden, Alex Hotsmith get home. They're getting it out, and teams can realize they can do everything they want to up the middle against the Steelers. They can run up the middle against the Steelers. They can pass in the middle of the Steelers. And if T.J. Wadden and Alex Hotsmith are not getting home, then, I mean, really, the Steelers have no way to beat you. And that is becoming painfully obvious. Teams adjusted to that, but the Steelers haven't. This is a team that has not been able to adjust. This has not been a team that has been able to adapt, and that is, for my reason, why I think Mike Tomlin may need a step down. Because I wonder if his voice is getting stale, just like Bill Cowers felt like all those years ago. Like his voice was getting stale. What Mike Tomlin has done in Pittsburgh has been amazing, but at the same time, this has just been atrocious. It hasn't just been this year. And even it feels like last year, it felt like it was a real tease, because it felt like, boy, this team was starting to go somewhere. And even after the preseason this year, it felt real good. But then Fred Warner happened to start off the season, and it was a reality check. This was not a good football team. This was not going to be a good season. We didn't want to see it at the time, but this is not a good team. This team can't rise up to the challenge. And I think they're tired. I think they're disinterested, and it's leading them to become undisciplined, sloppy, and, dare I say, uninterested, frustrated, and just don't feel like they have the confidence to compete at a level. You know, I was on the car ride home, so I actually did not see the Seahawks' last drive when Indianapolis ran 15 times. But I can only imagine the looks on their faces. They were tired. They were, it felt, dejected, because they couldn't stop them, and quite frankly, they knew they weren't going to get any support from the offense. I think this might be the time now that you may need to trade them. You may need to actually hit the reset button and realize you are a lot farther away from a championship than you thought. Kenny Pickens does not seem to be the guy. You have an offensive line that just, they cannot block for high scorers. You have wide receivers that, quite frankly, you can't use because you don't have a quarterback that consistently can get it to them. You have running backs and Najee Harris and Jalen Warren that you cannot block for. You do not have a quarterback consistent enough to throw it to Pat Friarmuse. So you have this talent, but you can't put any pieces together. I, you know, I think it was Mike Tannenbaum that said this. One GM had said this or was quoting somebody else, but he was talking about when you get certain pieces. It was interesting he had mentioned the last piece you get was a wide receiver. Because the 49ers, they used their draft pick to get Jerry Rice because they felt like they had everything else. They had the D-line. They obviously had the quarterback. They can now finally get players that the quarterback can throw to. And it feels like the Steelers went backwards. Because after Big Ben left, and Lord knows the Steelers tried to come up with a backup plan. May it be Mason Rudolph. May it be random guy X. I can't even remember some of these names. Josh Dobbs was part of it. The Steelers just, it just has not worked. Their offensive mindset, the whole thing needs a reset. And it may need to start at the top, and it probably should start at the top. But if it doesn't and Mike Tomlin stays, then he's going to have to be real honest and find guys that can actually work and build this team, especially offensive defense. And to Omar Khan, your challenge is to build this team inside out. You need to work on the lines, the offensive line and the defensive line. You can't block anybody, and you can't stop anybody. So you do need to, so for this to work, now again, we've seen turnaround in one season. But for the Steelers, they're going to have to really look at themselves in this offseason. And I think the only benefit of them finishing 7-10, they will have to be honest and look at it. I even think 9-8 will mislead them to think that they are close to making the playoffs, and they are not. They are not close. They could not be further away from a championship than they've been in quite some time. The Kenny Pickens era, if it's not over, it should have some strong competition. No member of this offensive line should stay outside of Roger Jones, but they have a lot of work to do. They have pieces. You know, Keona Benton seems to be a beast on the D-tackle, but this team, personnel-wise, coaching-wise, needs to start over. And the sooner we can see that, and I'll admit it, the quicker we can start the rebuilding process and put the Steelers back on the map. All intents and purposes, this season is over. Time of death, 7-33, or whenever the game ended, that is when the Steelers season died. We are going to play off the string. If they finish 10-7, it will be a miracle from 34th Street that nobody was ever seen coming. But it is more likely they will finish 7-10 than they will 10-7, or 9-8, or dare I even say 8-9. Thank you. I appreciate y'all letting me have my therapy session today. Now I feel better. Now, I really don't, but at least now I got to say what I said about the Steelers. So this, again, is a very special edition of the Allianz Rangers. It was on my heart to do this today, but on Tuesday, we'll look to wrap up Week 15 of the NFL season. We'll see where the playoff races are. We'll come back again on Tuesday, and then we're going to do a special on wrestling in 2023, because this has really been a banner year for professional wrestling, and I can't wait to look it through. Even though AEW's had its share of ups and downs, they've really had some good matches that came through this year, and the WWE, it hasn't been this on fire since the Attitude Era. I mean, it is. They have superstars coming out, the Woodworths. They got dream matchups, and I tell you, WrestleMania 40, this is shaping up to be probably the greatest WrestleMania ever. So that's a little bit down the line, but those are some of the things that we're going to be working on in the Wild Sports Podcast in the next couple of days and weeks. So I hope y'all listen to that as well. So for those who are in your fantasy playoffs, wish y'all the best of luck, except if you're playing me, I cannot wish you any more disluck than I possibly could. This has been real, and I look forward to catching up with you guys again on Tuesday. This has been Alvin Spain. This is the Wild Sports Podcast, and when you ask Wild Sports, we always answer, why not? We'll holler at you later. Talk to you guys soon. Bye bye.