The Pittsburgh Steelers have a major problem—and it appears the team’s owner has finally acknowledged what fans have known all along.
For years, the organization believed wholeheartedly that mediocrity was acceptable—as long as Mike Tomlin didn’t lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to a losing season. Playoff wins and staying competitive with the top AFC contenders were consistently put on the backburner—until Steelers owner Art Rooney II witnessed the late-season collapse unfold before his very eyes.
Joe Rutter of TribLive reported that Rooney stated that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ losses to the Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, and Kansas City Chiefs—arguably the top three teams in the NFL—proved how far the Steel City was from actual contender status.
Rooney kept it short and sweet, stating:
“We played the best in the league and we could see we’re not there.”
Treating the late-season collapse as a measuring stick works on paper, but the offseason will test his sense of urgency—or lack thereof—in getting the Pittsburgh Steelers back to contender status.
