PSR Showdown
What was the Steelers biggest problem this season?
By Jerry DiPaola

A Fine Whine

The difference between reasons and excuses is a fine whine.

I won't accuse the Steelers of making excuses for their mediocre record, which has dumped them into the slagheap of teams that won't be in the playoffs or need help to get there. But I feel justified in calling some people inside those helmets whiners, if not downright excuse-makers. And that's as bad as being a loser.

To their credit, the Steelers are not pointing fingers at each other; only fans and the media are making excuses/fashioning reasons for what went wrong:
o   Injuries to Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith.
o   A secondary that can't cover or catch.
o   A running game that offensive coordinator Bruce Arians can't fit into his game plan.

The Steelers entered January unsure of their fate because, during their embarrassing five-game losing streak, the players and coaches no longer believed they could win a close game without employing blind desperation.

That is a serious indictment against coach Mike Tomlin because the team was a Super Bowl winner only 11 months ago, and he is responsible for everything, especially the team's mindset.

When Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's head was scrambled like yolks among broken egg shells, wide receiver Hines Ward questioned whether a night off was the right call. The fact that he did so while referencing his own courage in the face of injury is particularly distasteful.. NFL players who neglect head injuries either die young (Mike Webster) or spend many of their later years failing to remember their early years.

Ward's pointed remarks were not the sign of a together team, and it was no surprise the Steelers lost their next three games. Weak in spirit, the Steelers' body soon failed.

Further head games that went awry included: o   Free safety Ryan Clark, who worried as much about what the media was saying as his assignments on the field.
o   Tomlin promising to "unleash hell" before the Steelers lost to the Raiders and Browns on successive weeks. Sorry, you don't put that kind of pressure on your team unless you're sure the players can handle it.

No wonder the Steelers are going nowhere without a crutch.