How have they been practicing my theory? I would not have gotten Favre and I would not have fired Mangini. You act like they listen to me and I'm the reason we haven't won the Super Bowl. They took over after 2005 and started building with the O-line, the way Michaels did it, the way it needs to be done. They had a decent first year, then a bad one, but continued to add good players through the draft. This year they had money to spend, upgraded the team some more and went from 4-12 to 9-7. It flamed out in the end but we're still a lot better and closer to a championship now than we were three years ago. Regarding Pittsburgh, they went a long time without winning the Super Bowl but they never took the "step back" to rebuild. They've been in the playoffs almost every year since Cowher took over for Chuck Noll in 1992. They hosted the AFC Championship game a number of times, lost a lot of them, but they've almost always been in the playoffs and at home. If anything they are the argument I'm trying to make. They've gone to Super Bowls and AFC Championship games with Neil O'Donnell, Kordell Stewart, Tommy Maddux at QB before getting Rothlisberger. That totally flies in the face of your idea that we need to tear the team down and build around a young franchise QB. I mean if you can get one, great, but if not you can still win without one.
Once again if you think this team does not need to rebuild and think we have the talent to go all the way in 2009 with an Afc with the World Champion Steelers, Patriots, Chargers, Jaguars, Colts, Ravens with a Qb now, Texans a Healthy Schaub from being in the mix and your Beloved Chad in Miami be prepared to have this conversation yet again next year. Except it will be if we rebuild now we can be good again by 2011-2012 sometime. O'donnell, Maddux and Stewart were just sacrificial lambs of a Sb ready team without a Qb against better opponents. Did the Steelers win with the Qb they had? The best a weak Afc had to offer. Even if you want to win with Defense we are 7-8 players from having an good to elite one. How are you going to say we have good players on Defense. We have Revis, Rhodes and Harris. Jenkins is a 400 lb nightmare waiting to happen and Pace is so good the Cardinals let him go. Our O-line is good but Faneca is on borrowed time. With the exception of Cothery a No 2 Reciever and Leon not an every down back the rest of our Offense has to be upgraded. We are at least 5-6 starters on both sides of the ball from really having a chance.
Improving the team and "rebuilding" are two different things. It's a year to year league. Again, you brought up Pittsburgh, look at them. Did they tank it when they didn't have a stud QB and say we'll be back in three years all rebuilt? No, they took their best shot every year and kept knocking on the door. In today's league that's the best you can do, and hope you kick it in one of those times. When they finally did win, Rothlisberger was a second-year QB who didn't even play that well, but it didn't matter. I'm not saying we're all set, I'm saying Tannenbaum has improved the team a good deal since the end of the Bradway/Herm era in 2005. We certainly need more guys, everyone does, but I don't get why you're always looking at three years from now. That's a nice carrot to dangle out there to deflect why you can't win now, but three years from now never gets here. In 2011 you'll be telling me we need to load up for 2014.
The Qb was the one piece needed for the Steelers as it has been for the Ravens as well. If we go position by position and match their teams up to ours I think your would see an embarrassing degree in the level of talent of theirs to ours. If all we needed was a Qb or one Linemen or Cb I would say retool. We need five to seven players on both sides of the ball that is a rebuild. Rothlisberger was given a Sb ready team with a Great Defense, Great Offensive line and Futire HOF Running Back and Wr and told to not screw it up. Chad was given that with the Jets when Vinnie was benched but he could not step up to the plate like Big Ben. The difference is our talent. We do not have the level of talent of the teams that are going for the shot every year. Our improvements are mediocre ones not ones that will get us a Sb. Do you think we have talent even remotely close to the Steelers, Colts, Chargers or Patriots? These are the teams we have to beat. If we do not have the talent that is a player or two from being at their level why should we retool and not rebuild. If we are not Sb ready then we should rebuild. The Chargers have a Sb ready team that should retool we do not. A team that is 10-12 starters from a Sb is not a team that should think Retool. The Jets tried your Theory of Retooling for the last four years and where has it gotten us?
So we're going to go in circles from now to September, you naming all the other teams in the AFC, saying we can't beat them, and blaming my opinions for why we haven't won a Super Bowl? Great. Day one and you're already repeating yourself. Every team needs to imporve itself every year, I don't think we're as far off as you're saying we are. We beat Arizona, had the same record they did, they were one play from winning it all. We also beat Tennessee and New England on the road, that's what we can do when we don't give away 2-3 posessions per game. That's the parity of the league. Baltimore when they did win did so with Trent Dilfer, good thing they didn't tear down their team and pray for a franchise QB three years down the road. As always, you get the best guys you can and take your best shot. Arizona just proved that again, as the Giants did last year at 10-6.
No offense meant, but there is no other perspective other than that we blew it. Golden, and we blew it. Why waste time trying to dissect or decipher it? Different year, same DNA. You can't make it up. I hate the Jets so much, I can blow a blood vessel in my brain without even trying. It's an art form.
Once again the Tampa and Baltimore teams had two of the Greatest Defenses of all time. Most of our guys would be on their benches. Different situations. If you think our talent is close to the elite of the league and we are two players away then all I can do is say see ya here same time next year same conversation.
I think the talent is very evenly spread out all over the league. You're getting champitis now, predicting we don't win the Super Bowl and holding that up as a grand insight. Every fan can say that and 31 out of 32 of them will be right every year, not going out on much of a limb there. I wouldn't say Baltimore and Tampa Bay were two of the greatest defenses of all time, two of the better ones recently. The Bears and Giants had pretty good ones back in the 80s too, and both won without big passing games. With Ryan here that's what I think they're going to try and build our team as. At least that is something you can put in place without needing a franchise QB to fall in your lap, and in the northeast it makes sense. We have talent on D, you badly underestimated Jenkins, he was dominant most of the year and is going to the Pro Bowl. So is Revis, we still have Rhodes, Harris and Pace on D, all have the ability to fit with what Ryan wants to do. If we do that I give us a chance to play with anybody in today's league.
Firstly why not ask ur self the question why have the Steelers appeared in 7 SBs since merger & we have not appeared once. Why not give us ur opinion as to why that occurred if as U say there is such parity in the league as U claim. You also leave totally unanswered where we are going to find the remaining starters on D after the players U mentioned.
The Steelers appeared in four of the seven back in the 70s, before the era of parity when they had one of the all-time teams, one in the 90s and two this decade in the age of true parity. The main reason for their success in the past 15-20 years is that they don't listen to people like you and run good coaches out the door because they don't win the big one every year. By your logic, Bill Cowher was a LOSER from 1992 until 2005, and never would have survived long enough to lose all those AFC championship games at home to hang in there and eventually win the Super Bowl as a #6 seed. Regarding our defense, I'm not the one saying we need all these new starters, you and FOURTH are. I think with a more aggressive defensive coach the players we have will be more effective. I do find it funny that you of all people are calling someone out for specifics. Since we went there, what is your specific plan for the team as of now, champ? Specifically who would you bring in and get rid of?
Must not have had ur coffee yet since I posted it to U yesterday Ellis Coleman Thomas Barton Need a safety next to Rhodes Need a CB next to Revis For B/ups need Jenks #2 since we he get a breather the D goes into the dumps Need a WR that other side respects & again do not say we got him in the Clowney since nobody knows what he can do at this time since starring in a xhibition game means zero Moore has to be upgraded as well. Because Coles is uncuttable (another stupid move by the GM) we are stuck with him for another year. A Welker type player would also be a hugh +
Ok, that's the most specific plan I've ever seen you post, champ, well done. Tannenbaum has done a good job bringing in talent so far, I think with the off-season to work on it with Ryan's input, we can have a good D. I think the foundation is there, nobody has a Pro-Bowler at every position. On O, we have a good line, good RBs, you forget Keller in the passing game, could certainly use another WR, let's see what they do. Certainly not a total rebuilding job, we need to improve like every other team does.
I agree putting a defense that is decent without a Franchise Qb is easier. Revis and Rhodes are very good. Jenkins is awesome but he is also an weight induced injury away from retirement and we have no suitable backup. Harris gets an incomplete and Pace is good not great. Match us up against the Steelers and they beat us on both sides of the ball. Rhodes is good but Palumalu is better, Revis and Ike Turner are a wash and their Lb's are better than ours. The only advantage we have on D is at Tackle with Jenkins. Offensively we lose that battle too. The Ravens D embarrassingly outmatches us and we are prob a wash for now on offense but they seem to have found a Qb. We lose similar battles with the Colts, Chargers and Patriots as well. Anybody can play with anybody else but the probability of us winning against superior opponets three times In Jan is slim to none.
You're going by the personnel from this past season. By next year guys will be all moved around, this is what I'm trying to tell you. Teams go up and down and back up every year, there isn't the continuity in the league to say from one year to the next what is going to happen.
In all fairness to the players on our team, we can't blame them for being in the position that they are in. What i thought Mangini lacked was playing players to their strengths. What i thought Herm lacked was being too conservative. What Ryan inspires me to think is that Pace will rush the quarterback consistently, not consistently drop back into coverage; Thomas will rush the quarterback consistently, not drop back into coverage; Gholston will rush the quarterback consistently, not drop back into coverage; Lowery will play with his instincts, and not "overthink" the situation; Rhodes gets to use all of his film studying to read and make plays, instead of supporting the corner opposite Revis. Ryan makes me believe that the Jets will draft or pick up an athletic beast of a defensive end to compliment Jenkins and Ellis; the Jets will draft or pick up a middle linebacker to replace Barton; the Jets will draft a Defensive tackle to spell Jenkins. The Jets will draft or pick up a deep threat receiver. But more importantly, the Jets will play to their opponent's weaknesses instead of being "afraid" and "overthinking". Solid game planning.
Our LBs at times are going to have to drop in coverage. That is a part of their game too. If not the middle of the field will be open for TEs all day
See again in my opinion U R rationalizing away the NYJ warts. For there 1st 4 SB teams when U say there was no parity the proper answer in my opinion is we had shittier players, shitter coaches & a shittier owner then Pitt had is the proper reply. Now lets take there last 2 SB wins that were with parity so that means again we have shittier players, shittier coaches & a shittier owner then Pitt has. If you would not looking thru ur most green colored sunglasses & drinking green koolade U realize what I posted above
What is your point, champ? You're saying the Steelers have been a more stable, successful franchise than the Jets have? Wow. It's a good thing you are here to provide such valuable insight, champ, tell me more. Pretty much 30 other teams can say the same thing about the Steelers, not just us.
