“I’m ready to move on, man, and I’m serious. I wouldn’t be upset if Ben decided to retire after this season and the team sunk to the bottom of the NFL for a year or two.”
That was you for the past few years, and the “Ben” you were referring to was the ever-aging Ben Roethlisberger, the legendary quarterback of the Steelers for many years. Alas, Roethlisberger’s reign in Pittsburgh ended after 18 seasons, and he officially announced his retirement following a blow-out wildcard playoff loss to the Chiefs to close out the 2021 campaign.
Now you, the Steeler fan, get your wish.
- The Steelers could, in fact, sink to the bottom of the NFL for a year or two.
Mike Tomlin addresses the men at Steelers training camp. Photo Credit: Karl Rosner, Steelers.com
Great, right?
Not according to the fans, at least the ones on social media who can’t seem to shut up about the Steelers and what big moves they’ll make with the new calendar year — along with unrestricted free agency — set to kick off at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Heck, the fans on social media can’t even handle all of the rumors swirling around without losing it and worrying about the Steelers falling behind every other team in the AFC North, including the Browns, who acquired receiver Amari Cooper from the Cowboys on Saturday.
Why weren’t the Steelers more aggressive in going after Cooper? After all, the haul that Dallas will get back for Cooper is just a couple of late-round picks. Good point, a very good point. Only problem with that logic is that it’s not something a rebuilding team does. No, a rebuilding franchise is the one who trades the player for the draft picks. (Full disclosure: The Cowboys aren’t in a rebuild; they just didn’t want to honor Cooper’s current contract.)
So, why would the Steelers go after a Cooper if they are now in full-rebuild mode following Roethlisberger’s retirement? Also, why would they give up the farm to acquire Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson?
Or, for that matter, why would they go after Carson Wentz or Jimmy Garoppolo to fill their quarterback void?
- And don’t even get me started on those Deshaun Watson rumors…
The Steelers Killer Bees were too true to their name. Photo Credit: pegitboard.com
Again, you wanted a rebuild, right? You said you were exhausted by all of those seasons that didn’t result in more Super Bowls–as fun as some of those years may have been with Big Ben and the other Killer B’s, including Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, pulling the wagon.
I don’t know how an observer of things can actually be exhausted, but you know who is probably really exhausted after 13 years of trying to reach Seventh Heaven? The Steelers. Seriously, they’re like that young doctor on Day 3 of no sleep. They’re downing caffeine. They’re splashing cold water on their face. They’re doing everything that can to stay sharp, but that knife is now pretty dull.
It’s time for a rest.
The Steelers now have more cap space than they normally know what to do with, and with free agency just on the horizon, I fully expect them to do things to build up their roster. They may even make a splash signing or two.
But would that signify a quick end to the rebuild? No, I think it’s just getting started. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to last forever. A few moves here, a few moves there, and suddenly you’re back to being a serious contender again, one full of fresh legs and quick-twitch muscle fibers.
In the meantime, the Steelers and their fans may have to sit back for a season or two and watch other teams “go for it.”
Will it suck? How can it not? Will it be frustrating to listen to all of those talking heads mock the Steelers for falling behind in the annual off-season Lombardi race? Sure.
- But those talking heads never seem to grow tired.
Football teams sometimes do.
Let the Steelers get some sleep in 2022. They’ll be awake again to fight another day.
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