The Pittsburgh Steelers can't afford a "Lost Season"

Every individual inhabiting the planet has dreams. Each of us are free to dream, but most dreams require effort and hard work to come to fruition. My generation grew up pursuing the American Dream.

The American Dream basically consisted of finding a loving spouse, 2.5 children, a nice house with a white picket fence, the family dog, and a rewarding career that didn't seem like such a job. I have no idea what the modern American Dream might look like, but I feel certain it still revolves around the pursuit of love, fulfillment, and happiness.

NFL franchises begin each season in pursuit of a dream. To hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season as Super Bowl champions. Many franchises have never realized this dream even once, which speaks volumes toward it's difficulty to achieve.

The stars have to align at just the right moment to win a championship. It takes great talent, team chemistry, superior coaching, and front office maneuvering. Injuries are unavoidable, but even more important than "how many" are "to whom" and "for how long".

Last season's Steelers team was plagued by bad luck, and it has carried over into this season. This Steelers roster is a snake bitten bunch. But the truth is this has been going on for a few years now.

For approximately the past decade the Steelers have possessed a championship caliber offense, but a average defense at best. Years were wasted with a future Hall of Fame QB in his prime, two of the best skill position players in the game, and an excellent offensive line. Problem was the defense was never quite up to snuff.

Initially the Steelers defensive decline was due to Father Time, so the team has committed multiple first round selections in recent years toward fixing the problem. Just when it appeared that this commitment was about to pay off, tragedy struck with Ryan Shazier's injury. This resulted in another lost season where the defense was found lacking.

Desperate times call for drastic measures. The championship window was closing fast, with the two skill position stars exiting stage left, the offensive line getting rather long in the tooth, and their two time Super Bowl winning QB being closer to the end of his career than the beginning, so the Steelers brass set out to improve the defense.

Without going into great detail, the acquisitions of Bush, Nelson, and Fitzpatrick has done just that. This looks like a championship caliber defense, which should only improve with experience and time. Not every move pays dividends, and the free agent signing of Mark Barron has proven disappointing thus far, similar to the Morgan Burnett signing last season. I was hoping that Ulysees Gilbert III would have earned an extended look moving forward, considering Barron's struggles, but a trip to the IR ended that possibility. UG3 is the future, and I expect Barron to be a former Steeler after this season.

So where do the Steelers go from here? They currently sit at 5-5 with a favorable remaining schedule. The recent four game winning streak and the excellent performance of the Steelers drastically improved defense resulted in renewed dreams for many members of Steelers Nation. The pitiful performance against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night turned those dreams to nightmares.

Don't worry, it's never as good or bad as it seems. It is what it is. The Steelers, and apparently many of their fanbase, needed a reality check. Message received loud and clear.

This season's championship aspirations ended with Ben's injury, if not sooner. This team wasn't going to win another Super Bowl till it's defense was on par with it's offense. Mission accomplished with the defense, but now the offense is atrocious. Funny how difficult it is to achieve superiority at both at the same time in the salary cap era. Teams that are able to do just that often are planting sloppy kisses all over a finger print covered trophy at season's end.

That leads me back to dreams. There is nothing wrong with dreaming about the Steelers making the playoffs this year. Any franchise worth their salt should play to win every game, and the Steelers are nothing if not champions, but the Steelers need to have a bigger plan in mind. Their focus should be on the near future, next season to be precise.

If all goes well with Ben's rehab, he should return next season healthy and motivated. That will take care of the biggest current problem facing your offense, but many concerns still remain. What type of talent on offense will Ben hopefully be coming back too?

The running back group needs some help. James Conner is a great story and often a productive player when healthy, but his physical running style makes that a rarity if we are being honest. Jaylen Samuels is presently playing out of position at RB2. A natural H-back with superior receiving skills, he simply doesn't possess the natural instincts required to be a running back at the NFL level. Benny Snell has plenty of heart, but questions about his speed and wiggle still remain unanswered.

The receiving group is in better shape, but significant growth is required. JuJu Smith Schuster is a young star who's game has been hindered greatly by the current quarterback situation and play calling. Nobody should anticipate Ben's healthy return more than JuJu. Diontae Johnson has the skill set to be a star, but needs plenty of reps and improved focus. James Washington remains the huge unknown, alternating between flashes of brilliance and extreme inconsistency. None of the remaining youngsters can be categorized as anything but a long shot at the position.

The tight end position needs an infusion of talent in the worst way, and the future of the talented but aging offensive line should be determined moving forward based on talent rather than salaries.

So while this talent depleted squad continues their push toward a wildcard playoff spot, the Steelers hierarchy can't lose sight of the ultimate goal moving forward. Developing the young talent for a Super Bowl run next season. If they fail to accomplish that objective, then this will truly be a lost season.