Pittsburgh Steelers Fact or Fiction: Moving on to the Seahawks Edition

The Steelers have a lot more questions that have arisen since the opening night loss to the New England Patriots by the score of 33-3. BTSC anticipates the storylines and issues bold statements regarding each one of them. Let’s take a look and deem them as fact or fiction.

Lack of execution, not game planning, is the chief reason the Steelers fell flat against the Pats.

Fiction

I heard Tunch Ilkin on the radio citing the lack of production by the players an d not the preparation as the reason for the debacle in Foxboro. But come on, Tunch is an employee of the organization and will never throw Mike Tomlin and company under the bus. Sure Donte Moncrief dropped four balls and the team played uninspired, but the coordinators submitted some of the most disappointing blueprints possible. Randy Fichtner and Big Ben drew up unimaginative plays. Three straight runs to Conner with the same exact play, dink and dunks to Ryan Switzer and a defense that was bland and too forgiving.

The rusty performance is why Ben Roethlisberger needs more than a mere three series in the preseason.

Fact

Big Ben used to get action in three games up until a couple of years ago. This one-and-done strategy is a safety measure, but he hasn’t looked sharp in an opener since 2016 in Washington. Especially against a team like New England, the team needs to be firing from all cylinders from the beginning. No. 7 isn’t responsible for Donte Moncrief dropping four passes, but he definitely wasn’t completely in sync with his receivers.

The virtue of patience paid off in the Joshua Dobbs trade to Jacksonville.

Fact

Two weeks ago, I would have dealt Dobbs for a seventh rounder or a pack of Lucky Strikes..and I don’t even smoke. Waiting worked out as the Steelers secured what could be a high fifth rounder for their third stringer that didn’t get a hat on Sunday.

If the Steelers truly valued Tuzar Skipper enough, they would have found a way to protect his spot.

Fact

I think a lot of times the fans grow attached to players so much, that the proposition of losing guys like Skipper is incomprehensible. The team puts value on players and has to risk losing them for the sake of the entire roster as a whole. I remember losing UDFA Howard Jones to the Bucs a few years back and thinking it was going to be disastrous. It wasn’t. They know more than we do. Apparently they felt that they could live without Skipper or they would have dangled somebody else.

Week Two vs. Seattle is must win or the season is over.

Fiction

Bear with me on this. While there would be 14 games remaining, a loss Sunday vs. Seattle puts the team in a precarious position that would be hard to escape from. While Steeler Nation would pack it up, the team wouldn’t. If the team has the heart and determination that we think they have, they’ll win this week. But should they lose, it’s a deep whole that Steeler teams have escaped from before, but would remain hard to do.

Are these statements valid? We will soon see. What matters most is your opinions on the matter. Please state them in the comments below.