Steelers News: How Kevin Colbert’s disappointment has turned into confidence

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 season is officially over. After finishing the year 8-8, the Steelers, and their vast fan base, has another long offseason awaiting them. Just because the games are done doesn’t mean we stop providing you with features, commentary and opinions to tide you over throughout the offseason!

Today in the black-and-gold links article we take a look at how General Manager Kevin Colbert’s disappointment has turned into confidence.

Let’s get to the news:

• 2019 was a giant disappointment, but that doesn’t mean 2020 will follow suit.

Colbert disappointed, but optimistic

By: Bob Labriola, Steelers.com

They now have gone back-to-back seasons without qualifying for the playoffs. The franchise quarterback will celebrate his 38th birthday in the first week of March, and he’s coming off surgery on his right elbow that caused him to miss all but six quarters of the 2019 regular season. The way the arithmetic is expected to work out, they’re looking at having to make some roster moves to get the salary cap to a level that will allow them to keep one of their best defensive players as he’s heading toward unrestricted free agency. Injuries wrecked their depth chart last season, not only at quarterback, but also at running back, tight end, and to a lesser degree at wide receiver. And they have no first-round draft pick for the first time since Chuck Noll was coaching defensive backs in Baltimore when the NFL team in that city was the Colts.

So why is General Manager Kevin Colbert so optimistic?

”I think when you have a quality player, those quality players should be quality players no matter what,” said Colbert during a media session today at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “We can talk about this as, well, they had an off-year because we didn’t have our great quarterback available to us, but we can’t use that. We have to find ways to win without our guys. Coach (Mike Tomlin) always says, ‘Let’s go’ instead of ‘Oh no,’ and so we have to find a way to be better (in the face of injuries). Those (quality) players have to find a way … Collectively, individually, they have to meet that challenge. Did they meet that challenge? I can say this. We’re all disappointed at 8-8, but I feel better moving into 2020 than I did moving into 2019 coming off 9-6-1.”

How? Why?

”Just the way I feel about the group that’s coming back,” said Colbert.

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

• How significant was Mike Tomlin’s defense of Mason Rudolph? Significant.

Mark Madden: ESPN interview one of Mike Tomlin’s most significant moments as Steelers coach

By: Mark Madden, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

I’m not necessarily a big Mike Tomlin fan. Given the resources at hand, Tomlin’s Steelers teams have mostly underachieved over the past decade. I also think whoever replaced Tomlin wouldn’t be as good, or do as well.

But that’s another debate for another time.

What Tomlin did when he spoke on ESPN’s “First Take” Monday was very important. Tomlin knew that. He never does media during the offseason.

But you can’t let a lie be told repeatedly about one of your players.

What the Browns’ Myles Garrett said — again — not only reflects badly on Mason Rudolph, but reflects badly on Tomlin and badly on the Steelers organization.

You also can’t let others pile on, as ESPN did during the “Outside the Lines” segment that followed Garrett doubling down on his claim that Rudolph said the n-word.

As a black coach, Tomlin couldn’t be silent. It would look like tacit confirmation of Garrett’s claim.

But Tomlin wasn’t silent when all this went down Nov. 14, and he certainly wasn’t silent Monday. He defended Rudolph. He attacked the fake news of that “Outside the Lines” segment. He made it clear the Steelers won’t be pushed around on this.

As a black man, this wasn’t without risk for Tomlin.

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

• The million dollar question right now, will Mason Rudolph actually sue Myles Garrett?

Will Mason Rudolph actually sue Myles Garrett?

By: Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk

In a possible effort to avoid being regarded as a reckless, Vontaze Burfict-type NFL villain, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has accused Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph of provoking a helmet-to-unhelmeted-head attack by uttering a racial slur. Rudolph’s agent/lawyer has suggested that Garrett may now be sued for defamation of character.

So here’s the question: Will Rudolph do it?

“I would expect him to do what was appropriate in terms of protecting his name and reputation,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said during his Monday appearance on ESPN, via Ed Bouchette of TheAthletic.com. “And I would do so aggressively, and I don’t blame him.”

The biggest challenge for Rudolph, if suit is filed, continues to be the higher standard that applies to defamation cases brought by public figures. He’ll need to prove that Garrett acted with “actual malice,” which means that Garrett said what he said knowing it was false or with reckless disregard as to whether it was true or false. And if Rudolph rolls the dice but fails to meet the enhanced standard, a jury verdict entered in Garrett’s favor under the “actual malice” test easily (but incorrectly) could be regarded by the public as a finding that Rudolph used a racial slur.

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

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