The Steelers are hoping minicamp is the springboard to success in 2022

For the first time in a very long time, no one is believing in the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Over/Under on wins for the 2022 team has long been set at 7.5 games.

In a 17-game regular season.

Think about that for a second.

To be fair, the organization has gone through a lot of turnover this past offseason. Retired are both Ben Roethlisberger and Stephon Tuitt. Those two will be difficult to replace on the field from a production standpoint, but that isn’t the only change within the organization. Retirements of both Keith Butler and Kevin Colbert have the team with a new defensive coordinator, Teryl Austin, and General Manager (GM), Omar Khan.

With so much uncertainty surrounding the entire organization, plenty of pundits and media outlets are selling hard on the Steelers this year. But unless you buy into all that pomp and circumstance, there is always hope the team can prove the doubters wrong.

Throughout the team’s three-day minicamp, they have been building a chemistry they hope is just the beginning for the team. A chemistry which will hopefully continue to build as they prepare for their first trip to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA since 2019, and into the regular season.

“We’re definitely building,” said Mitch Trubisky. “We have some great connections going with Chase (Claypool), Diontae (Johnson), Pat (Freiermuth), Najee (Harris) and the rest of the guys. We have a talented group here.

“We’re continuing to build the chemistry, learn the offense together, and ironing it out to see where we want this thing to go. I like where we are at. I thought we have gotten better ever day. I like where we are at.

“We have gotten better every day. I feel like I am throwing the ball really well. We’ve put a lot in. We’re executing at a high level right now. I feel good about where we are at. We just have to finish strong.”

Trubisky is speaking solely about the offense, but the same words could be said about the entire team. When you break it down into the fundamentals of the game, Mike Tomlin knows they are limited with what they can do to build that chemistry. A lot of it comes down to basic communication.

“Just good communication,” Tomlin said after Tuesday’s workout. “It’s under duress obviously, but the giving and receiving of information at this stage on both sides of the ball. The formal communication, play caller to signaler on both sides, but also the informal things, after that formal discussion gets had. Formation recognition, mic identification from a protection standpoint, there’s a lot of communication that has to happen in a tight amount of time and those drills provide opportunities for those guys to sharpen their skills in that area.”

While the fan base might be enamored with the outside noise of doubters, everyone should know Tomlin, and his team, aren’t ones to care about what others think about their team/organization. Instead, they are going to put their heads down and work hard towards reaching a goal no one thought possible since last season ended in a Wild Card loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Playoffs.

There are plenty of questions, but the answers to those questions won’t be decided anytime soon.

• What will Matt Canada’s offense look like with pieces of the puzzle finally in place?
• What will Teryl Austin do different compared to his predecessor?
• Will Brian Flores be permitted to put his stamp on the defense?
• Which quarterback will be the starter in Week 1 at Cincinnati?
• How will Omar Khan impact the team’s preparation/moves?

The list of questions which surround this 2022 Steelers team is lengthy, and those aren’t the only ones which continue to swirl around this team throughout the offseason. The answers will come in time, but trying to predict the outcome of anything this season is anything but simple.

In the meantime, the Steelers continue to build in hopes of building a winner in 2022 and beyond.

Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black and gold as they prepare for the offseason leading up to training camp on July 26th.