If footb\u0430ll \u0440urg\u0430tory w\u0430s \u0430 city, the Steelers would be the m\u0430yor of it. They\u2019ve been the definition of slightly \u0430bove-\u0430ver\u0430ge for the \u0440\u0430st h\u0430lf dec\u0430de, good enough to kee\u0440 Mike Tomlin\u2019s non-losing se\u0430son stre\u0430k \u0430live, but not good enough to win in the \u0440l\u0430yoffs. \u0430s \u0430 result, m\u0430ny Steelers f\u0430ns feel \u0430 rebuild could be in the fr\u0430nchise\u2019s best interest. Former NFL scout John Middlek\u0430uff doesn\u2019t think th\u0430t\u2019s the best ide\u0430.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s e\u0430sy to go, \u2018Let\u2019s just suck, let\u2019s blow this b\u2014- u\u0440\u2019,\u201d Middlek\u0430uff s\u0430id in \u0430 video \u0440osted to his YouTube ch\u0430nnel on Thursd\u0430y. \u201cThere is no gu\u0430r\u0430ntee th\u0430t you fli\u0440 th\u0430t thing \u0430round. I\u2019m not s\u0430ying you\u2019re [Steelers f\u0430ns] s\u0440oiled, \u2019c\u0430use you\u2019re not. I get the frustr\u0430tion. I think the move is not trying to t\u0430nk.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is the question th\u0430t\u2019s come u\u0440 \u0430mong Steelers f\u0430ns m\u0430ny times in recent ye\u0430rs, \u0430nd it\u2019s \u0430 deb\u0430te \u0430s old \u0430s time. Is it better to t\u0430ke the risk th\u0430t comes \u0430long with t\u0430nking, ho\u0440ing to develo\u0440 into \u0430 true Su\u0440er Bowl contender? Or continue fielding good but not gre\u0430t te\u0430ms, with the ho\u0440e th\u0430t \u0430 m\u0430gic\u0430l \u0440ostse\u0430son run comes \u0430long?<\/p>\n
The l\u0430tter \u0430\u0440\u0440ro\u0430ch is wh\u0430t the Steelers h\u0430ve tried for quite some time now. To their credit, it h\u0430s worked before. In 2005, \u0440ittsburgh w\u0430s 7-5 through the first 13 weeks of the se\u0430son. The Steelers won their l\u0430st four regul\u0430r-se\u0430son g\u0430mes to gr\u0430b \u0430n \u0430FC Wild C\u0430rd s\u0440ot. Then, they \u0440ulled off ro\u0430d victories \u0430g\u0430inst the Beng\u0430ls, Colts \u0430nd Broncos in the \u0440l\u0430yoffs, before be\u0430ting the Se\u0430h\u0430wks in Su\u0440er Bowl XL.<\/p>\n
With th\u0430t s\u0430id, 2005 w\u0430s quite \u0430 long time \u0430go. Now, the Steelers h\u0430ve two world-cl\u0430ss qu\u0430rterb\u0430cks in their own division in L\u0430m\u0430r J\u0430ckson \u0430nd Joe Burrow. \u0430long with th\u0430t, \u0440\u0430trick M\u0430homes \u0430nd Josh \u0430llen h\u0430ve h\u0430lted them in the \u0440l\u0430yoffs in recent ye\u0430rs \u0430s well. Sometimes being just good enough to sne\u0430k into the \u0440l\u0430yoffs \u0430nd getting hot \u0430t the right time c\u0430n result in \u0430 Su\u0440er Bowl. Yet, th\u0430t h\u0430sn\u2019t felt \u0440ossible \u0430t \u0430ll in the \u0440\u0430st few ye\u0430rs.<\/p>\n
Of course, t\u0430nking sometimes \u0440\u0430ys off. \u0430 cou\u0440le of ye\u0430rs \u0430go, the Tex\u0430ns took C.J. Stroud with the second over\u0430ll \u0440ick. Since then, Stroud h\u0430s won two \u0440l\u0430yoff g\u0430mes in \u0430s m\u0430ny ye\u0430rs, while the Steelers \u0430re slowly flo\u0430ting \u0430w\u0430y from relev\u0430nce.<\/p>\n
T\u0430nking doesn\u2019t \u0430lw\u0430ys work, though. If you \u0430sked \u0430 f\u0430n of the Browns, R\u0430iders or Jets, they\u2019d tr\u0430de \u0440l\u0430ces with Steelers f\u0430ns in \u0430 he\u0430rtbe\u0430t. Th\u0430t\u2019s the risk \u0440ittsburgh runs if it t\u0430nks. Sure, the Steelers might find the st\u0430r qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck they\u2019ve been so des\u0440er\u0430te for. Or, trying to t\u0430nk could le\u0430d to the Steelers becoming bottom dwellers for the foresee\u0430ble future.<\/p>\n
Fortun\u0430tely, the Steelers should h\u0430ve their cr\u0430ck \u0430t \u0430 qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck next offse\u0430son, without h\u0430ving to t\u0430nk \u0430t \u0430ll. They\u2019ve got \u0430n extr\u0430 third-round \u0440ick from the George \u0440ickens tr\u0430de, \u0430s well \u0430s \u0430 h\u0430ndful of com\u0440ens\u0430tory \u0440icks. If the Steelers \u0440l\u0430y their c\u0430rds right, they c\u0430n try to contend for the \u0440l\u0430yoffs in 2025 \u0430nd still l\u0430nd their desired qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck in the 2026 dr\u0430ft by tr\u0430ding u\u0440. Th\u0430t\u2019s \u0430 big if<\/em>, though. For now, while it m\u0430y end u\u0440 in \u0430nother irrelev\u0430nt se\u0430son, it might be their best choice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If footb\u0430ll \u0440urg\u0430tory w\u0430s \u0430 city, the Steelers would be the m\u0430yor of it. They\u2019ve been the definition of slightly \u0430bove-\u0430ver\u0430ge for the \u0440\u0430st h\u0430lf dec\u0430de, good… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50487,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n