ESPN’s Chris Canty, co-host of the show “Unsportsmanlike,” recently said something about the Pittsburgh Steelers that caught my attention. Yes, it was inflammatory. But hear him out. Listen carefully. What he says about the Steelers is important because the organization, historically one of the best in all of sports, will be among the most watched teams when the tampering period for free agency begins at noon ET on Monday.
Canty isn’t a flamethrower. If you watch the show regularly you know his takes are opinionated but also smart and measured. He also brings the perspective of a former NFL player. He’s someone you should listen to.
The Steelers, by any measure of success, haven’t struggled over the course of their existence. Obviously, it’s been the opposite. There have been moments when the team’s dominance was staggering.
But that has changed. Coach Mike Tomlin has lost six straight playoff games with another one-and-done postseason. The Steelers have not won a playoff game since January 2017.
Again, the Steelers make the playoffs a lot. It’s that once they get there, they falter.
The Browns would love this type of futility.
But the Steelers? Nah, nope, no way. It’s not who they are or, better put, it’s not what the organization is supposed to be.
This was the point Canty was making.
‘The Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s been a decade and a half since they’ve been in a Super Bowl,” Canty said on the show. “So the standard, the excellence that we’ve seen in that franchise, essentially excellence personified, that has now lost a little bit of its luster and it continues to do so with each passing year where they have early exit after early exit in the postseason.
“And so, I don’t know what the move is, but clearly they need to be more aggressive than they have in years past because they’re sitting on (their) hands, and doing business as usual hasn’t gotten them to where the organization prides itself on being in terms of one of the teams that is constantly in the chase for championships.’
He added, in part, one last thing: ‘They got a championship-level coach, but their roster is not championship caliber, and their quarterback play certainly has been anything but, post-Ben Roethlisberger. So yeah, it’s hard for me, and I can’t believe I’m saying this because the Pittsburgh Steelers seem like they are as buttoned up, as functional, as any franchise in the NFL. But the Pittsburgh Steelers, they’re not a serious franchise. They’re just not. I don’t take them seriously.’
Not a serious franchise.
Is that true? Maybe that’s harsh. But Canty isn’t alone thinking that.
If you want to say Canty said those things because he’s a former Baltimore Raven and the two franchises hate each other, well, you’d be wrong. He also played for the Giants and Cowboys. Canty is simply stating things that some across the NFL are saying privately.
The Steelers have lost some of that air of greatness that has surrounded the organization for decades. It’s still an outstanding franchise. It still has a great head coach in Tomlin.
But, for now at least, it’s not those Steelers any longer.
The organization could change the direction of the franchise with a significant move. Go get wide receiver DK Metcalf. Be aggressive in the draft. Something.
At some point the Steelers will have to enter the 21st century when it comes to free agency and big moves. It’s OK, Steelers. We got rocket ships. Flying cars are on the way.
Modern football isn’t going to bite. Promise.
