Consider this:
After a great deal of turmoil, the Steelers lose a game. Then, Antonio Brown gets frustrated and lashes out. They suffer a terrible loss and question whether they can recover. Think I’m talking about this year? Nope, this was the situation last year.
The 2017 Steelers faced a great deal of drama that could have torn the team apart, but they managed to overcome it on the way to a 13-3 record. This year, they also face a great deal of drama and turmoil that could tear the team apart.
Let’s review last year and this year:
Last Year: After not agreeing to a long-term deal, Le’Veon Bell sits out training camp and shows up in time to play in the week 1 game against Cleveland.
This Year: After not agreeing to a long-term deal, Le’Veon Bell sits out training camp. This time he doesn’t show up and hasn’t appeared yet.
Last Year: After playing the Jaguars, the Steelers offense plays terribly and question whether or not they can regroup.
This Year: After playing the Chiefs, the Steelers defense plays terribly and question whether or not they can regroup.
Last Year: After getting frustrated with not getting enough catches, Antonio Brown argues with coaches and throws a water cooler.
Bobby Boucher is not happy with the way Antonio Brown treated the water cooler pic.twitter.com/NkdPIDmFXc
— Joey Graz (@xgrazx) October 1, 2017
This Year: After getting frustrated with not getting enough catches, Antonio Brown argues with coaches, storms off the field and tweets “trade me.”
https://twitter.com/AB84/status/1041710739642376193
The Steelers faced a great deal of turmoil last year due to the National Anthem controversy. Players were divided over how to address the situation. They managed to regroup because they put their differences aside to win games.
This year’s team is dealing with the loss of their star running back and not having a win after two games. It seems as though every obstacle the team faces this year was worse than what they faced last year. The defense looked absolutely terrible against the Chiefs, with Patrick Mahomes throwing 6 touchdowns and the Chiefs scoring 42 points. The offense has been good without Le’Veon Bell, but not good enough to win a game yet.
The key question this year’s team has to answer is can they play defense? After losing Ryan Shazier last December, the defense has not been the same. The Jaguars scored at will in the playoff game on January 14, winning 45-42. In the last game, the Chiefs offense looked like it would score on every possession with no resistance.
The Steelers were expected to contend for a Super Bowl, but are winless in their first two games. It seems as though this year’s turmoil is greater than last year’s. Will the team emphasize winning to solve all problems, or will they be torn apart and have a terrible season? We shall see.
