Steelers need to take their shot
Now that the Super Bowl is over, every team in the NFL can start planning for the 2016 season.
And when the Steelers expressed regret that they hadn’t taken advantage of their opportunity in Denver in the AFC Divisional Playoffs, some viewed it as sour grapes.
But after watching what the Broncos did defensively in their next two games, pounding New England quarterback Tom Brady and then doing the same to Cam Newton in the Super Bowl, you see the Steelers had a point.
Their protection of Ben Roethlisberger at Denver was much better than that the Patriots gave to Tom Brady in the AFC Championship game andnd it was leaps and bounds better than how the Panthers protected Cam Newton in the Super Bowl.
While doing appearances at the Super Bowl, both Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell made statements to the effect that had they would have beaten Denver and gone on to the NFL’s championship game.
Perhaps. But we’ll never know because both Steelers’ stars were injured and couldn’t play against Denver.
Las Vegas agrees, at least for next season.
The Steelers, Patriots and Seahawks are the early favorites to win the Super Bowl next year, according to Westgate SportsBook. All come in at 8-1.
Green Bay and Carolina are next at 10-1, while Cincinnati and Denver are 14-1.
Cleveland, by the way, is the biggest underdog at 200-1.
What do the Steelers need to do this offseason to live up to that early favorite status?
Staying healthy would be a good start. That didn’t happen this year and while the Steelers continued to win in spite of their many injuries, it appeared to catch up with them in the postseason, when both Bell and backup running back DeAngelo Williams were out.
It marked the second consecutive season the Steelers went into the postseason with backup running backs starting because of injuries.
“I feel like one of these years if we go into the playoffs with some healthy running backs, maybe that will help,” team president Art Rooney II said.
He’s right.
As good as Roethlisberger and the Steelers’ receivers, led by Brown, are, having Bell available for a playoff run could be the final piece of the puzzle for Pittsburgh.
But the Steelers also need to pay heed to what Denver did with Peyton Manning, as well.
The Broncos knew they had a small window of opportunity to win a Super Bowl with the 39-year-old Manning and they took their shot.
When cornerback Aqib Talib became available as a free agent, they signed him. Same goes for pass-rushing specialist DeMarcus Ware and safeties T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart.
They saw their opportunity and they went for it. The Steelers, with Roethlisberger set to turn 34, should take a similar tack.
They signed free safety Mike Mitchell in free agency a couple of years ago, but have mostly sat on their hands during free agency, choosing to sign their own players instead.
But their own, especially defensively, haven’t been up to snuff lately.
If the Steelers want to be the team hoisting the Lombardi Trophy next year in Houston, they need to add a couple of defensive starters in the secondary to help put them over the top.
They don’t have to be big-name players such as Talib or Ward, but the Steelers also shouldn’t settle for the status quo.
The opportunities to win with a franchise quarterback are dwindling.
Manning wasn’t great in the postseason. In fact, he’s probably the worst quarterback – at least at this point in his career – to win a Super Bowl since Brad Johnson in 2003 and certainly since Trent Dilfer in 2001.
The Steelers still have an elite quarterback in his prime and should treat the situation as such.
F. Dale Lolley can be reached at dlolley@observer-reporter.com.