Tomlin: Costing PIT the 3rd Seed

[Winters in Holland]

As I'm writing this, the Raiders are fighting valiantly against the Chargers, with the score 24-17 SD.

Meanwhile, the Steelers just punted on 4th down in Ravens territory, down by 20 in the 4th quarter.

...

Even if the Chargers win, guaranteeing them the 3rd seed regardless, does anyone else think it was premature to not even start any of the Steelers' best players?

I'm not sure what's better- going into the playoffs rested, but just having your team's confidence shaken by having the fuck kicked out of them by one of the worst teams in the AFC this year...

...or risking the slight chance of injury to win the game, have actual momentum going into the playoffs, and a shot at the 3rd seed.


As enamored as I was with the Tomlin hire, I'm not feeling nearly as good about it now.  Scrubs or not, this team came out totally fucking flat yet again- a hallmark thus far in Tomlin's tenure- and seems content to get bent over and donkeypunched by their biggest rival in football.


.WiH.

[steelerfaninCO]

It's over in Oakland so it doesn't matter much. I have no problem resting Ben, Hines, and Troy. That's the only people he rested. I would much rather have a healthy Ben for Jax then a still beat up gimpy one. 3rd seed, 4th seed, it doesn't matter much and moot anyway since SD won.

The team does come out flat alot and it has to relect on Tomlin. Also he makes incredibly bad challenges like the one today that cost a much needed TO. Otherwise I think he has done OK. Nice onsides kick call today. Goes for it on 4th regularly. Need an OL and an OC and things will be better..

[DoctorJohnnyFever]

does anyone else think it was premature to not even start any of the Steelers' best players?

Anyone who was listed on the injury report today should have been in street clothes on the sidelines. The Duce Staley officially licensed gear.

Holmes and Farrior by the way, basically limped off the field in the fourth quarter. They - Holmes in particular - should have been out before then. We need these guys next week, regardless of what seed we are, more than we needed them this week.



 

[Winters in Holland]

I guess you can argue it both ways, so I'll just respect the difference in opinion and move on.

Still, success in the playoffs is usually all about momentum.  New England may have rendered that moot this year for all the other teams in the AFC, but I know the Steelers would have had a lot more going had they finished the season on a 2-game win streak, rather than laying a relative egg today against Baltimore.

Jacksonville lost though as well, so hopefully Tomlin's decision to keep the key players healthy over having momentum pays off.


.WiH.

[Y2Joyce]

Like the year the Steelers ran roughshod over the AFC and ended the season 15-1? Only to need miraculously poor play from kicking.com founder Dougie Brien to advance against the inferior Jets?

Momentum. Schmomentum. You've gotta have people healthy when it counts and that is in the playoff games, of course.

If somebody is not able to be mentally prepared and understanding what stakes are on the line come next week then its on them (and they are probably overpaid, overrated dumbass corners who spent most of their collegiate careers as academically ineligible RBs in 1-AA or something). Nobody is gonna be waking up in a cold sweat this week having flashbacks about today's game to the point that the haunting will affect their play come money time.

The argument can go either way obviously.  I just don't think this game meant anything in the grand scheme. Entering the playoffs with as many healthy guns as possible is/was essential.

And since when are the B-side Ravens the Steelers biggest rival in football?

[JackSplat]

I would say the subtraction of Arron Smith was probably the biggest reason why we dont have the #3 seed.

and Im kind of hoping the defensive starters were going through the motions today.  they were flat out a joke.

[aj_law]

Like the year the Steelers ran roughshod over the AFC and ended the season 15-1? Only to need miraculously poor play from kicking.com founder Dougie Brien to advance against the inferior Jets?

Momentum. Schmomentum.

To play devil's advocate, I think the '04 reference is very apro pos...to support the OP's point.

Pittsburgh was rolling that year and played well down the stretch because they had to in order to lock down the #1.  So, they got a first round bye and came out flat against the crappy Jets...at home.  

The game against the Ravens felt a lot like '04 to me.  It felt like they were treating it as their bye.  

Yeah, they said all the right things...publicly.  But, when you say stuff like, "we're playing to win the game," while players who would've normally played if it was a "must win" are sitting on the sidelines, how is that going to affect the rest of the squad?

Negatively, I'd say.

I'm still of the belief that this team is going to be really out of sync on Saturday.  I hope to God that they prove me wrong there, but for a group that has been struggling to find and maintain any kind of rhythm, an "off" week isn't what they needed.

Gimmee a half; maybe a quarter, minimum, of full strength, all hands on deck effort and play it from there.  Have everybody prepare and ready to execute.  IMO, that does a better job of keeping the rust off and players fresh.  Don't pack it in on Tuesday for certain players.  Letting guys coast through the final week of the season breeds laziness...complacenc y.  IMO, those guys won't stay sharp.

Again, hope I'm 100% dead-fucking-wrong.

[padgfrombf]

This team, especially with the injuries, reminds me a lot more of 2002 than 2004.  Suspect pass defense, less than overpowering run game, potential to score heavily through the air if the QB was upright.  To make it fair comparison, though, I'd at least want Starks playing.  At least in 2004, we did lose to the SB champs.  This year's team is closer to a true #6 seed as currently configured.

But I will watch as much of it Saturday as I can.