The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most storied franchises in all of sports and have six Super Bowl championships to back that up. It's fair to say, however, that the last decade or so has been extremely dull. Head Coach, Mike Tomlin has not had a losing season since taking the job in 2007, but the lack of playoffs wins since 2011 (only three) has been under a microscope for some time now. He's still one of the best coaches in all of football, but the lack of success in January has not kept him away from criticism.
Steelers Head Coach, Mike Tomlin roams the grounds and talks with his players at St. Vincent College during 2022 training camp in Latrobe, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Colin Cowherd, host of popular radio show, The Herd, hasn't always been very keen of the way the Steelers run things. He even left the franchise off a list that named the NFL's top 10 organizations back in 2022. He was at it again on Tuesday when he went on a tangent about why the Buffalo Bills are going to have an extremely hard time winning a Super Bowl with their current roster make-up. He then had to reel Pittsburgh right into the conversation.
"They can't fix their [offensive] line. Neither can Pittsburgh. What do they have in common? A defensive coach."
The monologue was mainly focused on the Bills and Cowherd went on to criticize Buffalo for not adding pieces to the offensive line in free agency. He failed to mention everything the Steelers have done in order to revamp that positional group including the addition of Isaac Seumalo earlier in the 2023 offseason.
Former Philadelphia Eagles and new Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman, Isaac Seumalo (#56) stands on the field prior to an NFL football game. | Photo Credit: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images
The Steelers And Bills Aren't The Only Team Cowherd Questioned
Cowherd continued ripping the franchises' roster-building approach and brought some other teams into the mix.
"Do you know the four teams in the NFL that lead the league in spending money on their defensive side? [Los Angeles] Chargers, [Seattle] Seahawks, Bills, Steelers. All four defensive coaches."
He noted that the four teams with the highest-paid defenses have not had a ton of success in the postseason. He backed it by specifically mentioning the four teams' records in the playoffs recently.
"Last five years, they're 6-12 in the playoffs. Eight years they've missed the playoffs completely."
The Steelers do have a ton of money invested on the defensive side, but one could argue it's because of how young their offensive skill players are as of 2023. Kenny Pickett, Najee Harris, George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth and Calvin Austin III are all still on rookie contracts. The majority of the money spent has been on the offensive line. Pittsburgh has been making an effort to change that narrative. Cowherd didn't think to bring that up.
Steelers tight end, Pat Freiermuth (#88) lines up at the line of scrimmage before a snap during a 2022 preseason game against the Detroit Lions at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Cowherd has often left the Steelers out of his contenders over the past few years and he described why he has done that with not only Pittsburgh, but the teams who have defensive-minded head coaches.
"When I put my NFL Super Bowl teams in a bubble, there's a reason it's mostly offensive coaches."
There's no doubting that the NFL has quickly turned into a pass-happy, offensive-dominated league. Teams that don't adjust to that may have a hard time making it to the Super Bowl. But, the Steelers don't belong in this conversation with the Bills. The offensive line has been retooled and a young offensive core is bound to make strides in 2023 and beyond. Pittsburgh's front office has taken advantage of the youth and invested in the defensive side to try and develop a balanced starting group all around.
Do you think Cowherd is right in comparing the Bills and Steelers when it comes to their head coaches and roster make-up? What would you change about Pittsburgh's approach over the last decade? Let us know in the comments below!
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