The media is starting to catch on to the hype surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's been well-documented in the job that General Manager Omar Khan did this offseason, finally showing some urgency in free agency. The offensive line has been completely rebuilt, and the secondary finally has some young faces in the room. After a 2-6 start to the 2022 season, Head Coach Mike Tomlin somehow got his team to finish above-.500 (again).
-544x306.jpg "Steelers Mike Tomlin")
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Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin walks around during the team's pregame warmups in Pittsburgh, PA.
The strong end to the season, coupled with the offseason additions and expected jump from Kenny Pickett, has the Steelers with high expectations for the 2023 campaign. A playoff spot will be more difficult than ever, as the AFC continued to load up this offseason. Brett Kollmann of the Bootleg Football Podcast has a ton of hope for this black and gold roster.
"If everything goes right for the Steelers, I'm putting that [ceiling] at 13 [wins]. They could be the first seed in a loaded AFC. If they hit all the green lights I think they're gonna hit. Because their talent level is insane now. It's stacked, top to bottom. Their floor, solely because Mike Tomlin, is 9 [wins], it's above-.500. I'm not putting a below-.500 floor for the Steelers. Can't do it, won't do it, will never do it," Kollmann said.
Now the media has seemed to hop on that hype train as of late, but nowhere near this kind of confidence. You read that right, if everything goes right, Kollmann thinks the Steelers can compete with the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. That would be quite the jump, and it would have to start with a huge improvement for their quarterback, Pickett.
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With one NFL season under his belt, Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett will be expected to take a step forward in 2023.
Speaking of, Kollmann and co-host EJ Snyder think that Pickett is already underrated entering his second season in the league. The University of Pittsburgh product has been ranked in the low-to-mid-20s in quarterback rankings from analysts around the league. Kollmann, who also created The Film Room on YouTube, views that as too low of a ranking. He thinks a lot of the offense's problems in 2022 weren't Pickett's fault.
The offense was one of the worst in football, but Mitch Trubisky started the first month of the season. Kollmann continues this into the fantasy football landscape, viewing Pickett as better than his ranking of the No. 23 quarterback. The duo continued their argument on why the Steelers will be a really good team in '23.
"This team is so much more talented than last year, and last year should've been a playoff team. If they had started Pickett from the start, they would've been a double-digit win team under Tomlin, and they added more talent."
If you can't already tell, the duo at Bootleg Football had nothing but praise for the Steelers and their talent on the roster. There was one issue they have with the team, and that's in the form of Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada. When evaluating the trend of each aspect of the squad, they put the coaches at a downhill trajectory due to the return of Canada. In his first two seasons as OC in Pittsburgh, he hasn't shown many encouraging signs of being a legitimate play-caller.
Jordan Schofield / Steeler Nation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Despite the optimism for the 2023 Steelers, there is still room for concern with Matt Canada as the offensive coordinator.
That particular criticism has been echoed by fans throughout the city. Kollmann thinks the front office could have easily found an upgrade in that aspect of the team, and it's something that could possibly hold them back once again in 2023. While moving on from him seemed like the easy decision, the front office opted to keep Canada to have some continuity for Pickett. For a franchise quarterback entering his second season, continuity is important.
But, at what cost? It's something that seemingly is one of the lone doubts for Steelers fans entering the 2023 campaign. Sooner rather than later, we will find out the verdict on this topic. With OTAs complete and minicamp underway, we are just months away from actual football. Until then, stay tuned to our coverage here at SteelerNation!
What are your thoughts on the team's ceiling being set at 13 wins? Is there any scenario in which you can see the Steelers getting the No. 1 seed in the AFC? Are these guys being a bit too high on the black and gold? Share your thoughts below!
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