Steelers' Standard Can't Be Losing Wild Card Games, Says Former Great James Harrison

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a historic franchise that has been one of the more consistent teams in the NFL. However, after another disappointing end to their 2023 season, the Steelers may be in more of a rut than many want to admit. Former Defensive Player of the Year, James Harrison, has always been one to speak his mind, whether during his playing days or in retirement. Harrison had some thoughts on the current state of the Steelers, and he let those opinions be known.

Steelers Have Fallen Short Lately

Harrison is responsible for what is considered one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history with his 100-yard interception return of Kurt Warner's goal line pass. Images of the Steelers' linebacker rumbling down the sidelines with a herd of blockers around him is still an amazing memory for Pittsburgh fans everywhere.

Harrison takes his role as a former Steelers player very seriously, and he isn't shy about speaking about it. Mike Tomlin's 2023 campaign was another non-losing season, but that isn't a statistic that will impress the former Steelers defender. On Wednesday, Harrison joined The Pat McAfee Show on the floor of Super Bowl media day, and he had some views on the Pittsburgh standard.

"The expectations should never change. I think the expectations have become, we don't wanna have a losing season, you know, and I'm not throwing salt... or flack at anybody, but the Pittsburgh Steelers, you know, standard is to win Lombardi [Trophies]. When you go into that building, there's six of them sitting there, and right now, we're not even winning in a playoff game -- I don't think we've won a playoff game since 2016... so, you know, I think we need to get back to what the standard of a Pittsburgh Steelers legacy, the lore, is... Yeah, that's just not what it is."

If anyone commands immediate respect, it's Harrison, so thoughts like that aren't going to be taken lightly. There is certainly truth to what Harrison said, as the non-losing streak seems to be the focus when it used to be all about winning championships. The Steelers are already preparing for 2024, and a huge part of that has to be getting the franchise back to the standard it speaks of so often.

Steelers Can Use 2024 As A Launching Point

After experiencing nearly two decades of consistently being among the upper-tier teams in the NFL with Ben Roethlisberger under center, the two years since his retirement following the 2021 season have been rough. Missing the playoffs in 2022 and then barely scraping together a postseason berth in 2023, only to lose to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round simply isn't good enough. That isn't anywhere close to the kind of success that Roethlisberger and Harrison enjoyed.

There are plenty of questions surrounding the quarterback position as well, and Kenny Pickett hasn't blossomed into the talent they envisioned when they spent a 2022 first-round pick on him. It took some unexpected Mason Rudolph magic to get the Steelers into the 2023 playoffs.

Pittsburgh started their preparation for the 2024 campaign on the right foot by bringing in former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, Arthur Smith, as offensive coordinator. The organization is putting its faith in Smith, which is a big ask because the Matt Canada era crashed and burned. Smith did have offensive success with the Tennessee Titans as their offensive coordinator, so there is precedence for the Steelers' hope in Smith.

If the Steelers can take a step forward in 2024, then it sets the franchise up very well to get themselves back to the elite level the team used to expect. Harrison understands the responsibility that comes with wearing black and gold, and losing in the Wild Card Round is far below that line. Whether Smith can be a catalyst for future success will need to be seen, but if nothing else, at least the Steelers can expect more than just a mediocre offense going forward.

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