Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Reprimanded For His Recommended Solution To Fix Pittsburgh's Problems

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 season came to an end that has become all too familiar: a first-round playoff exit. The fact that the proud franchise, which boasts a whopping six Lombardi Trophies, hasn't won a playoff game since the 2016 season has fans looking for someone to blame. Most of them point their fingers at Head Coach Mike Tomlin, believing that as long as he remains at the helm, they will remain strictly above average. 

Longtime Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly from The Pat McAfee Show recently joined The PM Team w/Poni and Mueller on 93.7 The Fan. They asked him about the recent comments from former players like Ben Roethlisberger and James Harrison about how the Steelers way no longer exists. Kaboly said the team has had six postseason losses in the last eight years, and during that time, everything has changed but Tomlin, so he can understand why people are fed up with him. 

Roethlisberger spoke out about the team's struggles recently and said that he doesn't think they are just a quarterback away. He added that it's time to start thinking about what they must do over the next few years to make a run. Kaboly felt Roethlisberger's comment implying the team should tank for a higher draft pick was ridiculous, especially coming from a competitor like Roethlisberger. 

"The Ben Roethlisberger quote, he was saying is .500 good enough, we just don't suck enough," Kaboly began. "When he was playing, if someone had said, 'Hey Ben, go 5-12 in order to be good in three years,' he would have flipped out. Because he thought he was the answer. Even Ramon [Foster] or anybody on that team would never agree to being four wins or tanking a season."

To make it to the NFL, you have to be an incredible competitor, and both Roethlisberger and Tomlin are, so Kaboly expected the former quarterback to understand that isn't as easy as it sounds. He also noted that it's much easier for players who have been off the team for several years to make these remarks. 

The current players, Kaboly added, or those hoping to get re-signed, like Donte Jackson, will only sing Tomlin's praises. Jackson's contract expired after 2024 and has been quite open about wanting to stay in the Steel City. 

The media has long praised Tomlin's streak of non-losing seasons, currently 18, but even that defense is beginning to lose its shine. While it is an impressive feat, it puts the Steelers in a strange position, one where they never perform poorly enough to get a top-ten draft pick without trading up. 

The last time they had a top 10 pick because of their record was in 2000 when they selected Plaxico Burress eighth overall. However, to get there, they had a string of bad seasons, including ones that saw the team go 6-10 in 1999 and 7-9 in 1998. 

The Steelers Way May Be Gone

Roethlisberger also has noted that it seem to him that the long-held belief in the "Steeler way" doesn't exist anymore. Harrison remarked that Tomlin controls the team and who they sign and draft. Kaboly agreed that the old slogan, "the standard is the standard," is a cliche that no longer means anything. 

Roethlisberger said that it is frustrating to see how much of that old tradition of upholding standards has gone away. While it is still there for some guys who've been on the team for a while, like TJ Watt and Cameron Heyward, it is noticeably absent, especially on offense. This isn't the first time this has come up. 

The Steelers' defense underwent a much slower overhaul during the past decade, allowing players to hand down information. The offense turned over more rapidly and frequently, leaving no one on that side of the ball who remembered how things had been done. 

Do you think the Steelers should tank for a draft pick? Is that the only way to fix the team? Tell us what you think below. 

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