The Pittsburgh Steelers have been wildly mediocre in the last eight years or so. In that timeframe, the team is 0-5 in playoff games, and ownership has admitted that it is content with just winning a bunch of regular season games. What was once seen as a prestigious organization is now looked at as the definition of mediocrity. Steeler Nation has been getting very upset with the team for its poor decisions as of late. If these types of things continue, anger could quickly turn to apathy, like with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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Steelers' George Pickens slams his helmet on the ground during a playoff game against the Bills.
While hosting an episode of the Shek Show, Dave Dameshek spoke about the whole TJ Watt situation, but that quickly turned into a long rant about the way the Steelers do things.
"You have told the world what you are, and the football players in America have told you what you are," Dameshek said . "This delusion that 25-year-old millionaires give a crap about six Lombardis way in the rearview mirror is stinking thinking. If [Mike] Tomlin or anyone else in that organization thinks that that has some cache for people, it's been disproven over and over and over again. I compared the Steelers earlier this week to the Browns."
The Steelers have always struggled to get premier free agents, with Patrick Queen being the highest-dollar player that they have ever brought in from the open market. This has been a common theme for the team, no matter which general manager was running things at the time. They can't expect to get the best of the best just because of their logo. Sure, it lured in one journeyman veteran that took a cheap deal, but that's the outlier.
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Pittsburgh Steelers' DeShon Elliott and Patrick Queen making a tackle during playoff game in Baltimore in 2024.
Even if comparing the Steelers to the Cleveland Browns is harsh, it's not exactly an unpopular opinion. They have been talked about in the same light numerous times during the 2025 offseason. At very least, they are much closer to being the Browns than they are to competing for Super Bowls. Dameshek continued on, explaining why the Steelers' mindset is completely foolish.
"The Pittsburgh Steelers, 'they know how to do business, they're not willy-nilly like these silly organizations: the Jets and the Browns and whoever else,'" said Dameshek. "Let's keep in mind just where we are: the Steelers forgot to get a wide receiver last year... 'Oops, we screwed that up. We tried to get [Brandon] Aiyuk.' Yeah, he used you to get a better deal from a formidable franchise in San Francisco. Justin Fields, 'He's not going to go to the Jets. They're the Jets, and we're us.' Yeah, Justin Fields is in New York now. This keeps happening."
The Steelers reportedly expected Justin Fields to take a discount to stay in Pittsburgh, even though he was benched after just six games and was never given a proper chance to win the starting job. Because of that, they're getting toyed with by a washed-up 41-year-old quarterback who may or may not actually sign in Pittsburgh.
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Aaron Rodgers stands with Mike Tomlin before a game while he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers.
Steelers' Failures Make One Big Decision An Easy One
Dameshek brought it all back to the Watt situation, as the Steelers' failures are doing him no favors.
"TJ Watt is not getting you any closer to anything. He never has won anything because he's been on the Steelers for the last [eight years]," said Dameshek. "TJ Watt should move on and chase a Super Bowl, and the Steelers should get in the business of chasing one for themselves."
If Watt stays in Pittsburgh, he could easily go down as one of the greatest players to never win a playoff game in the history of the NFL. Sure, Calvin Johnson and Joe Thomas were also generational talents, but does Watt really want to be lumped in with them in that category? Of course not, and why should he?
The Steelers can't expect to build a Super Bowl contender when ownership outright said that "outperforming the mean" is good enough. They also can't expect to do that when the head coach is known for constantly lying to incoming free agents. Simply being the Pittsburgh Steelers is not a good enough reason for many top players to sign there. That's been the case for over a decade, yet they are still collectively imitating ostriches: sticking their heads in the sand.
What do you think about Dameshek ripping the Steelers? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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