The Pittsburgh Steelers are a proud and storied franchise that has six Lombardi Trophies to show off. The history of winning consistently has put the organization on a pedestal and, recently, the teams assembled have failed to even come close to hoisting a seventh. A lot of blame has fallen on the shoulders of Head Coach Mike Tomlin, as his group has looked especially lost ever since the great Ben Roethlisberger retired. Even so, the future Hall of Fame quarterback went the final five seasons of his career without winning a single playoff game.
There are a lot of different opinions out there as to why the Steelers haven't been very competitive come the postseason for nearly a decade, but the now-retired quarterback's thoughts are always held in high regard by the fan base. Roethlisberger gave 18 years of his football life to the city and he continues to discuss topics surrounding the franchise to this day on his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger.
On the most recent episode, he touched on how Pittsburgh can get back to the "Steeler Way" and his answer was quite simple, but telling. The "Steeler Way" that many have known has passed its prime. It's time to evolve and find a way to have football players everywhere once again wanting to play for the organization.
"You have to evolve," Roethlisberger said. "You have to evolve as a team. You can't just assume that everybody wants to come play for the Steelers anymore like they used to. People used to want to come play for Pittsburgh because you had a chance every single year to win a Super Bowl. I used to joke that we'd be up, what, three or four points before the game even started."
Roethlisberger's comments are valid and bring up a very important point. From his point of view, the days of players wanting to come and play in the Steel City have passed. If the team finds a way to evolve and adapt to the modern age of the NFL, it's certainly possible to get back to that. The way the retired quarterback sees it, the Steelers simply aren't as attractive as a team to play for nowadays.
Many have argued that Tomlin's messaging has rule stale and it has also been said that the team shows draft prospects the six Super Bowl trophies as a reminder of what the franchise has been able to accomplish. Roethlisberger's comments indirectly highlight the fact that is has been over a decade and a half since Pittsburgh was the last team standing. Adapting and changing how things are done internally may be what gets the Steelers out of the current rut.
There is no doubting that fans in the Steel City have been spoiled, but success over the course of so many decades has led to the black and gold faithful demanding the best from the organization year-in and year-out. That hasn't happened of late, which is one of the main reasons why Tomlin and his staff need to figure out a way to change their approach in several different areas.
Steelers Don't Have Great Pitch For Impending Free Agents As 2025 Offseason Ramps Up
In mid-March, Pittsburgh will have plenty of money to spend in free agency. The problem is, if what Roethlisberger is implying is true, some of the top players at their respective positions may rather sign elsewhere. Individuals looking for a new home, especially veterans desiring a championship, are savvy enough to understand the current climate of the league. It doesn't take a genius to understand that the Steelers currently don't have a sustainable structure in place.
