There has been a ton of accolades

heaped upon the shoulders of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ GM Omar Khan regarding his talent selection during the 2023 NFL Draft. Some folks have suggested that the class of athletes that Khan chose may even have a few “hall-of-famers” in waiting.  I congratulate Omar Khan on his keen eye for athletic talent and his business acumen.  However, there is another vital operational component that the Steelers may find at the end of the Omar Khan rainbow.  That asset may be longevity and consistency.

 

Let’s begin with the defense of the Steelers. Shortly after the Steelers chose T.J. Watt in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, he made an immediate impact in his rookie year and showed just how good he could be. In week 1 of the 2022 season against the Cincinnati Bengals, Watt suffered a torn pectoral muscle in the Steelers’ 23–20 victory.  He was placed on injured reserve. He was activated from injured reserve on November 11, 2022.  Over the last several years the core of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense has and should continue to revolve around their franchise left outside linebacker. Ordinarily, this would be a dream scenario, but for the fact that Watt may be an occasional victim of the “China Doll syndrome” at the most inopportune times for the Black and Gold.

 

The following are a few excerpts from stillcurtain.com posted on September 25, 2022, by Tommy Jaggi: “Steelers record and stats without T.J. Watt are stunningly awful.”

 

Mr. Jaggi writes: “It’s safe to say that this unit simply does not look the same when T.J. Watt is not on the field. Doesn’t just feel like the team is better when Watt plays; it’s statistically proven at this point. In terms of the Steelers record, opponent points allowed per game, and sacks recorded, Pittsburgh is drastically worse in each category, according to stats from Pro Football Reference. The defense essentially goes from being a borderline elite unit to a well below average group despite the loss of just one player.”

 

There must be a credible backup ready to mirror T.J. Watt, stepping in and stepping up to inflict pain and cause havoc to opposing offenses.

 

Mr. Jaggi continues saying: “T.J. Watt is a genuine difference maker, and any team without its best player is going to struggle. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers cannot afford to be so reliant on their star edge rusher for success. There must be other players who come to step up to the plate when Watt is out, and outside of the occasional splash play from Minkah Fitzpatrick, we just haven’t seen that. Without Watt generating quick and consistent pressure, Pittsburgh’s linebackers and defensive backs have been exposed. Offensively, this team has relied far too heavily on a great play from a Watt-led defense to carry them to victory. By themselves and with Matt Canada running the show, they certainly don’t have enough firepower to keep up with teams at this rate. Missing too often in the NFL Draft in recent years hasn’t helped. It truly is remarkable the impact that T.J. Watt makes just being on the football field, as the Steelers defense is a night and day difference when he’s not there. We hope that Watt can come back quickly, but this is just more evidence that this roster is starving for talent. They can’t be so reliant on Watt’s health to win football games.”

 

I am going to repeat one of the lines that Mr. Jaggi quoted: “Missing too often in the NFL Draft in recent years hasn’t helped.”

 

During the past decade, the draft process for the Steelers seemed to almost be hit or miss, sometimes a spaghetti thrown at the wall sort of process that except for a few winners, the process was sometimes an exercise in futility.  My main point is that absolutely no one can totally predict the outcome of any sports draft because there are just far too many variables.

 

If the Steelers had acquiesced with the self-preserving wishes of Tommy Maddox and passed over Ben Roethlisberger in the 2004 NFL Draft, one could reasonably assume that Super Bowls XL and XLIII would not be safe in the books for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  When a GM chooses a player, that athlete must be one of the chess pieces projected to be part of plan A or B, either as a starter or backup.

 

For many folks the consistency of Tommy Maddox was often questionable. On April 26, 2023, Bob Quinn posted this on steelernation.com: “Steelers Spectacular Shooting Star Tommy Maddox Provided Lasting Memories During 2002 Playoffs For A Generation Of Fans.” He continued: “Maddox was so unpredictable that Bill Belichick could have filmed him with the Steelers’ permission, and they would not have been able to figure out what he was going to do. If he doesn’t get hurt against the Ravens, maybe the Steelers would have seven trophies instead of six and Belichick would have stopped filming other teams out of sheer frustration.”

 

Consider James Harrison having to step in for the ex-Steelers star linebacker Joey Porter Sr. after Porter was involved in an ill-advised pregame skirmish against William Green and the Cleveland Browns.  That was the beginning of a hall-of-fame career for Harrison in Pittsburgh and the beginning of the end of a hall-of-fame career for Joey Porter Sr.  Never forget that a player doesn’t have to be a star in the making, only just a star in waiting.

 

STARS IN WAITING: When you get the chance, make the most of it