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Jerome Bettis believes his former crew, the Pittsburgh Steelers, are a “sufferer of their very own success.”
The Steelers have been a successful franchise ever since Mike Tomlin took the helm in 2007. Pittsburgh has received a Tremendous Bowl and been to 2 total, however they haven’t had a lot success lately. In truth, they haven’t received a playoff recreation since earlier than T.J. Watt’s arrival, which was again in 2016.
Meaning the Steelers have misplaced 5 consecutive postseason video games.
Bettis attributes that lack of success to not having a franchise quarterback, which has been a obtrusive problem since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement after the 2020 season.
”They’re a sufferer of their very own success as a result of he’s by no means had a dropping season,” says Bettis in a one-on-one interview. “They’ve by no means been capable of draft within the high 5 or high 10 the place you gotta go get a quarterback. So, they’ve been selecting seventeenth, 18th, twenty second, twenty fourth. You’re not gonna get the quarterback that you simply want at that time. It’s 100% the quarterback state of affairs since you haven’t been capable of go get that man.”
The Steelers had some success this season, selecting up veteran quarterback Russell Wilson. Whereas Wilson was capable of lead the Steelers to the playoffs whereas having fun with his first Professional Bowl marketing campaign because the 2021 season, it grew to become clear there was a ceiling with him at quarterback.
Not solely was Pittsburgh outmatched by the Lamar Jackson-led Baltimore Ravens within the wild card spherical of the playoffs, they misplaced their last 4 common season video games. All of these video games had been in opposition to top-tier quarterbacks in Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow.
”I simply suppose they want a quarterback,” says Bettis. “I feel that’s been the difficulty that’s been holding them up is that they don’t have the quarterback play that they should should be a particular soccer crew. I feel due to that, they haven’t been capable of be a championship-caliber crew. They’re a playoff-caliber crew, however not a championship-caliber crew.”
Bettis: “Break The Financial institution” To Get A Quarterback
Steelers proprietor and president Artwork Rooney II just lately acknowledged the crew will solely convey again both Wilson or Justin Fields — not each. Though Wilson received the beginning quarterback job in coaching camp, he struggled with accidents at first of the season, which led to Fields beginning the primary six video games of the season and going 4-2.
Fields really performed the very best and most effective soccer of his profession throughout that stretch, posting a career-high 93.3 passer score together with a league-best 0.6% interception price. There have been even questions as as to if or not the Steelers ought to shift away from Fields and onto Wilson because the starter.
Regardless, Bettis nonetheless feels just like the Steelers don’t have that quarterback to get them to that championship degree. He even pitches the thought of Pittsburgh buying and selling up within the draft to pick out both Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders — the highest two quarterbacks within the draft — in the event that they really feel like both man could be a franchise quarterback.
“If I had been the GM, I might exit and have a look at drafting a quarterback on this draft,” says Bettis. “If there’s one which I actually actually like, then I break the financial institution and I am going up and get him. After which I signal a veteran quarterback like Russell Wilson to a two-year state of affairs the place he may help bridge the sport and get this younger quarterback prepared.”
“It’s important to be keen to take a position,” says Bettis. “If one in every of these guys you imagine is the man, you then gotta exit. If it takes three first-round picks, you gotta give them three first-round picks.
“However you’ve gotta exit and get the man you want,” Bettis continues to say. “I don’t know who that man is that if it’s any of those quarterbacks. I don’t know in the event you mortgage your future for any of those guys. I don’t know. However in the event you do like one in every of these guys, you gotta go all in. As a result of what they’re doing proper now, is not going to work. It’s confirmed that it doesn’t work. They should re-commit themselves to discovering that quarterback.”
Bettis compares the Steelers’ state of affairs to when the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs moved as much as the No. 10 slot from the No. 27 choose to draft Patrick Mahomes. The Corridor of Fame working again says “you gotta go get him” if the Steelers imagine one in every of these guys may be their franchise quarterback.
“You noticed Kansas Metropolis went from No. 27 to No. 10 within the 2017 NFL Draft they usually bought the man they needed,” says Bettis. “They needed Mahomes they usually went and bought him. In case you really feel one in every of these guys is your man, you gotta go get him.”
