SAME OLD SAME

BY MIKE RIFKIN

The Pittsburgh Steelers are an organization built on pride and class. For as great as the Steelers were, they’re reluctance over the years of letting go of the past has bitten them on the rear end. Hey, it’s cool to make the playoffs, but to not have a single playoff win in a decade is bad. On Saturday it was announced that the Steelers and Aaron Rodgers have agreed to a deal for Rodgers to return to the Steel city. 

Rodgers will also be reunited with Mike McCarthy, his old coach in Green Bay. Yes, the two won a Super Bowl, ironically enough against the Steelers, but does this put the Steelers at the top of the AFC? Now, the Steelers schedule did them no favors in weeks 1-9 (Bye) the Steelers will play one team that made the playoffs last season (Patriots), but in weeks 10-18 they’ll play five including the Broncos, who were the number one seed in the AFC last season and cross state rival Eagles. 

Let’s be honest one of the reasons the Steelers won the AFC North last season was because both Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow got hurt and missed significant time. But the Steelers still allowed the Ravens to come back into the division race, and with a Tyler Loop Field  Goal or the defense gets a stop, the Ravens win.

The Steelers don’t like change, they had three coaches in 40 years. But even with bringing back Rodgers that doesn’t put the Steelers in the same class as the top of the AFC, yeah they’ll win games but they’re not going to win the Super Bowl. It took them forever to let Tomlin go and now keeping around 42 year old Aaron Rodgers, the Steelers are still living in the past.  Maybe Rodgers can be a teacher to Drew Allar and Will Howard, but go and celebrate Pittsburgh because you got your man.