The Steelers have a hype train building around them in the media. Nick Wright predicted them to win the AFC North just days ago. Ryan Clark is on board with Mike Tomlin’s team that he had a custom suit designed for when he believes they will go to the playoffs. However, not everyone is buying into the hype for Pittsburgh. One of those guys not buying into the hype is former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum.
Appearing on Get Up, Tannenbaum discussed where he views the Steelers right now. While he thinks they could be on the right track, Tannenbaum has significant doubt about Pittsburgh’s offense in the AFC and still does not consider them an upper-echelon team in the AFC. He sees them missing the playoffs.
“You have to say, context is everything because he (Kenny Pickett) is the fourth-best quarterback in the division,” Tannenbaum said. “Let alone, when you think about it, the teams in the rest of the conference. When he goes head-to-head with Lamar Jackson and an unbelievable, improved offense, we know about Cincinnati, I think Cleveland will be much better with Deshaun Watson. I don’t see them being in the top seven when it’s all said and done. I’ve seen Kenny Pickett this preseason, and it’s hard not to be impressed by him. But week in and week out, I’d take those three offenses over Pittsburgh, so I don’t think they’ll score consistently to make the playoffs.”
Tannenbaum stated in July that he believes Pickett and the offense can not pass the ball down the field or score in chunks. While he seems to have backed off that a bit, he seemingly thinks that Pittsburgh lacks the infrastructure or the quarterback in Pickett to compete in a loaded AFC. It is a talented roster, and Pickett’s development dictates how far they will go, but Tannenbaum does discount many factors from last season that should lead to optimism for the Steelers.
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