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Thursday, August 31, 2000
The National Football League season opens in three days, and it's hard to remember when there was less excitement about the Steelers than this year.
The fans know.
They didn't know in 1998 when, without obvious warning, the Steelers collapsed in the middle of the season -- going from a team that was 6-3 and had been to the playoffs six consecutive seasons to one that lost six of its last seven games.
It should have served as a warning for 1999, but it didn't. High hope was held by the faithful. The general belief was that the previous season was an aberration. These were the Steelers; this was Bill Cowher.
But 1999 turned every bit as nightmarish. The Steelers finished 6-10 with seven losses in their last eight games.
Only the supremely faithful, otherwise known as the blind, hold out hopes for this season.
If the San Francisco 49ers are an example of what can happen to a team that pushes the salary-cap envelope too far, the Steelers are an example of what can happen to a team that doesn't push it far enough. The Steelers' failure to be creative with the salary cap caused them to lose the very heart of the team that made the playoffs six consecutive times and the AFC title game three of those seasons.
They compounded that by failing to be creative in attracting new players. That has been particularly true the past two seasons, when there was a crying need for an infusion of skilled performers. But nothing of the kind has taken place.
The result is a talent level that leaves the Steelers in the bottom half of the bottom half of the NFL.
By every indication, there will be no playoffs this season and no winning record.
No one holds much hope that the offense can rally the team to perform above expectations, but there is a belief that the defense might have the capability to keep the team competitive, if only it doesn't tire because of being on the field too much.
This is a common misperception about the Steelers.
Only four teams in the AFC allowed more yards per play than the Steelers' defense, and it wasn't because they were tired. Only four defenses -- Oakland, Miami, Jacksonville and Buffalo -- spent less time on the field than the Steelers' defense. The Steelers' offense was on the field almost three minutes a game more than the defense. It was the second year in a row the Steelers' defense was on the field less than the offense.
Typically, the Steelers looked for low-priced free agents to upgrade their defense, which finished a respectable 11th in the league overall but 26th against the run. Two of the new players, safety Brent Alexander and nose tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen, will start, and the third, end Chris Sullivan, was scheduled to start until he was injured. Neither von Oelhoffen nor Sullivan started for their teams last season.
Even if these players are an improvement, it's not enough to upgrade the unit significantly or enable it to carry the load for the offense.
Without acknowledging as much, it was clear at his weekly news conference that Cowher does not hold the same high hopes for this team that he has in the past for his team.
He said things like, "If you get some people at key positions playing good football and consistent football, anything can happen."
And. "We recognize it's a stiff challenge. We are in a very tough division, one of the premier divisions in the National Football League. That, in itself, is going to be a challenge."
There's no talk of the Super Bowl, which Cowher used to state as the team's goal, and barely any talk of making the playoffs.
Like the fans, Cowher knows.
It figures to be a long road back for the Steelers, and the most disheartening aspect of that is this: No one is sure this team is on that road.
Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com.
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