Where does it go from here?

@solardave wrote:

@Wallace108 wrote:

@LambertWardSteel wrote:

@Wallace108 wrote:

nine vegetable wrote:

I have no idea when people started this forum.  But I've been a Steelers fan since the first day I ever watched football, and I've seen plenty of fair weather fans.  And its easy to see on this forum the people who would be gone if the Steelers had a truly horrible season.

We've already dicussed it. If the Steelers have a losing season, we're shutting the forum down. Hell, I might shut it down Monday night if they lose.

I truly am curious who you think are fair-weather fans here. I don't want you to single anyone out though. I've known a number of people here for a lot of years, going back to the original Fever forum, and I can guarantee that none of them are fair-weather fans. As for the newer members who I don't know as well, you must be picking up on hidden signals that I'm not. What I do know is that the overwhelming majority of active members here are 40 or older. And I don't think too many Steelers fans 40 or older are suddenly going to stop being Steelers fans.

You deserve a lot of credit for running the board as it is run. This is the only forum I'm currently a member of but I've been a member of several Steelers forums since I've had internet in 1997. None of them have approached the level of integrity, respect, and fans who in my opinion are Steelers fans rain or shine. It also lacks the personal attacks and flame wars. All that starts at the top.

I don't mean this as a cheerleading session. I've been impressed all along and your: "don't single anyone out" gains a lot of respect. I just wanted to give a little credit where it is due (or 'do' as AB would write)

I'm hoping I'm wrong but I'm feeling like we'll need each other to lean on through this coming season

Thank you for the kind words. And you're right ... we generally don't have any of the flame wars or trolling you see elsewhere. I assure you though that it has nothing to do with me. This is just a great group of people here who know how to get along and can disagree without being disagreeable. From a mod/admin standpoint, we rarely do much of anything. I can't even remember the last time we had to "moderate" something. We're just a group of friends hanging out and BSing, which is exactly what this forum was created to be. We might be a small community, but I wouldn't trade this group for any of the larger ones. That's a credit not to me or any of the other mods/admins. That's a credit to every active member here. Except Truck, of course.

Damn it Wally you said not to single anyone out.

Truck got me lost in Pennsylvania. And legend has it he tried to kill a few of us with his cooking. So no, the rules of conduct don't apply to Truck.

This group is pretty level headed and honest about the team and where it comes from and where it's going. It's a pretty football intelligent group over all. Even when people may disagree they do it in a respecrful debate oriented manner.Would hate to see the forum shut down if that was a serious comment.

@SteelerFreak58 wrote:

This group is pretty level headed and honest about the team and where it comes from and where it's  going. It's a pretty football intelligent group over all. Even when people may disagree they do it in a respecrful debate oriented manner.Would hate to see the forum shut down if that was a serious comment.

I've always thought of myself as an average Joe kind of fan. I'm not an Xs and Os guy, I don't know the first thing about breaking down defenses, I don't understand how the salary cap works. ... I just watch the games and say what I think, just like other average fans.

I enjoy listening to people who have more knowledge than I do, but not when they wield that knowledge like a weapon and try to dismiss opinions from people like me because we're not as "smart about football." I've been a member of other forums where the know-it-alls berate the average fans. I always hated that. Here at SX, we've always wanted fans of any level of knowledge to have a voice. Like a bunch of friends sitting at a bar, having some beers and BSing. That probably sounds silly, but that's how we've always felt.

And yeah, I was joking about shutting the forum down. Although you might want to ask me again after tonight's game.

I love SX, it is a great group of guys. We might not be as big as the other forums but everyone is welcome. Like Wally said, it's like being out with the guys. I for one am very happy to share the forum with all of our members, and it's special to be a part of the Admin/Mod team here.

I've been a member here for awhile now. Since I've joined I haven't done more than peak at other forums I used to frequent because I don't think they hold a candle to this one.
We agree or disagree but it's the way that's handled that makes the difference. I also think the majority here are true blue fans. I can't tell you who did not maintain his gap and why. My comments are usually like...."what the hell happened there". I played PEEWEE football as a kid. That's where I got my vast football knowledge. The thing is everyone has their opinion and that makes for an interesting mix of friends. Just imagine if we could all go to a game together. Talk about a rowdy section. We'd probably be on the field trying to stomp the officials or something.They'd just throw us out.

@Wallace108 wrote:

@solardave wrote:

@Wallace108 wrote:

@LambertWardSteel wrote:

@Wallace108 wrote:

nine vegetable wrote:

I have no idea when people started this forum.  But I've been a Steelers fan since the first day I ever watched football, and I've seen plenty of fair weather fans.  And its easy to see on this forum the people who would be gone if the Steelers had a truly horrible season.

We've already dicussed it. If the Steelers have a losing season, we're shutting the forum down. Hell, I might shut it down Monday night if they lose.

I truly am curious who you think are fair-weather fans here. I don't want you to single anyone out though. I've known a number of people here for a lot of years, going back to the original Fever forum, and I can guarantee that none of them are fair-weather fans. As for the newer members who I don't know as well, you must be picking up on hidden signals that I'm not. What I do know is that the overwhelming majority of active members here are 40 or older. And I don't think too many Steelers fans 40 or older are suddenly going to stop being Steelers fans.

You deserve a lot of credit for running the board as it is run. This is the only forum I'm currently a member of but I've been a member of several Steelers forums since I've had internet in 1997. None of them have approached the level of integrity, respect, and fans who in my opinion are Steelers fans rain or shine. It also lacks the personal attacks and flame wars. All that starts at the top.

I don't mean this as a cheerleading session. I've been impressed all along and your: "don't single anyone out" gains a lot of respect. I just wanted to give a little credit where it is due (or 'do' as AB would write)

I'm hoping I'm wrong but I'm feeling like we'll need each other to lean on through this coming season

Thank you for the kind words. And you're right ... we generally don't have any of the flame wars or trolling you see elsewhere. I assure you though that it has nothing to do with me. This is just a great group of people here who know how to get along and can disagree without being disagreeable. From a mod/admin standpoint, we rarely do much of anything. I can't even remember the last time we had to "moderate" something. We're just a group of friends hanging out and BSing, which is exactly what this forum was created to be. We might be a small community, but I wouldn't trade this group for any of the larger ones. That's a credit not to me or any of the other mods/admins. That's a credit to every active member here. Except Truck, of course.

Damn it Wally you said not to single anyone out.

Truck got me lost in Pennsylvania. And legend has it he tried to kill a few of us with his cooking. So no, the rules of conduct don't apply to Truck.

You had a F'N GPS! I didn't get you lost, don't blame me for your lack of directional integrity.

@stlrtruck wrote:

@Wallace108 wrote:

@solardave wrote:

@Wallace108 wrote:

@LambertWardSteel wrote:

@Wallace108 wrote:

nine vegetable wrote:

I have no idea when people started this forum.  But I've been a Steelers fan since the first day I ever watched football, and I've seen plenty of fair weather fans.  And its easy to see on this forum the people who would be gone if the Steelers had a truly horrible season.

We've already dicussed it. If the Steelers have a losing season, we're shutting the forum down. Hell, I might shut it down Monday night if they lose.

I truly am curious who you think are fair-weather fans here. I don't want you to single anyone out though. I've known a number of people here for a lot of years, going back to the original Fever forum, and I can guarantee that none of them are fair-weather fans. As for the newer members who I don't know as well, you must be picking up on hidden signals that I'm not. What I do know is that the overwhelming majority of active members here are 40 or older. And I don't think too many Steelers fans 40 or older are suddenly going to stop being Steelers fans.

You deserve a lot of credit for running the board as it is run. This is the only forum I'm currently a member of but I've been a member of several Steelers forums since I've had internet in 1997. None of them have approached the level of integrity, respect, and fans who in my opinion are Steelers fans rain or shine. It also lacks the personal attacks and flame wars. All that starts at the top.

I don't mean this as a cheerleading session. I've been impressed all along and your: "don't single anyone out" gains a lot of respect. I just wanted to give a little credit where it is due (or 'do' as AB would write)

I'm hoping I'm wrong but I'm feeling like we'll need each other to lean on through this coming season

Thank you for the kind words. And you're right ... we generally don't have any of the flame wars or trolling you see elsewhere. I assure you though that it has nothing to do with me. This is just a great group of people here who know how to get along and can disagree without being disagreeable. From a mod/admin standpoint, we rarely do much of anything. I can't even remember the last time we had to "moderate" something. We're just a group of friends hanging out and BSing, which is exactly what this forum was created to be. We might be a small community, but I wouldn't trade this group for any of the larger ones. That's a credit not to me or any of the other mods/admins. That's a credit to every active member here. Except Truck, of course.

Damn it Wally you said not to single anyone out.

Truck got me lost in Pennsylvania. And legend has it he tried to kill a few of us with his cooking. So no, the rules of conduct don't apply to Truck.

You had a F'N GPS!  I didn't get you lost, don't blame me for your lack of directional integrity.

You didn't mention anything about the cooking.

@solardave wrote:

@stlrtruck wrote:

@Wallace108 wrote:

@solardave wrote:

@Wallace108 wrote:

@LambertWardSteel wrote:

@Wallace108 wrote:

nine vegetable wrote:

I have no idea when people started this forum.  But I've been a Steelers fan since the first day I ever watched football, and I've seen plenty of fair weather fans.  And its easy to see on this forum the people who would be gone if the Steelers had a truly horrible season.

We've already dicussed it. If the Steelers have a losing season, we're shutting the forum down. Hell, I might shut it down Monday night if they lose.

I truly am curious who you think are fair-weather fans here. I don't want you to single anyone out though. I've known a number of people here for a lot of years, going back to the original Fever forum, and I can guarantee that none of them are fair-weather fans. As for the newer members who I don't know as well, you must be picking up on hidden signals that I'm not. What I do know is that the overwhelming majority of active members here are 40 or older. And I don't think too many Steelers fans 40 or older are suddenly going to stop being Steelers fans.

You deserve a lot of credit for running the board as it is run. This is the only forum I'm currently a member of but I've been a member of several Steelers forums since I've had internet in 1997. None of them have approached the level of integrity, respect, and fans who in my opinion are Steelers fans rain or shine. It also lacks the personal attacks and flame wars. All that starts at the top.

I don't mean this as a cheerleading session. I've been impressed all along and your: "don't single anyone out" gains a lot of respect. I just wanted to give a little credit where it is due (or 'do' as AB would write)

I'm hoping I'm wrong but I'm feeling like we'll need each other to lean on through this coming season

Thank you for the kind words. And you're right ... we generally don't have any of the flame wars or trolling you see elsewhere. I assure you though that it has nothing to do with me. This is just a great group of people here who know how to get along and can disagree without being disagreeable. From a mod/admin standpoint, we rarely do much of anything. I can't even remember the last time we had to "moderate" something. We're just a group of friends hanging out and BSing, which is exactly what this forum was created to be. We might be a small community, but I wouldn't trade this group for any of the larger ones. That's a credit not to me or any of the other mods/admins. That's a credit to every active member here. Except Truck, of course.

Damn it Wally you said not to single anyone out.

Truck got me lost in Pennsylvania. And legend has it he tried to kill a few of us with his cooking. So no, the rules of conduct don't apply to Truck.

You had a F'N GPS!  I didn't get you lost, don't blame me for your lack of directional integrity.

You didn't mention anything about the cooking.

According to the court documents authorized by the lawyers on both sides, I'm not allowed to discuss anything I've done in any kitchen except clean dishes.

@stlrtruck wrote:

@solardave wrote:

@stlrtruck wrote:

@Wallace108 wrote:

@solardave wrote:

@Wallace108 wrote:

@LambertWardSteel wrote:

@Wallace108 wrote:

nine vegetable wrote:

I have no idea when people started this forum.  But I've been a Steelers fan since the first day I ever watched football, and I've seen plenty of fair weather fans.  And its easy to see on this forum the people who would be gone if the Steelers had a truly horrible season.

We've already dicussed it. If the Steelers have a losing season, we're shutting the forum down. Hell, I might shut it down Monday night if they lose.

I truly am curious who you think are fair-weather fans here. I don't want you to single anyone out though. I've known a number of people here for a lot of years, going back to the original Fever forum, and I can guarantee that none of them are fair-weather fans. As for the newer members who I don't know as well, you must be picking up on hidden signals that I'm not. What I do know is that the overwhelming majority of active members here are 40 or older. And I don't think too many Steelers fans 40 or older are suddenly going to stop being Steelers fans.

You deserve a lot of credit for running the board as it is run. This is the only forum I'm currently a member of but I've been a member of several Steelers forums since I've had internet in 1997. None of them have approached the level of integrity, respect, and fans who in my opinion are Steelers fans rain or shine. It also lacks the personal attacks and flame wars. All that starts at the top.

I don't mean this as a cheerleading session. I've been impressed all along and your: "don't single anyone out" gains a lot of respect. I just wanted to give a little credit where it is due (or 'do' as AB would write)

I'm hoping I'm wrong but I'm feeling like we'll need each other to lean on through this coming season

Thank you for the kind words. And you're right ... we generally don't have any of the flame wars or trolling you see elsewhere. I assure you though that it has nothing to do with me. This is just a great group of people here who know how to get along and can disagree without being disagreeable. From a mod/admin standpoint, we rarely do much of anything. I can't even remember the last time we had to "moderate" something. We're just a group of friends hanging out and BSing, which is exactly what this forum was created to be. We might be a small community, but I wouldn't trade this group for any of the larger ones. That's a credit not to me or any of the other mods/admins. That's a credit to every active member here. Except Truck, of course.

Damn it Wally you said not to single anyone out.

Truck got me lost in Pennsylvania. And legend has it he tried to kill a few of us with his cooking. So no, the rules of conduct don't apply to Truck.

You had a F'N GPS!  I didn't get you lost, don't blame me for your lack of directional integrity.

You didn't mention anything about the cooking.

According to the court documents authorized by the lawyers on both sides, I'm not allowed to discuss anything I've done in any kitchen except clean dishes.

@stlrtruck wrote:

According to the court documents authorized by the lawyers on both sides, I'm not allowed to discuss anything I've done in any kitchen except clean dishes.

And by "cleaning dishes," you mean "destroying evidence."

I can't even remember what this thread is about.

@Wallace108 wrote:

@stlrtruck wrote:

According to the court documents authorized by the lawyers on both sides, I'm not allowed to discuss anything I've done in any kitchen except clean dishes.

And by "cleaning dishes," you mean "destroying evidence."  

I can't even remember what this thread is about.  

Should we move this to the legal thread?

@solardave wrote:

@Wallace108 wrote:

@stlrtruck wrote:

According to the court documents authorized by the lawyers on both sides, I'm not allowed to discuss anything I've done in any kitchen except clean dishes.

And by "cleaning dishes," you mean "destroying evidence."  

I can't even remember what this thread is about.  

Should we move this to the legal thread?

If Truck's cooking is involved, it belongs in the ILLegal thread.

@Wallace108 wrote:

@stlrtruck wrote:

According to the court documents authorized by the lawyers on both sides, I'm not allowed to discuss anything I've done in any kitchen except clean dishes.

And by "cleaning dishes," you mean "destroying evidence."  

I can't even remember what this thread is about.  

"Destroying Evidence" was never mentioned or brought up between lawyers.

I'd appreciate you not adding falsehoods to past events and let's just move on.

I'll throw this here. Good points made.

https://1059thex.iheart.com/featured/mark-madden/content/2019-11-04-steelers-shouldnt-keep-dupree/

@jak341 wrote:

I'll throw this here. Good points made.

https://1059thex.iheart.com/featured/mark-madden/content/2019-11-04-steelers-shouldnt-keep-dupree/

I disagree. I believe Dupree is finally being utilized in ways his skill sets were showboated before he came in to the league. With the current set up on defense, I think Dupree can continue to shine.

Looking at the remaining schedule I think 11-5 or 10-6 is def possible. Rams will be tough, Bengals and browns twice we should win all, arizona should be a w, buffalo could go either way esp if we cant stop Allen, same goes for the Baltimore game

I think if Fitchner and Butler could find ways to NOT BE SO SIMPLE minded maybe we can win some more games.
We have no real feel on offense. Run run screen punt. I know our WRs are young and could help out more by getting separation but what difference does it make if Mason is throwing to the RB 13 times a game. If that is on Mason you coach it out of him.If it is and I believe it is on Fitchner he needs to grow a set and let it rip. We're 4-4. Really what do we have to lose?
Butler has the DBs playing 15 yards off of the line. I understand not getting beat long but we invested in DBs who can play man and sometimes you need to live by the sword and let these guys bump and run. When we get ahead and the defense is dominating that's not the time to go conservative.
I don't see anyone left on our schedule that we can't beat if we play up to our abilities.

@solardave wrote:

I think if Fitchner and Butler could find ways to NOT BE SO SIMPLE minded maybe we can win some more games.
We have no real feel on offense. Run run screen punt. I know our WRs are young and could help out more by getting separation but what difference does it make if Mason is throwing to the RB 13 times a game. If that is on Mason you coach it out of him.If it is and I believe it is on Fitchner he needs to grow a set and let it rip. We're 4-4. Really what do we have to lose?
Butler has the DBs playing 15 yards off of the line. I understand not getting beat long but we invested in DBs who can play man and sometimes you need to live by the sword and let these guys bump and run. When we get ahead and the defense is dominating that's not the time to go conservative.
I don't see anyone left on our schedule that we can't beat if we play up to our abilities.

This is my belief as well.

Looking at every lose, there was only one game - the Patriots***** - where we were solidly beat.

Every game since this has come down to plays late in the 4th. A turnover, inability to get a first down, etc.

This team is on the verge of being a problem for everyone.

While some of it is execution, I believe most of it coaching, lack there of, and lack of killer instinct from the coaching staff.

The coaches continue to play scared. You can see it in the play calling and its evident in every game in the 4th quarter.

And yet - we are 4-4. While Cleveland, who is supposed to be stockpiled with talent, languishes at 2-6. So we lose our #1 receiver, #1 RB, #1 QB, not to mention Tuitt on IR, and we sit at 4-4.

I'm thinking coaching had something to do with us getting there.

nine vegetable wrote:

And yet - we are 4-4.  While Cleveland, who is supposed to be stockpiled with talent, languishes at 2-6.  So we lose our #1 receiver, #1 RB, #1 QB, not to mention Tuitt on IR, and we sit at 4-4.

I'm thinking coaching had something to do with us getting there.

Sure that case can be made but we've only beaten teams at the bottom except for the Colts and we almost lost to them. If we beat the Rams next week with a game plan that is designed to dominate I'll start giving credit to Butler and Fitchner.
You're the one that said you've watched Hoyer play and that he is a capable QB. Do you honestly think it's a solid game plan to play 15 yards off of your receivers with a capable QB like him?
All I'm saying is even with all of our injuries to key players we're a better team than we're playing.At least in the 4th quarter when you should be putting the hammer down instead of playing scared. How are we ever going to find out what MR can do if we run,run,screen, punt? Maybe this is a maturation process with him but we have veterans on defense not being used to their advantage. The reason Fitz had that pick six was because he went off script to get it.
The other thing is comparing us to the Browns? First of all they picked the wrong coach (as usual). They had Williams ("defense wins championships") in the house and chose Kitchens. I know the trend is to hire offensive gurus but I don't think he is one.

We are a "special" team right now. Our defense is so good that we keep games close against solid teams and have a chance to beat them, but we lack offensive skill players and a QB to put below average teams away easily. So far, we've beaten every team that we should've beaten and that's already an accomplishment. We've only lost to teams with a winning record and have won against the Colts and the Chargers, two decent teams. I agree that Fichtner in particularly can do a better job by letting Rudolph taking more shots down deep and that the coaching staff as a whole have a tendency for playing soft when having a lead in the 4th quarter. That being said, I know I'm not taking a populat stance right now, but I don't see Rudolph as our QB of the future. He is way too inaccurate on short and intermediate throws for my liking. Against the Dolphins, both Johnson and McDonald were open for a short throw and both times Rudolph threw the ball too short and Johnson and McDonald needed to dive to make a great catch. McDonald was visibly upset by the bad pass. Against the Colts, Juju was partly responsable for the interception, but it was also a bad throw as the pass was too high. Juju needed to jump and stretch his arms to make the catch while Rudolph easily could have hit him in stride. Juju should have made the catch, but he wouldn't have had a chance to gain yards after the catch and that's often the problem with Rudolph. If he would have thrown a good pass, not only would it have been an easy catch for Juju but he would also have had a good opportunity to take the ball down the field. The same with the pass were Washington made the catch with one hand. Another short pass that was thrown behind the receiver where the receiver adjusted while there was a lot of room in front of him. Each game there are about 4-5 short passes of target where the receiver could have gained nice yards after the catch if he would've gotten a good pass. That's also probably the reason why the coaches are conservative with Rudolph. (And why Rudolph is playing conservative himself.)

@Stella Nation wrote:

We are a "special" team right now. Our defense is so good that we keep games close against solid teams and have a chance to beat them, but we lack offensive skill players and a QB to put below average teams away easily. So far, we've beaten every team that we should've beaten and that's already an accomplishment. We've only lost to teams with a winning record and have won against the Colts and the Chargers, two decent teams. I agree that Fichtner in particularly can do a better job by letting Rudolph taking more shots down deep and that the coaching staff as a whole have a tendency for playing soft when having a lead in the 4th quarter. That being said, I know I'm not taking a populat stance right now, but I don't see Rudolph as our QB of the future. He is way too inaccurate on short and intermediate throws for my liking. Against the Dolphins, both Johnson and McDonald were open for a short throw and both times Rudolph threw the ball too short and Johnson and McDonald needed to dive to make a great catch. McDonald was visibly upset by the bad pass. Against the Colts, Juju was partly responsable for the interception, but it was also a bad throw as the pass was too high. Juju needed to jump and stretch his arms to make the catch while Rudolph easily could have hit him in stride. Juju should have made the catch, but he wouldn't have had a chance to gain yards after the catch and that's often the problem with Rudolph. If he would have thrown a good pass, not only would it have been an easy catch for Juju but he would also have had a good opportunity to take the ball down the field. The same with the pass were Washington made the catch with one hand. Another short pass that was thrown behind the receiver where the receiver adjusted while there was a lot of room in front of him. Each game there are about 4-5 short passes of target where the receiver could have gained nice yards after the catch if he would've gotten a good pass. That's also probably the reason why the coaches are conservative with Rudolph. (And why Rudolph is playing conservative himself.)

I agree with almost all of what you're saying. I think it's early and MR's accuracy issues can improve with chemistry between him and his receivers. The INT was IMHO an accurate throw into double coverage. Had he not thrown it high it would have most likely been picked by the DB in front.That's the way it looked to me. Even if Mason is not our QB of the future do you think Hodges is a better option? I just think both Fitchner and Butler could get more out of these guys if they let them play more man on defense and open up the offense and when they do throw the ball try using someone other than the RBs. 13 times to a RB in one game is not going to get you wins consistently.

The problem with accuracy problems is that it's really hard to fix. You can't teach arm strength and accuracy, it's more of a natural gift. Rudolph certainly has some qualities: his vision, his poise, his character, his IQ. He sees what he needs to do, but he rarely places the ball on the right spot. The times he does it, it often results in big plays: Johnson's TD against the Dolphins, Juju's TD against the Ravens,...
I don't think Hodges is the better option right now, it could be in the future but there's no need to bench Rudolph. He isn't that bad and Hodges probably isn't ready yet to start multiple games in a row. And to be honest I have a feeling Hodges isn't the longterm answer either, but that being said I think both Rudolph and Hodges have a future in the league as a back-up and that's something not every QB can say, but for me their ceiling is limited.
And I agree that the coaches could get more out of their players, especially Fichtner, although I believe they do a good job overall, better than in the past.

@Stella Nation wrote:

The problem with accuracy problems is that it's really hard to fix. You can't teach arm strength and accuracy, it's more of a natural gift. Rudolph certainly has some qualities: his vision, his poise, his character, his IQ. He sees what he needs to do, but he rarely places the ball on the right spot. The times he does it, it often results in big plays: Johnson's TD against the Dolphins, Juju's TD against the Ravens,...
I don't think Hodges is the better option right now, it could be in the future but there's no need to bench Rudolph. He isn't that bad and Hodges probably isn't ready yet to start multiple games in a row. And to be honest I have a feeling Hodges isn't the longterm answer either, but that being said I think both Rudolph and Hodges have a future in the league as a back-up and that's something not every QB can say, but for me their ceiling is limited.
And I agree that the coaches could get more out of their players, especially Fichtner, although I believe they do a good job overall, better than in the past.

Well said. I guess because we rarely draft high enough to snag a franchise QB I am holding out hope MR or Duck can take the reigns. I still believe though that a Greg Williams type DC could take this group to the max. We saw the Ravens with a pretty good defense win a championship with Trent Dilfer and I think MR has more game than him.