James Harrison addresses state of Pittsburgh Steelers, expectations for the future
As the Super Bowl fast approaches, it’s a stark reminder to many organizations just how far away they are from the sport’s top prize. For some, like the Pittsburgh Steelers, that feels even more painful.
Pittsburgh knows full well it’s capable of winning it all, it just hasn’t been able to put it all together in recent years.
One of Pittsburgh’s best ever, linebacker James Harrison, joined the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday and talked about how he thinks the expectations have sunk too low for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“The expectations should never change,” Harrison said. “I think the expectations has become we don’t want to have a losing season. And I’m not throwing salt or flack at anybody, but the Pittsburgh Steeler standard is to win Lombardis.”
The last time Pittsburgh was anywhere near the Lombardi Trophy was in 2016, when the Steelers lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
Now it’s been five straight playoff losses. Six years since the team last reached the divisional round of the playoffs. It’s been a while.
And it’s not like motivation should be a problem. The Steelers have the history. You don’t have to go far in the team facilities to see the Lombardis of the past.
“When you go into that building, there’s six of them sitting there,” Harrison said. “Right now we’re not even winning a playoff game. I don’t think we’ve won a playoff game since 2016, I believe. So I think we need to get back to what the standard of a Pittsburgh Steeler legacy, the lore is.”
The Steelers have some key pieces in place to be a competitive playoff team. TJ Watt is one of the best defenders in the league, capable of changing games on his own.
On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Kenny Pickett has begun to settle in as the starter. He’s got some excellent upside if he can continue to develop.
But the bottom line is what ails the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to Harrison, is more mental than anything else. It’s about re-embracing the standard of competing for championships on an annual basis.