James Harrison Calls Out Steelers’ Standard: ‘Not What It Is’
The standard is the standard. That’s become a popular saying around the Pittsburgh Steelers since Mike Tomlin became head coach in 2007.
For a long time, the Steelers’ standard was winning championship. But while appearing on The Pat McAfee Show on February 7, former Steelers linebacker James Harrison voiced that the team’s expectations have fallen the last few years.
Harrison contended that ought to never be the situation for Pittsburgh’s football crew.
“The assumptions ought to never show signs of change. I think the assumptions have become, ‘We would rather not have a terrible season,'” Harrison told McAfee. ” I’m not tossing salt or fire at anyone. Be that as it may, the Pittsburgh Steelers standard is to win Lombardis. At the point when you go into that structure, there’s six of them staying there, and this moment, we’re not in any event, dominating a season finisher match.
“I think we really want to return to what the norm of the Pittsburgh Steelers heritage, the legend is. That is [non-losing seasons] simply not what it is.”
The Steelers have never had a terrible season under Tomlin. Truth be told, Pittsburgh’s last losing season was over quite a while back when the group went 6-10 out of 2003.
However, since 2016, the Steelers have not won a playoff game. They are 0-5 in the postseason since their last season finisher win.
James Harrison Gets Real to life on Steelers’ Norm
While the Steelers have been unbelievably reliable under Tomlin, some average quality has seemed to set in too. In spite of the fact that they haven’t had a terrible season, the Steelers have dominated 10 matches only two times over the last six seasons. During that time, they’ve shown up yet haven’t dominated a season finisher match.
The last time the Steelers had a six-year duration with just two 10-win seasons was 1998-2003. The establishment dominated two season finisher matches during that stretch.
Pittsburgh’s flow seven-year season finisher dry spell is the longest in the establishment’s set of experiences since the group’s first postseason game in 1972.
Like Steelers fans, Harrison generally just knows accomplishment from his playing profession. The Steelers dominated 12 season finisher matches, including two Super Dishes, in his nine years with the establishment. He likewise played in two other Super Dishes — one with Pittsburgh and one more with the New Britain Nationalists.
Workmanship Rooney Says Steelers Have ‘Some Direness’
In the establishment’s guard, however, Harrison’s remarks might be more appropriate for specific individuals from the media rather than the Steelers association.
The media has overplayed Tomlin’s record 17 straight seasons to start a vocation without a horrible mission. However, the Steelers have not publicly celebrated it.
In fact, during his annual press conference at the end of the season, team president Art Rooney II sounded more like a displeased fan than an owner who was content with another playoff appearance and no losses.
“We had enough of this,” Rooney said in his yearly finish of-season press preparation on January 29, through Steelers.com’s Sway Labriola. ” Now is the ideal time to get a few successes.
“Now is the right time to make these next strides. There’s some criticalness there, without a doubt.”
The Steelers have surely encountered a lot of progress throughout the course of recent years. They have served as a model franchise for all sports, not just the NFL.
It’s essential to note, however, that they haven’t been safe to progress. While the group dominated a periodic season finisher match, the 1980s didn’t precisely match the Steelers “heritage or legend” that Harrison depicted.
Then in spite of five division titles during the 1990s, the Steelers din’t win a Lombardi prize.
No Steelers fan will contradict the thing Harrison said about going for the gold norm. But it also takes time to put together a team that can win a Super Bowl.
Furthermore, it probably will not occur until the Steelers track down a response at quarterback.