3 Reasons to Watch the Steelers this Season

 Football is (almost) back! I couldn't be more excited to sit on the couch every Sunday watching this glorious sport. My favorite team, as you'll be able to tell reading this blog, is the Pittsburgh Steelers. The past few seasons for the Steelers have been middling and underwhelming. The offense has been somewhat putrid since the days of Big Ben ended and it has led to some hard to watch games. Despite this, the Steelers still haven't finished a season below .500 since Mike Tomlin took over as head coach and I still haven't fallen out of love with watching this team every week. If you're looking for a reason, any reason at all to pay attention to the Steelers this upcoming season well then you're in luck because below there are 3. 

1. New Quarterback 

Oh man I really miss having a team where you know who's going to be under center every season. For Roethlisberger's entire career this was the case for the Steelers. You knew if you got down, Ben had a comeback in him. Since he's retired, the Steelers, like most of the league, have begun a search for the new guy. This season Pittsburgh brought in veteran Russell Wilson, in the twilight of his career. Wilson was once one of the best quarterbacks in the world, leading the Seahawks to 2 Superbowls and winning 1 of them. After signing a monster deal in Denver after being traded there, he began to show signs of decline. The fans in Denver quickly grew to hate Wilson and he was unceremoniously tossed aside at the end of last season. Signing with Pittsburgh on a minimum deal, Wilson now has much lower expectations thrust upon him. Wilson was not terrible last year at all, and he was certainly better than Kenny Pickett. Wilson had a QBR of 98, a solid number for a starting QB. Compare that to Pickett's rating of 81.4 and you have an immediate upgrade at the position, even if Wilson doesn't improve on last season.

Wilson isn't the only new QB in town, the Steelers also swung a trade for young, speedy QB Justin Fields. Fields had a mixed 3 seasons in Chicago. What he brings to the table in speed and dynamic play, he takes away in decision making and inability to use the middle of the field. Still, Fields is only 25 years old and a change of scenery could do him some good. Many are saying that Fields has earned the chance to be the day 1 starter for Pittsburgh this season. Only time will tell if he can take this role, but he certainly does bring some intriguing tools to the table. Fields has a lot of supporters, and a lot of haters. It will be interesting to watch this season to see who comes out on top. 

2. New Offensive Coordinator 

Last season under OC Matt Canada, I would frequently be watching the games while texting my friends about how stupid some of the play calls were. I have said many times on this blog that I am no football expert. To be fair to Matt Canada, he's probably forgotten more about football than I will ever know. That being said, the offense last season could be boiled down to: incomplete pass on first down, 2 yard run on second down, incomplete pass on 3rd down, punt. Over and over and over again. The fact that the Steelers won 9 games is a huge testament to the defense. This season, things should at least look different. Arthur Smith was known in Tennessee to operate a run first offense. This is something the Steelers are well suited for given their playmakers in the backfield Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.  George Pickens is a perfect receiver for a play action style offense as he can make contested deep catches as well as anyone. Who knows if this new look offense will be any better than last year. The one thing we know for sure is that it will be different. After Matt Canada, we'll take different.

3. TJ Watt

TJ mf Watt man. I can't believe this is the first time I'm mentioning his name on this blog! Since entering the league, TJ has been one of, if not the best pass rusher in all of football. The Steelers are 69-33-2 with TJ Watt since 2017. Without him they are 1-10. Sure there's some small sample size noise in the without games but the difference is absolutely jarring. Even with shaky offensive play, the Steelers have a chance with TJ in the game. He frequently finds ways into the backfield and is a turnover machine. Since he joined the team I've watched countless games where I could say TJ pretty much single handedly won them that one. TJ is just 3.5 sacks away from his 100th career sack, something only 43 other players have ever done. He's also 18 sacks away from his brother JJ's sack total. Watching TJ bolt up the record list again this season will be nothing short of a joy. The Steelers defense is a completely different level when he's on the field and it is absolutely a reason to watch every game.