Pittsburgh Steelers named top NFL team to watch this offseason
The Pittsburgh Steelers have plenty of questions heading into the 2022 campaign and NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks recently identified them as the top NFL team to watch this offseason.
Here’s how Brooks began the segment on NFL.com:
“Already one of the NFL’s banner franchises, the Pittsburgh Steelers are suddenly a subject of even greater fascination. In fact, I see Pittsburgh as the most interesting team in the NFL this offseason,” Brooks said. “Whenever a two-time Super Bowl champion and future Hall of Fame quarterback exits the stage, it kicks off a new era for a franchise. For Pittsburgh, which just went 9-7-1 and lost on Super Wild Card Weekend, Ben Roethlisberger’s departure will give Mike Tomlin an opportunity to re-establish the culture of a team that has been a perennial contender throughout the head coach’s tenure.”
While Brooks notes all eyes will be on the Pittsburgh Steelers replacing Ben Roethlisberger, he believes there’s another unit on the squad that should garner even more attention this offseason.
“There will be plenty of conversation about how the Steelers plan to replace their iconic signal-caller, but I’m most interested in a different aspect of this reboot.,” Brooks wrote. “Suddenly, Tomlin has the opportunity to take the franchise back to the blue-collar approach that helped bring six Lombardi Trophies to Pittsburgh. Under the leadership of Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Tomlin, the Steelers have always been at their best with the defense leading the charge. This franchise rose to prominence behind the “Steel Curtain,” with a collection of Hall of Famers choking out opponents at every turn — and the Steelers retained the same kind of feel well beyond the glorious 1970s. Each of Pittsburgh’s six Super Bowl titles has been fueled by a defense that ranked in the top five in scoring defense and total D. The unit’s exceptional performance during Dick LeBeau’s era overlapped Tomlin’s arrival and emergence as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history (SEE: 15 seasons, zero losing records).”
Brian Flores on how Pittsburgh Steelers deal came about
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a new defensive piece on the 2022 coaching staff and former Miami Dolphins’ coach Brian Flores said the deal moved swiftly.
In an interview with Bryant Gumbel of Real Sports, Flores said that it “all happened very fast” because he called Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin “to get some counsel” about his next steps last Thursday. The two men spoke again on Friday and “that conversation turned into an opportunity” with the team that Flores accepted on Friday night
Gumbel followed up on that by asking if he thinks Tomlin threw Flores a “lifeline” as a result of the lawsuit Brian Flores filed against the NFL and several teams alleging discriminatory hiring practices for head coaching jobs.
Flores believes he will be an instant asset to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I’m a very — capable coach in this league,” Flores said. “But I do feel like he saw a situation where there was — a very — experienced coach — who could help his staff, who was also a Black coach in the league. And I think — I think that — that kind speaks to what we’re talkin’ about.”
In a move that was felt throughout the league, Flores recently filed a lawsuit against the NFL on the basis of racial bias.
“This Brian Flores lawsuit against the NFL is going to resonate throughout sports and be a significant moment in the history of the league,” Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports said. “I’ve spoken to two other coaches who believe they have the receipts to be a part of the class. This could be a tsunami before it’s all over.”
All eyes are on the Pittsburgh Steelers headed into the 2022 offseason.