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| - Steelers nation - let's debrief.
The Packers won. straight out.
The Steeler's secondary was continually compromised by Aaron Rodgers and their spread-receiving corps. In my estimation, there were only 4 offenses in the league that could have exposed the Steeler's 1st overall scoring defense this year - the Packers (obviously), the Saints, the Patriots, and the Eagles.
The Steeler's offense was plagued by poor quarterback play. As much as I had defended Ben as the best quarterback in the league for this team, his deficiencies created a deficit that proved to be insurmountable. He had faced some of the league's best defenses and had not given up 2 interceptions all season, which leads me to believe the Pack was the only team in the league capable of shutting down the Steeler's offense so effectively, even with key injuries to their secondary.
In retrospect, I think the Steelers should have pursued a trade for the first overall draft pick (aka Sam Bradford) for Ben Roethlisberger a bit more aggressively, although the draft picks we had kept by not doing so represent a lot of potential for upcoming years. I think it's very clear that the first priority for the Steelers in next year's draft is at cornerback (even with rookie Crezdon Butler's eventual return), and the secondary will need to improve significantly next year after being so exposed this year in order to be in playoff contention again. To this, I'd have to recommend for the second straight year that #22 William Gay be cut immediately, as he has continually shown that he can not answer the bell and play to the Steelers' standard.
All in all, it was a good year - with the loss of so many offensive linemen and Aaron Smith to injury, I wouldn't have expected more than a Wild Card berth and possibly a playoff win. 3 rookies had shown significant potential with 3 others being groomed for future stardom, while reacquiring veteran ex-Steelers had a nominal impact on the field (but whose locker room presence may have been more valuable). Getting to the super bowl this year was a bittersweet surprise, which will give the team valuable experience as veteran leaders may potentially leave after this season.
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