The Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for the best record in the AFC North at 4-2. They are coming off a thrilling overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But not everyone viewed the victory as a reason for optimism.
Trailing 16-3 late in the third quarter, it took a furious rally in the fourth quarter for the Steelers to tie the game. However, for a former defensive tackle from the franchise, the game represented everything that was wrong with the team.
Facing an undrafted rookie quarterback read like an easy victory for the Steelers. Pittsburgh's defense was inconsistent, while its offense managed only three points through three quarters, allowing Tampa Bay to build a 16-3 lead. But two interceptions in the fourth quarter helped them get to overtime.
Once there, a surgical drive gave them a touchdown before they stopped Jalon Daniels and the Buccaneers on downs. But the game wasn't enough to convince Breiden Fehoko that this version of the Steelers could be a legitimate threat.
"Steelers won like that and will address nothing," he claimed before pointing out his biggest issue. "Coaching was horrendous. Stop using the excuse of 'it's hard to win in the NFL.' When you are a good team, you dominate bad teams."
But it was far from the only issue he had with them. For the former undrafted free agent, the way the Steelers had constructed their roster wasn't conducive to winning, especially in the more high-flying era of the NFL.
"The Steelers are [expletive] backwards man. The mentality of spending 80% of your cap on defense is outdated this isn't 2006. Let alone they spent a draft pick on a kick returner. They don't develop draft picks and have no sustainable offense since Bush was in office."
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Fehoko's 80% figure is an exaggeration: Over The Cap currently lists roughly 60% of Pittsburgh's offense/defense/special-teams positional allocation on the defensive side.
Even with all those resources, the team still ranked 11th on PFN's NFL Defense Impact metrics. So it hadn't led to them becoming a stifling unit that could win games on their own, à la the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans last season.
Moreover, for a team that hadn't won a playoff game in nearly a decade, Fehoko believed the lack of postseason success also stemmed from their archaic roster-construction model.
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Not mincing words, he added, "The Steelers doing things the 'Steeler Way' has prevented this team from getting with the times and winning playoff games. That's just the truth."
At 4-2 with Aaron Rodgers looking better than he has looked in almost four years, it is easy to sell a dream to the fan base. But Fehoko is convinced the team won't be a legitimate threat in the AFC.
It will be interesting to see whether continued success changes his mind or whether the team adopts a new mentality after Rodgers' planned retirement, especially with an offensive-minded head coach like Mike McCarthy at the helm.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network .
