Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher was - like many fans of the team - altogether unimpressed with the Steelers performance in their 31-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
Cowher was so unimpressed, in fact, that he took to CBS to offer his scathing review of the current Steelers team.
"I never thought I would say these words," Cowher said on CBS-TV, "but Pittsburgh has gotten soft."
For years - 15 of which were under Cowher's direction and saw the team capture eight division titles, ten postseason berths, 21 playoff games, six AFC Championship games , two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl victory - the Steelers courted a reputation as a tough, gritty team that would fight tooth and nail and knock the opponent back time and again.
Sunday, Cowher called that very same team "finesse on offense, soft on defense."
Former Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward echoed his old coach's statement on NBC.
"They're very close to hitting that panic button ... The defense looks soft. Guys are just able to run the ball up and down the field. I look at their personnel; they can't cover anybody in the secondary. Offensively, I thought I'd never say it, but the Steelers are a finesse offense right now. I don't even know who these guys are."
Current Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor, rehabbing a broken arm he suffered in Pittsburgh's early season victory over the Carolina Panthers, doesn't agree with Cowher and Ward's assessment.
"Nah, I don't. What we went through last year, when we were 0-4, and there was no panic. There was a sense of urgency, if anything. I don't see any panic button."
Tight end Heath Miller admits that the team is floundering as they attempt to right the ship. But, like his coach only a day before, he sees execution, not scheme, as the fatal flaw.
"We're searching for answers," Miller said. "Obviously, we have to execute better down there. All we can do is try to execute the plays we're given the best we can, and that should be our focus in this locker room."
The Steelers are moving the ball; they're just not scoring points. They rank sixth in the NFL in yards per game on offense (396.5) yet just 24th in points per game (20.7).
Said tackle Kelvin Beachum, "Offensively, we have to find a way to finish. It's hard to put your finger on one point, but we have to find a way get 7 points when we get down in the red zone. It's hard to explain, but we have to find a way to fix it."
With rumblings beginning to surface and both the head coach and offensive coordinator's jobs being in jeopardy, things continue to look bleak for one of the NFL's most storied franchises.
