Behind the Steel Curtain
Great news: I won’t be doing this from a Starbucks this week.
I hope everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving and took some time to forget about how the Pittsburgh Steelers will probably ruin what has been a nice, long weekend so far. In between bites of leftover stuffing, let’s dive into this week’s mailbag.
Q: Many of the early mock drafts have the Steelers not taking a QB, do you concur? I say give Will Howard a shot before taking another project at the position. – Port Orange Hypocycloids
A: He was a sixth-round pick, guys. He wasn’t drafted to be the franchise quarterback. I’d be extremely surprised if they don’t take a quarterback in the first round. Now, that’s not me guaranteeing he’ll never play – things happen. If and when they take a QB and he struggles and/or gets hurt (not wishing that on anyone, just speaking hypothetically), then there could be the possibility of an RG3/Kirk Cousins situation. But again, Howard wasn’t taken to be the guy. If they thought that highly of him, he wouldn’t have gone in the sixth round. I’ll root like hell for him, though
Q: If we can beat the Bills this week, I think we will be rolling to the playoffs and with a little mo on are side! I got to go! Time to get the Reindeer ready for this trip! – Chris Present
A: If they beat Buffalo, I’d obviously be ecstatic, but the Bills have shown they have a ton of issues. Outside of Josh Allen and James Cook, there isn’t a player on that team that scares anyone. Perhaps Khalil Shakir, but the way Bills OC Joe Brady has turned him into nothing but a screen merchant, he hasn’t looked as dynamic as he did in 2024. However, a win would keep the Steelers in first place, and that’s all we can ask for.
Q: What are the odds that the AFC North division champ has an 8-9 record this year? The way the Ravens and Steelers are playing, along with the hole the Bengals are in makes me think it’s a real possibility. – Blkgldtom
A: I wouldn’t say it’s greater than 50 percent, but it’s definitely possible. I’d put it in the 30 percent range. The Steelers could very well lose to the Bills and Lions and split with the Ravens. That’s eight losses. The game in Cleveland certainly isn’t a guaranteed win. That would be nine losses if they lose all four. Baltimore still faces the Steelers twice – potential split there. Plus, they face the Patriots, Packers, and face the Bengals in Cincinnati – none of those are guaranteed. The Bengals just need one more loss to get to nine, but they aren’t out of it due to how bad the division is. The sicko in me would love to see the Bengals run the table and get in.
Q: Recast a Christmas movie of your choice with past and current Steelers players....
