At some point in the reasonably near future, Steelers owner Art Rooney II will meet with the media for his annual end-of-season address, which functions as a “State of the Steelers” address.
His franchise hasn’t faced an offseason as uncertain as this one in almost 20 years, and while I’m sure Rooney realizes that, I wonder how much it resonates with him.
It’s no secret that Rooney is not a “football man” like his father Dan was. He cuts a more business-oriented profile. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, either. No one’s asking him to be knee-deep in personnel decisions, even though he still has final say in all matters concerning the franchise.
In case he hasn’t noticed, though, business isn’t exactly booming. The thousands of no-shows at Heinz Field this year are a good indication. Steelers fans might be hyper-loyal, but they aren’t stupid.
They see what’s happening to the team, and in the division. Does the owner? I won’t be in the room asking the questions, but here are a few I’d love to hear the answer to
“Art, after the 2020 season, you said, ‘I think everybody in the building agrees that you can’t finish 32nd in the league in rushing and feel you’re going to have a successful season.’ This year, the team finished 29thin the league in yards per carry and averaged about 10 more yards rushing per game. How would you evaluate the moves that were made to shore up that area of the team
