PLAN A, PLAN B FOR STEELERS

Here’s an excerpt from a recent column I wrote for TribLive.com. 

Here’s my formula for the Steelers doing better than 9-8 and perhaps winning a playoff game: 

• Najee Harris needs to finish among the NFL’s top five rushers, gaining at least 1,200 yards and averaging above 4 yards per carry. 

• The defense needs to finish top five overall and finish top five in points, yards, takeaways and sacks. 

If that’s your approach, do better at it. Execute your ideology. 

I also provided a Plan B: 

I’d prefer they let quarterback Kenny Pickett take more risk and see if he was worth drafting in the first round. 

Pickett won’t ever be Joe Burrow. 

But see how close he can get. 

To read the entire piece, click HERE. 

When it comes to the Steelers, I’m often called a hater. (That's despite predicting 9-8 for this season. Anything less than wild-eyed optimism makes you a hater.)

But I’ve provided the keys to the kingdom: Plan A, and Plan B. 

Problem is, the NFL belongs to the quarterbacks. 

Pickett is the fourth-best quarterback in the AFC North and isn't in the AFC's top 10. Partly because the Steelers’ game plan won’t give him a legit chance to excel.