The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into what feels like a pivotal Week 5 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. After suffering an ugly 27-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football last week, it became very clear that this is a team that has several issues that need to be fixed immediately. Easily the biggest problem this team is dealing with, though, is its communication from top to bottom.
In its loss to Cleveland, there were several instances of players and coaches going at each other on the sideline, with Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy‘s yelling match drawing the most attention. One guy who has been keeping close tabs on this team is Hall of Fame offensive lineman Alan Faneca, and in an interview with casino.org, he provided Heavy on Steelers with some exclusive comments on his thoughts about the state of this group.
Alan Faneca Unconcerned With Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy Dust Up
The Steelers’ decision to hire McCarthy as their new head coach once Mike Tomlin resigned is believed to have been a big reason why Rodgers put off retirement. After previously having worked together for 13 years with the Green Bay Packers, though, this duo hasn’t exactly gotten off to a hot start. Seeing these two go at each other in Week 4 was quite jarring, but these things tend to happen in the NFL, which is why Faneca isn’t concerned about their relationship.
“I think it’s gone fine so far,” Faneca told Heavy on Steelers when asked about Rodgers and McCarthy’s dynamic. “It doesn’t always get caught on TV, those exchanges. As you grow as a football player, you’re reading on these situations changes. You’re in high school football, and your coach can do no wrong … You get to the NFL, now you’re on a little more of an equal footing, and you can challenge some things, especially when you’re someone like Aaron.”
Offensively, Pittsburgh is still finding its way, but one hole the team seems to have filled comes on the offensive line, where Max Iheanachor and Brock Hoffman have been elevated to starting roles on the right side of the line. A former offensive lineman himself, Faneca has obviously been watching this group pretty closely, and while he likes what he’s seen from this new duo, he also noted that the team is clearly open to switching things up again if it has to.
“They played well last week, but the team has shown that they’re not scared to move parts around and see what somebody’s got week by week,” Faneca admitted. “Are they done making moves? Who knows? But those guys did both come in, they played well … I do think they’ve got things sort of settled in that area, but like I said, I don’t think that they’re scared to make moves throughout the season if things start dipping a little bit.”
Are the Steelers Capable of Making the Playoffs?
With a 2-2 record, the Steelers are one of the more confusing teams in the NFL right now. They have all the talent needed to be a playoff team, but to this point, the results have yet to materialize. A lot of changes were made over the offseason, and in some regards, the team is still figuring things out. When all is said and done, though, Faneca expects Pittsburgh to be in the hunt for the postseason at the very least later in the season.
“I think they need to find their own way,” Faneca said of the Steelers. “We’ve got the new head coach, Mike McCarthy, in there. We’re mixing things up a little bit. I think we need to try and find ourselves. I think a 10-win season is probably what you’re looking for. That gets us in the playoffs, that puts us in the hunt.”
The first step towards achieving that goal involves beating a Colts team that is in a similarly confusing spot as the Steelers in Week 5. This should be a tightly contested contest, but if Pittsburgh plays up to its potential, it should be able to come out on top. Kickoff for this contest is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.
Exclusive: Alan Faneca Addresses Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy Confrontation