While most of us were sleeping, or finishing up watching that awful NFC East matchup, the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for New York Jets linebacker Avery Williamson. The Jets will receive the Steelers’ fifth round pick in 2022 and the Steelers will receive Williamson, along with the Jets’ seventh round pick in 2022.
It appears the Jets have been trying to trade Williamson for over a year as an attempt to shed payroll. The Jets are absolutely awful this year, with a record of 0-8. They are in full tank mode in order to get Trevor Lawrence in the next NFL Draft. Lawrence recently tested positive for COVID-19, but nothing short of a catastrophic injury could knock him down the draft board.
So, while I’m not your expert for diving into the intricacies of this trade and how it will impact the team, I do think one new general manager should take note.
Steelers: Filling An Immediate Need
From what I understand, the Steelers were running unusual defensive formations against the Ravens yesterday. They were playing five linebackers in order to cover for the absence of injured Devin Bush. I will not sit here and pretend to be an expert on formations and schemes. Neither you nor me need that type of façade.
However, I do see this as a move that was never made by the Pittsburgh Pirates regime. There is a clear and obvious need for the Steelers to replace Bush. Five linebacker formations are not ideal for pass coverage. So Kevin Colbert, the Steelers general manager, made the move needed to patch up that need.
In only two years did Neal Huntington and the Pirates make this type of move. In 2013, they added Marlon Byrd and Justin Morneau to a lineup that needed help supporting the pitching staff. Also, the Chris Archer trade — although it failed — was supposed to fill a need for the Pirates.
However, in 2014 and 2015, the Pirates needed one more elite starting pitcher in order to win the division. Had they won the division in ’14 and ’15 they would not have had to compete in the one-game wild card game, in which they lost both. The Pirates did not make the big move needed and have not returned to the playoffs since.
We've recorded at least 1⃣ sack in 6⃣4⃣ consecutive games
That's the second-longest streak in NFL history pic.twitter.com/JIn3NDmEyI
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 2, 2020
Learn From This
Ultimately, I just hope Pirates’ new general manager Ben Cherington takes note. Kevin Colbert has the mentality Pittsburgh fans want to see. Furthermore, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford has the same mindset. If your team is in a position to win, do not take that season for granted — make moves to win that season.
Hopefully Cherington is staying tuned into all of Pittsburgh news and starts to develop this mindset as the Pirates general manager. We will not know this for a while, especially with the MLB Winter Meetings going virtual. So for now, I will do my best to forget about baseball and just enjoy this ride the Steelers are taking us all on.
.@ChaseClaypool doing what he does best pic.twitter.com/9dtEQ7vThK
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 2, 2020
The post Wolfe’s Den: Take note Pirates, Steelers have the correct mindset appeared first on Pittsburgh Sports Castle.
