{"id":852758,"date":"2026-04-04T05:27:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T05:27:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/852758\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T05:27:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T05:27:26","slug":"colin-cowherd-takes-brutal-shot-at-steelers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/852758\/","title":{"rendered":"Colin Cowherd Takes Brutal Shot at Steelers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t<img width=\"780\" height=\"438\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-534087662-e1634146303656.jpg\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Colin Cowherd\"   decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Fox Sports personality Colin Cowherd during a 2016 event.<\/p>\n<p>It is safe to say the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/pittsburgh-steelers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> are due for a deep playoff run. The franchise has not been to a Super Bowl since the 2010 season and hasn\u2019t made it to the AFC Championship game since the 2016 season. In the Steel City, winning is a must, and when it isn\u2019t happening, things can get ugly. Perhaps that is why\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/pittsburgh-steelers\/mike-tomlin-breaks-silence-on-steelers-departure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">Mike Tomlin<\/a> decided to step down after his 19-year run with the team.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the team\u2019s hiring of new head coach\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.steelers.com\/news\/mccarthy-named-17th-head-coach-in-steelers-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">Mike McCarthy<\/a>, Fox Sports host\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TheHerd\/status\/2039778103807840267\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">Colin Cowherd<\/a> believes the Steelers aren\u2019t ready to contend for the Super Bowl. In fact, he thinks they aren\u2019t even terrifying.<\/p>\n<p>The Pittsburgh Steelers Have Struggled to Prove Their Legitimacy<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5854212\" class=\"size-inline wp-image-5854212\" data-lazy-load=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2255984689-e1774390885119.jpg\" alt=\"Mike Tomlin Pittsburgh Steelers\" width=\"782\" height=\"439\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-5854212\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">GettyMike Tomlin guided the Steelers to an AFC North title in his final season as head coach in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Here is what Cowherd had to say via The Herd about the state of the Steelers over the last handful of seasons:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s like the small town bully. He\u2019s got the barbed wire tattoo, he\u2019s got the four-by-four, the cowboy hat. But he\u2019s really terrified to ever leave his hometown\u2026 You\u2019re terrified to rebuild. You\u2019re terrified to rebrand yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s like the small town bully with the barbed wire tattoo, the 4\u00d74, the cowboy hat. But he\u2019s really terrified to ever leave his hometown.\u201d<br \/>\n<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow external\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/colincowherd\">@colincowherd<\/a> AGREES with NFL execs about the Pittsburgh Steelers <\/p>\n<p>Cowherd also noted how Pittsburgh has made the mistake of overpaying for its defense as opposed to adding more firepower on offense. He might be right in that aspect. After all, the Steelers did finish 25th in total offense and 26th in total defense a season ago.<\/p>\n<p>However, coaching has never been an issue for the Steelers. How many coaches can win 10 games and the division title while having an underperforming offense and defense? Maybe Tomlin was the only one who could do that. That is part of the reason why he is likely to have a bronze bust in Canton one day. But now, it is up to McCarthy to change the way things operate in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n<p>The Steelers Are Likely to Be Formidable in 2026<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5740140\" class=\"size-inline wp-image-5740140\" data-lazy-load=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-1790229869.jpg\" alt=\"Mike McCarthy Kenneth Gainwell\" width=\"782\" height=\"440\"  \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-5740140\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">GettyMike McCarthy has made 12 playoff appearances in 18 seasons as an <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/\" title=\"NFL\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"214136\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NFL<\/a> head coach.<\/p>\n<p>Are the Steelers looking like a team that can contend for a Super Bowl title in McCarthy\u2019s first season at the helm? It may seem like an uphill battle because of the aging stars and the inability of this team over the years to truly win in the postseason, but crazier things have happened in this sport before.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, the organization has all the makings of a contending team, and they haven\u2019t even drafted yet. If future Hall of Fame quarterback\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/pittsburgh-steelers\/adam-schefter-hints-aaron-rodgers-decision\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">Aaron Rodgers<\/a> returns to play for the Steelers in what would be his 22nd career season, the team would have an efficient and competent quarterback at the helm who can still play the hero role every once in a while. His experience with McCarthy is also a bonus.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond Rodgers, the team has two No. 1 wide receivers in DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. Don\u2019t forget about a pair of 1,000-yard scrimmage running backs in Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle. Defensively, the Steelers finished with the fourth-most turnovers forced in the league last season (27).<\/p>\n<p>So while it might not be pretty, and while McCarthy is on his third team as a head coach, the Steelers are in a better position than most may think before the NFL Draft.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/timlindsey12\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tim Lindsey<\/a> A Chicago-area native, Tim Lindsey has covered the world of sports through a variety of different lenses. More specifically, he has been an NFL writer for sites such as Sports Illustrated and PFSN. Notable teams like the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Steelers have been a major point of emphasis for the longtime writer in the past.  <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/timlindsey12\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">More about Tim Lindsey<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Steelers\n\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Fox Sports personality Colin Cowherd during a 2016 event. It is safe to say the\u00a0Pittsburgh Steelers are&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":852759,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2055],"tags":[7,6,520,57,2360,426],"class_list":{"0":"post-852758","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pittsburgh-steelers","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-nfl","10":"tag-pittsburgh","11":"tag-pittsburgh-steelers","12":"tag-pittsburghsteelers","13":"tag-steelers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116344786120589330","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=852758"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/852758\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/852759"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=852758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=852758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=852758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}