2. You absolutely need somebody to lengthen the field, and Green – with his size and speed – is capable of doing the job. The other guys, for various reasons, haven’t been. So, you fight the war with the army you have.

3.Oh. Hell. Yes. Bigger, quicker, stronger. He just may be the lunatic we’re lookin’ for.

4.The 11 guys on the ST’s aren’t all equal. If you lose your kickers, or if you lose your gunners, it’s like losing your QB or top RB. I absolutely buy into Tomlin’s explanation that the loss of Hey-Bey and Shamarko has been critical, because they were key players. Also, I don’t think people understand how difficult the job of ST coach is, with injuries and roster changes. No unit undergoes as many changes in a year.

5. They’re not as old….they have transitioned to a much younger team, especially on defense. They are absolutely on the cusp of growing into their potential on D. Ask me in three weeks if this team has progressed. The defense is – in some ways – like a bunch of German Shepherd puppies. They are gonna be big and ferocious, and you can tell by how big their feet are. But they just recently opened their eyes and they’re trippin’ all over their feets. I think the personnel package has progressed, and we can see what they’re gonna grow into, but the performance isn’t there. Not yet. But it’s coming.

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2. I am not so sure that the lateness of Green’s contribution would have been that big a deal if Wheaton, Hey-Bey and Coates had been available throughout. Even as it stands, if he consistently produces at this and a higher level from this point on, then this will all be forgotten in January. And, yes, I believe that Green compensates to a degree for the loss of Bryant.

3. Yes. I don’t think the other three have played badly, but Dupree impresses me as being a cut above, even with the limited time he has put in to this point. His absence may have been as significant as anyone’s this season, though no one has said as much.

4. Fans are always looking for someone to ‘pay’. To Hell with them. Talk about short memories. There have been a few execution problems and some decisionmaking that didn’t pan out (and that’s not on Smith), but special teams, like the offensive line recently has not been the heartburn machine it was in previous years.

5. I believe this team is potentially better, but no Steelers team has demonstrated the potential to win or lose on any given gameday.

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2. I think that in conjunction with Sammie Coates, yes. Coates may not be catching much (or anything ATM) but teams still take him quite seriously when he runs a go route. I think he is going to finally catch a pass without breaking another finger and his confidence will return. And I think Green is going to get better, and thus more looks, every week.

3. I’m not sure that’s what Tomlin said, exactly. I didn’t hear him demote Chickillo. But it may well happen soon if Dupree comes on in a hurry. Jones, in the meantime, is almost certainly the odd man out.

4. I sort of answered this in my addendum to the question, but to put it more baldly, I don’t think Tomlin would be making excuses for special teams if he was done with Danny Smith. As we know from the Bruce Arians situation, the Rooney may feel otherwise. But honestly special teams has been doing alright statistically, and it’s been a while since I’ve noticed a penalty, which is good.

5. Love this question, Hombre, because the answer, could be obviously yes or obviously no given the bent of the answerer. I don’t find it completely easy to answer. Back in 2012 we had the Bugatti Boys and Heath Miller in his prime and a Ben Roethlisberger who was five years younger, but not a great running game, despite Redzone Redman’s big game that you referenced. The offensive line was not good, to put it charitably. , They gave up 40 sacks, and perhaps the lack of a great running game was at least partially a byproduct of their relative ineptitude.

I think that if the 2016 Steelers had the services of Martavis Bryant and Ladarius Green had been ready to start the season there would be no question. For me, the answer is still “yes.” The development of the offensive line and the growth of Ben into a great leader, despite his occasional off days as a player puts it over the top for me.

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