PITTSBURGH — As I walked around the North Shore on Sunday before the Steelers played the Packers, I was amazed at what I witnessed. I was wondering at some points whether I was in Pittsburgh or Green Bay.

Every bar I walked by was loaded with Packers fans; some were actually overloaded with Packers fans.

Then when I went into the stadium, I was shocked that my eyes hadn't deceived me outside as there really were that many Packers fans in the stands.

In fact, Aaron Rodgers said something about how this was the first time he was at a home game and needed to use a silent count because the crowd chanting "Go Pack Go" was so loud.

There have been a number of games like this — opposing fans occupying a large portion of the crowd — at Acrisure Stadium, and it is embarrassing for the Steelers. It is usually Steelers fans that take over stadiums, but it is now happening in their own.

The crowd is a probably good microcosm of one of the things that ails this franchise. Many season ticket holders are older and would rather sell their tickets than go to the games. That's especially true for night games, as they seem to be the easiest tickets to sell.

I don't blame people for selling their tickets, but the season ticket base and everything else about this franchise is ancient. And the fact so many season ticket holders seem to keep them just to sell them speaks volumes to me about the Steelers' fading allure.

And the worst part is there are still a percentage of people, many who seem to be the power brokers within the Steelers organization, who are convinced the way things worked so well in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s are still working now.

There is a portion that believe these are still the big, bad Steelers, the team every other team circles on their schedule and treats like it is their Super Bowl. There is still a portion of these people stuck in a time and place that no longer exists.

I get the stability model and I have heard all about how it led to the success of this franchise over the years, but this is a different and time. Nobody is afraid of the Steelers, and any good team is probably circling the Steelers on their schedule as a game they can win.

The franchise built on defense, featuring the longest-tenured coach in the NFL who was billed a defensive guru, can't stop anyone. They aren't tough, they aren't physical, they aren't bullies — they aren't even good at their bread and butter of smashing quarterbacks.

All of the star players seem to be living in the past, thinking that all they need to do is turn it on one week. Cam Heyward said the defense has no fight in them right now, which is an incredible indictment on the coaching staff as well as the star players.

I can't prove it, but I think Jordan Love is still completing passes out there on the sandy field at Acrisure Stadium.

And while we are at it, the field is an indictment of a franchise in denial, as well. They want so badly to play on grass and they believe they know how to have grass, but it is clear growing grass on that particular sand pit in the North Shore doesn't seem to work.

It was noble to try putting grass on the field, but this is 2025 and there are so many advancements in field turf and other artificial surfaces that it is an embarrassment that the field conditions continue to be a discussion year after year.

The Steelers played on that old antiquated Astroturf at Three Rivers Stadium, so it isn't like there is some historical reason they need grass now. This is one of those things where they made the decision to play on grass and they are sticking with it.

The Steelers are still one of the most popular teams in the NFL, but the brand is tarnished and fading and needs a serious update. There has been a formula for success, but it needs a major tweaking, and this idea that things that worked in the 1970's still work now is absurd.

I am on the fence in the Mike Tomlin debate, as I can live with him staying or going. But there is absolutely a stale stench to whatever it is he is selling these days, and this idea that because he hasn't ever had a losing season he gets a lifetime contract is silly.

That's also a part of the problem. The Steelers pride themselves on only having three coaches since the 1960s, but there is a shelf life to coaches, especially in this world of 24/7 news cycles, instant gratification and attention spans that last 30 seconds.

The Eagles just won the Super Bowl, lost a Super Bowl in 2022 and won one in 2017 ... and they did so with two different coaches. Doug Pederson won the first one, but he had one losing season afterward and he was gone.

Tomlin's Super Bowl win was 17 years ago, he lost one 15 years ago, and since then he has been one of the worst postseason coaches in the NFL. I am not saying he needs to be fired, but something needs to change and it can't be throwing more coordinators under the bus.

The Steelers are good enough to eek out another winning season, but that has become the standard and the brand. It is no longer the franchise that plays for Super Bowls. It is the franchise that plays to finish about .500.

I like that Omar Khan is younger, bold and willing to make moves, but it almost feels like he is handcuffed by the coach who reports to him and the owner. They want to do things the old way because some time ago it worked, but if you aren't evolving, if you aren't moving forward, you are moving the other way.

The Steelers need a change in the worst way. They need to change their way of thinking, change their branding slightly, move into the 2020's, and understand what works in the NFL these days.

I am not saying they should lose all of their values and principles, but they certainly need to rethink them all and make some important changes. The Steelers' brand isn't dead, but it is certainly in urgent need of a lifeline.

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