A Question of Leadership, or Talent?

A young lieutenant may command a platoon but it is the grizzled Sergeant who provides the leadership, both to the platoon, and also to the lieutenant; it is how the young officer accepts the advice from, and learns to use, the Sergeant, that will indicate how good of a leader the lieutenant will become.

The middle linebacker commands the defense; a duty admirably performed by James Farrior for many years. With his retirement, Timmons was seen as the best person to assume command; that apparently has not happened.

It is the fault of Central Command (the Coaches) for a lack of leadership on the field if Timmons is unable, or unwilling, to provide that leadership. Harrison and Woodley are decorated veterans, but their positions and roles do not allow for them to be the commander; they are the heavy artillery. Troy’s role as the “wild card” also precludes him from assuming command, due to his instinctive ability to call for himself an impromptu role.

Whether the decline of the Steeler defense is due to the front line not preventing the O Linemen from reaching the linebackers, or the linebackers inability to seal off the edge, or make penetration is under review (chicken or egg situation maybe?).

What is clear however is that the performance of individual players, predicated on the performance of each of their teammates, is not being maximized. This requires leadership to address; the leader on the field must be able to diagnose what the problem is and address it, if possible, on the field by varying the calls he makes.

If this does not result in success, then the field commander must address it to the “higher ups” in the chain of command, identifying the weak link(s) and request replacements, for if he is not being given the weapons with which to perform his duty as field commander, then he goes into battle out-manned.

As of now, with the remaining 13 games of the 2012 season facing them, the Steelers, with all their injuries and question marks on the abilities of the individual defensive players, are like the British in the Battle of Balaclava (October 25, 1854), sitting at the mouth of the valley before them, with the Eagles, the Ravens, Bengals, Giants, waiting in the field of battle to oppose them (as memorialized by Alfred, Lord Tennyson in his “The Charge of the Light Brigade”.

Half a league half a league,

Half a league onward,

All in the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred:

‘Forward, the Light Brigade!

Charge for the guns’ he said:

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

Tomlin has no choice but to enter this battle with the injured troops he has, the depleted ranks, the aging veterans. Hopefully he can succeed better than the British did that fateful day:

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon behind them

Volley’d and thunder’d;

Storm’d at with shot and shell,

While horse & hero fell,

They that had fought so well

Came thro’ the jaws of Death,

Back from the mouth of Hell,

All that was left of them,

Left of six hundred.

When the British, having rode into the valley with over 600 troops, lost over 200 of them before retreating.