For years, Cleveland Browns fans have had to put up with Pittsburgh Steelers fans trying to little-bro them. They've been punchlines and the butt of jokes, even though the once-great AFC North franchise hasn't been a contender in more than a decade.
That's why, now that Mike Tomlin has left Pittsburgh, it shouldn't be long before the Steelers stop the mediocrity spiral they've been stuck in for years and finally hit rock bottom.
As FanSided's Jake Beckman recently pointed out, new head coach Mike McCarthy's first big mistake with the Steelers was taking the job in the first place. They have a flawed roster, and they won't be as patient with him as they were with his predecessors.
"Mike McCarthy is 62 years old. He feels like he’s a placeholder rather than a long-term hire. You have to think that the Steelers are going to cut ties with him the second he starts to slip, and a new candidate becomes available," Beckman wrote.
The Browns suddenly have a real chance to pass the Steelers
The Steelers are long overdue for a rebuild. Instead, they continue to double down on the same mistakes, acquiring players past their prime and catering to Aaron Rodgers. Now, with their first offensive-minded head coach in decades, things could get ugly pretty fast.
The AFC North feels wide open, and for the first time in years, the Browns might actually have a legitimate chance to finish ahead of the Steelers. Either way, Cleveland is already trending in the right direction with a roster that's loaded with young talent.
The Steelers' offensive line lost two crucial pieces in the offseason in Broderick Jones and Isaac Seumalo. The thought of having Aaron Rodgers behind a decimated O-line should have Myles Garrett and company licking their chops.
McCarthy is a Pittsburgh guy, so he wasn't going to pass on an opportunity to coach his hometown team. But this will most likely be his final stop in the league, and it may not be a long one.
McCarthy failed with the Cowboys, and he couldn't get more than one Super Bowl in Green Bay, with Rodgers in his prime. Why would things be any different, now that Rodgers is a decade older, the defense is aging, and the offensive line seems likely to regress?
This could be a long season in Pittsburgh — and Browns fans will absolutely love every second it.
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