Mark Madden: Few seem to understand the gravity of Steelers' situation

The Pittsburgh Steelers are terrible. As bad as their 3-7 record.

But the Steelers myth continues. The horse manure gets laid on thick.

This guy is playing well.

That guy is playing well.

T.J. Watt is a menace.

Kenny Pickett is improving.

Mike Tomlin is a Hall of Fame coach.

But Cincinnati Bengals tackle La’el Collins put Watt in his back pocket this past Sunday, then ridiculed Watt after because Watt whined to the refs. Watt has a half-sack in two games since returning from injury. Watt isn’t yet what he was or what the Steelers need.

Pickett hasn’t improved one bit by any legit metric since taking over the quarterback job (too early) at halftime of the Week 4 loss to the New York Jets. Pickett’s cheerleaders cite his “competitive fire.” Because every other quarterback doesn’t mind losing. That’s intangible, and it’s weak.

Tomlin hasn’t won a playoff game in five years, going on six. He’s usurped too much of the organization’s power, spreading himself too thin. Tomlin mangled the quarterback situation since the day Ben Roethlisberger retired.

But wait! There’s more …

Diontae Johnson got No. 1 receiver money, then stopped being a No. 1 receiver. (If he ever was one.) Johnson has zero touchdown catches after 10 games and has faded from the Steelers’ gameplan and Pickett’s vision.

Quarterback Mitch Trubisky is angry because he got yanked at halftime of Week 4, perhaps because of a locker-room argument with Johnson. Trubisky feels lied to and hard done by. Some veterans reportedly would prefer he was still playing. Pickett has not yet played as well as Trubisky did in relief after Pickett got concussed in the Week 6 win over Tampa Bay.

The Steelers err too often and egregiously, commit too many penalties and play generally sloppy football. That gets traced to their coaching staff being low in pedigree and payroll.

It’s evident Roethlisberger held together a rotten team last year via guile, leadership and intelligent game management. Because, minus Roethlisberger, it’s mostly the same team and staff, and the Steelers have disintegrated.

Steelers fans are as adept at lying to themselves as the organization is, precluding the possibility of using humility as a teaching tool.

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The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season. The current team is in shambles. Yet too many believe prosperity is one good draft and a few shrewd moves away.

It’s not. The Steelers won’t make the playoffs next season, either. The Steelers are rotten at offensive line, defensive line and cornerback. They’re not necessarily well stocked at many other spots, either.

But few seem to understand the gravity of the Steelers’ situation. If they do, they don’t admit it. This isn’t a good team having a bad year. It’s a franchise in disarray.

If you want further worry, consider this: It’s not too early to think about Pickett being a bust. That’s certainly how the arrow is pointing. There’s precious little to like about Pickett’s performance to date. He’s not even showing flashes. Pickett demonstrates almost zero promise. He’s honestly not very talented.

Except for “competitive fire,” of course.

It’s imperative the Steelers finish last in the AFC North. Not to get a better draft pick, but so I can market “Fourth in the North” T-shirts. I bet they’d be big sellers.