Mark Madden: Randy Fichtner should not be Steelers' sacrificial lamb

Before it started, the Steelers’ season had promise.

Then Ben Roethlisberger got hurt. Then the Steelers were 1-4. Then they were 8-5.

Then the Steelers collapsed and missed the playoffs.

The 2019 campaign was very literally up and down, then up, then down again.

Should you be disappointed the Steelers blew it? Sure. You’re fans. But realistically, a near-miss minus Roethlisberger while keeping everyone invested through 17 weeks shouldn’t cause complaint.

But it will. You’re fans.

The citizens’ sacrificial lamb of choice appears to be offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner.

But that’s just plain crazy.

After six quarters, the Steelers lost their Hall of Fame quarterback. The second- and third-string quarterbacks played, had flashes of inspiration, but were mostly useless. Neither had taken an NFL snap before this season.

The No. 1 running back was too often hurt and wasn’t very good when he wasn’t. Depth at the position was sorely lacking.

The No. 1 receiver wasn’t very good and also missed four games because of injury.

The tight end position vanished. It was nonexistent.

A talented (we think) offensive line soiled the bed. It struggled to pass block, and it’s difficult to run block when the opposition has eight men in the box because it knows your quarterback is rotten. The running backs gave little help on pass blocking.

How was Fichtner supposed to fix all that? What strategy was available to allow Fichtner to coach around all those weaknesses?

Even the best offensive coordinator formulates the occasional bad gameplan or makes the occasional bad play call. Fichtner certainly is no exception.

But once Roethlisberger got hurt, Fichtner was presented with a situation he could not repair, and he didn’t.

The offense was historically bad: It didn’t score 28 or more points in a game. It didn’t have a 300-yard passer. It scored just one offensive touchdown in eight of the last nine games. The Steelers did not score a touchdown on their first possession of any game.

It was a stink sandwich, and Fichtner certainly has to take a big bite.

But all that trickled down from losing Roethlisberger.

To wit: The Steelers’ red-zone offense ranked first in 2018, last in 2019. Did that happen because Fichtner got stupid?

It’s unreasonable to expect Fichtner to turn Mason Rudolph or Devlin Hodges into Roethlisberger, or even into much better than they were.

The torrent of blame raining down upon Fichtner is reminiscent of what happened to defensive coordinator Keith Butler after his platoon struggled in 2018.

But in 2019, the defense coalesced into an elite unit. Butler didn’t get much credit. The coordinator rarely does. He’s a handy scapegoat when things go wrong, especially in Pittsburgh where the head coach never gets fired.

The defensive improvement was mostly about the players, and the addition of catalyst Minkah Fitzpatrick at safety. The offensive collapse was also about the players.

But that reality doesn’t provide for a sacrificial lamb.

Roethlisberger haters see Fichtner as the quarterback’s hand-picked bobo. Blaming Fichtner is a way to blame Roethlisberger even though Roethlisberger didn’t play.

What does Mike Tomlin think? Firing Fichtner would satiate the mob and deflect blame. But that would be the sole impetus for doing so.

That offense would have been bad regardless of its coordinator. No Ben, no chance. If Roethlisberger returns at some semblance of 100% next season, the offense will be good and the Steelers make the playoffs. If he doesn’t, the same happens.

Tomlin should hire a quarterbacks coach and pretend he did something. You’re easily fooled.