Does The Emperor Have No Clothes?

We all knows the Hans Christian Anderson tale. We all heard it as kids. Two weavers promise the Emperor, who cares for nothing but his clothes, a new set of clothes from a cloth that can not be seen by anyone who is unfit for his position. Or who is just hopelessly stupid. The emperor himself can not see the cloth, but pretends that he can for fear of appearing unfit for his position; his ministers do the same. After the con artists dress him in the pretend cloth. The Emperor marches in procession before his subjects. During the procession, a young boy yells out that the Emperor is wearing nothing at all. The other subjects then take up the cry. The Emperor cringes, suspecting that the assertion is true, but holds himself up proudly and continues the procession.

This is the way the situation appears right now. That Coach Mike Tomlin is the Emperor. Bruce Arians and Dick LeBeau are the ministers. Tom Brady is the young boy who showed that the Steelers were naked. And Steeler Nation has become the subjects that take up the cry.

After Sunday nights thumping of the Steelers by the Patriots, everyone took up the cry. I read it on blogs. I read it in newspapers. I watched it on ESPN. Everyone is wondering if this is going to be a repeat of last year, and for good reason. The Steelers were 6-2 at the half way mark last year. They then lost 5 in a row and ended up 9-7 and out of the playoffs. The Steelers have now lost 2 of their last 3 games. The team appears to be slipping. And the fan base is naturally worried. The players are concerned also. Here is a quote from Mike Wallace:

"We got to stop it early. Last year we let it come up on us too fast. Things got in over our heads too fast and it was hard to bounce back, especially in the division we are in. "

I'll actually cut Arians a little slack, which I rarely do. With Starks and Kemoeatu out, the Steelers were missing most of the left side of their offensive line. And when Ben's security blanket, Hines Ward, was knocked out of the game at the end of the first quarter, I knew the Steelers' chances were slim. Although I have to question Rashard Mendenhall only getting 11 carries. Not a good game plan.

LeBeau will get no slack. Tom Brady sliced and diced the Steelers' 4th ranked defense. LeBeau was out coached. This is where the Emperor was missing his clothes. There was no pressure on Brady the entire night. His uniform was spotless at the end of the game. Brady threw for 350 yards. He threw three touchdown passes to a rookie tight end. There were no sacks and no turnovers. The Emperor was exposed, naked, and humiliated. The Steelers' defense looked lost. The Patriots went with a two tight end offensive scheme that froze the Steelers' defense. Even Polomalu looked lost. He described the loss as "incredibly humbling". This defense has lost it's edge. It has not been dominating since Ben came back.

In the fairy tale, the Emperor refused to see the reality of the situation. He couldn't swallow his pride and admit he was wrong. There are many tales and stories with similar lessons. In Jim Collins' book, "Good to Great", he tells the story of Admiral Stockdale, a famous Vietnam War veteran and former prisoner of war. Collins tells of how "Good to Great" companies use the "Stockdale Paradox". It basically states that you must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties. And at the same time, you must have the discipline to face the brutal facts of your situation. The Emperor couldn't face the brutal facts. I believe the Steelers can prevail. But right now, the they have some brutal facts to face.

Does the Emperor have no clothes? It's a good question. I hope the Steelers' coaching staff is taking it up. And if the Emperor is naked, I hope he is putting some of his old clothes back on for the Oakland game on Sunday.