Following the 2014 season, both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles made efforts to improve their team on the field for the beginning of the 2015 season; however some of the decisions made by these teams have sparked controversy among fans and media.

The Steelers stuck to their usual approach to every offseason: stay quiet in free agency and build through the draft. Pittsburgh’s front office finds long-term value in the draft and short-term value in unemployed players. The team drafted outside linebacker Alvin “Bud” Dupree, who attended the University of Kentucky, and former Auburn wide receiver Sammie Coates.

The Steelers signed plenty of complimentary free agents over the summer, but they made a questionable transaction that displeased many fans. The Steelers welcomed Michael Vick, who last played for the Jets as a backup quarterback. Steelers’ fans were irate when the news broke, and the decision sparked curiosity as this went against the Steelers strict rules of player integrity and maturity. Pittsburgh has had their fair share of integrity issues; most recently the marijuana charges against star running back Le’Veon Bell and second year wide receiver Martavis Bryant. Additionally, team captain and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s sexual assault accusations have also been a source of controversy.

Vick is haunted by his past incidents involving drugs, gambling and the infamous acts of animal abuse—particularly his involvement in illegal dog fighting. The Virginia native served 21 months in federal prison for these crimes.

So why is he in Pittsburgh on a one year contract? The Steelers desperately needed a solid second-string quarterback to replace Roethlisberger in case of injury. Also, head coach Mike Tomlin and Vick are good friends.

It still does not excuse Vick’s past actions, and it goes against Pittsburgh’s tough disciplinary regulations. The Steelers have not shied away from releasing players who had run-ins with the law or were a nuisance in the team’s locker room. Santonio Holmes, former Super XLIII MVP, was traded away to the New York Jets in 2008 immediately after being arrested for possession of drugs. Last season, the Steelers signed running back LeGarrette Blount and cut him midseason for walking to the locker room and staying there for the remainder of a game against the Tennessee Titans to express his disapproval at for a lack of playing time.

The Steelers hold their players to high standards, but sometimes they are inconsistent with who they actually discipline. Roethlisberger, a two-time Super Bowl winner, is still a member of the team even after multiple accusations of rape. Bell and Bryant are still in Pittsburgh as well, but Holmes was removed immediately even though the charges were dropped. Former defensive player of the year James Harrison was arrested for hitting his girlfriend in 2008, yet he remains in Pittsburgh.

One could argue that the Steelers do not actually enforce their player conduct rules as much as people like to think that they do. Roethlisberger, Harrison, Bell and Bryant are all stars, which may be the reason that they have not had the same fate as Holmes or Blount.

Steelers’ fans were not excited when Vick joined the Pittsburgh squad. One of them started a petition to have Vick removed from the team; the petition garnered over 10,000 signatures. Unlike many athletes who break the law, Vick has gone above and beyond to clear his image and change himself as an individual. His decisions and actions after the dog fighting transgressions suggest that he has matured. The quarterback has publicly voiced his support for foundations that are against animal abuse and donated money to such charities. In addition, he advocated for the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act to be passed in Congress. Not only has Vick overcome his past, but he has set the precedent for troubled players like his former self.

Looking forward to the 2015 season, Pittsburgh has high expectations with its sights set on another Super Bowl appearance. Led by Roethlisberger and Pro Bowl receiver Antonio Brown, the Steelers hope to clinch the division and lead the NFL in multiple offensive categories, as they did in the previous season.

Although the offense will not be issue, the Steelers may struggle with their defensive scheme throughout the season. It is unusual to report something negative about the Steel Curtain, because Pittsburgh is historically known for having one of the top defenses in NFL history. The Steelers promoted linebackers coach, Keith Butler, to defensive coordinator in offseason, and he began to implement his new plan.

Growing pains were evident as the Steelers were defeated by the New England Patriots in the season opener.  The Steelers surrendered four touchdowns to quarterback Tom Brady, three of which he threw to tight end Rob Gronkowski, who Butler emphasized was vital to shut down if Pittsburgh hoped to leave Foxboro with a victory.

After a disappointing week one, the Steelers bounced back immediately the following game with a convincing win over the visiting San Francisco 49ers by a score of 43-18. Black & Gold’s offense marched up and down the field and the defense did not allow a rushing touchdown. The Steelers are currently 2-1 and will travel to St. Louis to improve their record against the 0-3 Ravens.

Over on the east side of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Eagles seek to reclaim the division crown after missing out on the playoffs in 2014 with a 10-6 record. A host of moves were made in the offseason, conducted by third year head coach and offensive guru Chip Kelly. Some of Kelly’s were very surprising to not only fans and reporters, but to the players themselves.

Kelly’s most recognized and scrutinized transaction in the summer involved his former star running back and University of Pittsburgh graduate LeSean McCoy, who was traded to the Buffalo Bills for middle linebacker Kiko Alonso. Alonso is familiar with Kelly as he played under him while Kelly was the head coach at Oregon University. The next move, or lack thereof, was the failure to retain wide receiver Jeremy Maclin via free agency. Coming off the best season of his career, Maclin left Philadelphia to join the Kansas City Chiefs, and to reunite with his former head coach Andy Reid.

Kelly’s offseason extravaganza did not stop there; he soon traded a draft pick and starting quarterback Nick Foles to the St. Louis Rams for injury prone quarterback Sam Bradford. The Eagles also signed former Seattle Seahawks corner back Byron Maxwell to improve their poor secondary and replaced McCoy with 2014 rushing yards-leader DeMarco Murray. Additionally, Kelly brought in fan favorite quarterback Tim Tebow to compete for a back up position and drafted University of Southern California prodigy Nelson Agholor with the team’s first round pick. Some other players that did not return to Philadelphia for the 2015 season were tight end James Casey, guard Evan Mathis, linebacker Trent Cole and cornerback Cary Williams.

Kelly’s integrity soon came into question as the public was processing these moves. Rumors surfaced that Kelly was a racist did not want too many African-American players on his team. The buzz commenced on ESPN when McCoy made a puzzling statement regarding the situation describing Kelly as a ‘racist.’

Aside from the controversy, both sides could argue the Eagles may or may not have improved in the offseason. As of right now, Philadelphia sits in last place of the NFC East division with a 1-2 record, beating the Jets, but falling to the Atlanta Falcons and the Dallas Cowboys. Murray and Bradford have underperformed and the Eagles seem to miss their former teammates. Time will tell, but the Eagles have plenty of catching up to do and will be tested by the Redskins in week four.

At first, I predicted the Steelers and Eagles to win both their respective divisions and claim a spot in the upcoming playoffs, but there may only be some truth to that. Even though Pittsburgh is 2-1, they have been very impressive minus Bell and Bryant in the offense. The defense is holding its ground while learning the new system. The Eagles on the other hand are not showing much promise to a potential postseason berth. Kelly and the Eagles are not lighting up the scoreboards like they did for the past two seasons. Murray only gained 11 rushing yards through the first two games, while Bradford has already given up four interceptions.

Based on what has happened through the opening weeks of the season, I still believe that Pittsburgh will ride their offense into the playoffs, win close to 11 games and make some noise in the postseason, while Philadelphia will struggle to find their new identity finishing with, at best, an 8-8 record.

– Zach S.