Steelers Great Levon Kirkland Gets Honest About What Went Wrong During The Mid 90s

The Pittsburgh Steelers had plenty of dominant defenses in the 1990s, but they could never get the job done. They got close in 1995, but a total offensive collapse in Super Bowl XXX cost them a title. It wouldn't be until 2005, when most of that team was replaced before they were finally able to get over the hump and win the franchise's fifth championship. Pittsburgh was almost always so close to glory, but something happened in the postseason to derail everything. It was definitely a frustrating time to wear the Black and Gold. 

For one of those seasons, an answer has recently come to light. On a recent episode of Coach Gibbs Defense Lab, former Steelers linebacker Levon Kirkland was asked about the Super Bowl run, but that led him to talk about 1994 instead.

"I thought the year before, we were a better team," Kirkland said. "We just didn't quite make it. I thought we were complacent against San Diego, and we took them for granted, and we did not play as dominant as we did before."

"Complacent" may have been an understatement in this particular game. For a unit that prided itself on pure dominance, allowing 350 yards and 37 points felt unacceptable for a unit so strong and so tough, even if one of the touchdowns came via special teams. Pittsburgh's offense did its job by putting up a whopping 442 yards of offense and 34 points, but it just wasn't enough in the end. 

Later on, the then-San Diego Chargers went on to have their defense really get exposed as they gave up 49 points in the highest-scoring Super Bowl of all time. Who knows if the defense would have been able to contain the San Francisco 49ers' legendary West Coast offense, but the complacency in the AFC Championship Game made it so we would never know for sure. 

For a unit that kept falling short of its goal, complacency should not be a valid excuse. The Steelers worked extremely hard week in and week out to become this fearsome squad. Kirkland even brought up the sheer amount of film study and practice they would do whether the coaches were there or not, but in a week where their dreams could come true, they took it easy and paid the price.

Kirkland eventually went on to say that everyone learned from that horrific error the very next year, and they made the Super Bowl. Despite the unfortunate outcome, he and other members of the defense continue to hold their heads high knowing that they did everything they could to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Pittsburgh. Everyone was smart enough to not get complacent again. 

Steelers Have Had Similar Issue In Recent Years

Fast-forward about 30 years, and that issue has been a massive talking point around the Steelers via fans and the media. The team has stagnated for almost a decade as every season in recent years has had the same outcome: barely missing the postseason or getting embarrassed in the first round. For many fans, that is even more frustrating than consistently winning playoff games and falling short of a Super Bowl.

However, the Steelers do have a brand-new coaching staff that has been doing everything it can to erase this stagnation and move into the future. Whether it works or not is to be determined, but trying to move forward is better than sticking with what hasn't been working. If Pittsburgh ever wants to win another playoff game -- let alone another Super Bowl -- complacency has to leave the team now.

What do you think about Kirkland admitting that the Steelers got too complacent in their 37-34 loss to the Chargers in the 1994 AFC Championship Game? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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