The Pittsburgh Steelers are a mess.

That sentence is rarely written or uttered. In the last 20 years, the Steelers have had just three losing seasons.

That’s a long history of success, nurtured by smart drafting, knowing when to jettison players when they have reached the end of their usefulness and good old fashioned stability in the front office and on the sidelines.

But this season has been like few others in that 20-year run.

This team has a different vibe to it. And it isn’t good.

There’s just something amiss about this team.

Perhaps it has something to do with the personalities on the roster.

The Steelers have maintained their success for so long by employing players with high character.

Think Hines Ward. Think Jerome Bettis.

Both of those guys are long gone. They are missed.

What is left are the shenanigans of Mike Wallace and Rashard Mendenhall.

Wallace held out during training camp because he wanted a long-term contract.

When he did show up, his play has been aloof at best.

He’s also had more drops than Limas Sweed.

Meanwhile, Mendenhall has been demoted to backup towel boy.

And he’s not handling it very well.

Mendenhall apparently had something better to do at 1 p.m. Sunday than stand on the Steelers’ sideline.

The running back, who has more fumbles than touchdowns this year, failed to show up at Heinz Field, prompting a one-game suspension.

Could you see Bettis doing something like that?

When Bettis’ role was severely reduced, he didn’t react negatively. Instead, he went about his day business-like.

That’s the problem right now for the Steelers, whose fans don’t tolerate malcontents.

It’s pretty bad when rookie defensive tackle Alameda Ta’amu, who allegedly evaded police while driving intoxicated and struck several parked cars, has a brighter future with the Steelers than either Wallace or Mendenhall.

It’s hard to envision the Steelers bringing either one of them back.

And that’s good.

It hasn’t been just questionable character guys who don’t have the team’s interests first that have sunk the black and gold this season.

Other areas of the team are in disarray.

The offensive line has been inconsistent. Sunday against the Chargers, Ben Roethlisberger had little time to set up in the pocket. He was running for his life most of the game.

While Roethlisberger was out with his shoulder and rib injuries, his backups were woefully inadequate.

The front office has some work to do this offseason, mainly purging the roster of malcontents, shoring up the offensive line and getting a younger, more adequate backup quarterback in for when Big Ben is banged up.

Then, perhaps, things can get back to normal in the ‘Burgh.

Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.