PITTSBURGH — One of the most quoted lines from the classic movie "The Shawshank Redemption" is when Morgan Freeman's character is pondering what life after a long incarceration looks like and he says, "Get busy living or get busy dying."

In this context, Freeman's character had the choice to either stay stuck in a mundane life at a dead-end job, wither away and wait to die or he could take a chance and do something different, something that will breathe new life and energy into him. If you have seen the movie, you know he chose to get busy living — unlike many institutionalized inmates who were in the same spot before him — and he hops on a bus to go to the coast in Mexico to join his friend for the final chapter of his life.

It is a simple yet profound principle but one that really should be the motto of just about everyone who has reached that kind of crossroads in their lives. Those people stuck in a mundane job or life that want a change yet never have the courage to make a change are basically getting busy dying.

This principle can apply to many walks of life, and that includes sports franchises, as some seem to be stuck in the same place, doing the same routine and are in essence slowly dying. And that brings me to the Steelers, who are the ultimate example of a franchise that was once at the top of the NFL but is now in a sad state of being stuck on a track that appears to be headed to nowhere.

There is no reason to bring up Mike Tomlin's recent record, some of the failings in personnel and all of the things that have been written about and talked about ad nauseam for most of the past month. As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Sunday, the Steelers aren't going to move on from Mike Tomlin or probably any of the stars, so they essentially are choosing to continue being busy dying.

Look, I don't care one way or the other about Tomlin. I think it is time, I think the organization is stale and I think a new voice and philosophy are needed. But if Tomlin must stay, that's fine as long as the Steelers take a long look at what they are doing and make some dramatic changes.

And no, firing a coordinator and position coach or two is not a dramatic change unless the coaches brought in are from an entirely different philosophical tree than Tomlin. I am not sure that will happen because as long as Tomlin is in charge, the team and coaching staff will be built according to his philosophy. But if the Steelers want to get busy living, they need to stop what they've done for the last eight seasons and try a few different things.

That's especially true when you consider the lay of the land in the AFC. Quite frankly, if you look around the conference, the Steelers are a middling team and probably have less hope of improving dramatically than just about anyone.

Start with the obvious: The Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes, the Bills have Josh Allen and the Ravens have Lamar Jackson. All three quarterbacks are in their primes. The Steelers are chasing all three and they aren't going to catch them by playing 1970s offensive football.

Add the Houston Texans, who have a really young and talented quarterback in C.J. Stroud and an improving roster and have won a playoff game in each of the last two seasons. There is no question this is a franchise on the rise. They are already ahead of the Steelers, which doesn't bode well for the next few seasons.

Then there are the Chargers and Broncos, who are both teams that made the playoffs this year in the first year of a new era. The Chargers were horrible last year and have a lot of holes in their roster but under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh won 11 games and made the playoffs. The Broncos paid Russell Wilson to go away, drafted Bo Nix, won 10 games and made the playoffs.

Both teams will almost assuredly fill some of their roster holes, especially the Broncos who should have some cap space free to make moves, and both have good, young quarterbacks and excellent coaches in place. These are two more teams the Steelers are going to have to figure out how to keep up with. I don't know that they have the ability to do that.

Those are just the playoff teams, and that doesn't include the Bengals, who have maybe the best quarterback in the NFL; the Patriots, who have a good, young quarterback and an excellent coach in place; and maybe even the Jaguars, as they will get a new coach who will presumably straighten out the mess that organization has become.

In other words, the Steelers better be bold this offseason and do things that are not characteristic of them. They need to take a hard look at their roster and ask themselves this question: Has the $100-plus million investment in the defense paid off? Has the commitment to running the football paid off? Have they gotten enough bang for their buck out of their drafts in recent years?

The answer to all three questions is a pretty resounding "nope."

The defense is where I would start. It's not good enough, and there is way too much money tied up in it. The secondary needs a complete overhaul, and the place to start is finding someone willing to trade draft picks for Minkah Fitzpatrick. He is a luxury item and not worth the salary he is being paid.

Trade him, free up the money, get a couple of picks back and invest in cornerbacks.

I would also say the same thing about T.J. Watt. I would trade him for picks, live with Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith and hope you can pour some of the money into the offense.

Again, be bold. Get busy living or stay busy dying.

After watching the Commanders play Sunday, I am also convinced the Steelers should commit to Justin Fields as their quarterback. Jayden Daniels is a dynamic talent, but he isn't a particularly accurate passer, and most of what the Commanders do in the passing game is schemed.

It works well for them because Daniels is a runner. They do read option stuff with him, designed runs for him, etc., etc. The one big thing is this: The Commanders hired an innovative offensive coordinator who built a system around Daniels' talents. Arthur Smith isn't that, but unfortunately, he is someone who shares the run-heavy, conservative approach of Tomlin.

That's why I say Tomlin can stay as long as he looks around the NFL and understands nobody else that is having success wants to play the way the 1970s Steelers played. Nobody. I was under the weather, so I sat around and watched the NFL playoffs all weekend. For the most part, the teams that advanced are teams that embrace aggressive and innovative offense.

Fields is the most dynamic talent on the Steelers offense and therefore the Steelers' best shot at being dynamic on that side of the ball. I was ripped when I said Tomlin made a mistake when he switched to Wilson, but that's because Wilson represented the safe choice. Yes, he can make some pretty throws, but there was always a ceiling to him, whereas Fields, in the right system with the right guy calling plays, could be Daniels or even Lamar Jackson light.

The Steelers need to significantly upgrade their receiving corps. That's why they need to trade a few of their big contracts on defense, as they aren't likely to fix it through the draft and signing scrap-heap guys is a waste of time. The Steelers receiving corps was not good enough last year and then they traded their second-best receiver to make it worse.

George Pickens needs to mature in the offseason, but he is adequate as the No. 1 receiver if he grows up and starts really working at becoming elite. I think Calvin Austin III is fine as a complementary receiver but not as a No. 2. The rest of the group is pedestrian, so along with investing in corners, the Steelers need to invest in receivers.

I am not suggesting the Steelers need to completely scrap their baseline philosophies, as it has served them well to a certain extent. But the organization has become stale, the football philosophy outdated, and this unhealthy loyalty to stability has become a detriment, not an asset.

The Steelers can keep Tomlin in place if they want because he is a better coach than many, but if they don't force him to adapt to football played in the 21st century and beyond, then they are going to stay busy dying. That's no way to live.

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