Ryan Clark believes Steelers can be “extremely competitive.”

If there's one television personality out there who knows what a good Mike Tomlin and Pittsburgh Steelers team looks like, it would be Ryan Clark. He was with the team from 2006 to 2013 and won five of his six playoff games with the team, including a Super Bowl championship. His only playoff loss was the 2010 Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers. He knows what Mike Tomlin wants his teams to look like and what it takes to be successful in that form.

Clark criticized Mike Tomlin's decision to move on from Justin Fields, but he now believes Russell Wilson is “changing this team” and he really likes the direction the Steelers are headed.

“If you look at this team, the last two second halves with Russell Wilson at the helm, they had those dynamic, explosive plays and that's something they needed and was missing a little bit with Justin Fields at the helm,” Clark said via ESPN's SportsCenter. “So if they continue to get better, the running game improves and this defense makes plays the way they did, turning the ball over, this can be a very competitive team across the board.”

We all knew that defense would be the defining unit of this team. With the second-best defense allowing just 14.9 points per game, these expectations have been met so far. Their play was solid, but there is definitely room for improvement. They are capable of achieving much more as a unit as they continue to grow together with some of the newer parts.

It's important not to ignore special teams either. The Steelers block punts and field goals and return punts for touchdowns. When the offense or defense cannot provide the decisive spark, the special forces unit has proven its ability to continually provide excitement and help turn the tide of games.

The offensive is finally taking shape. Wilson is distributing the ball and making his weapons look much better than they looked just a few weeks ago. Guys like Darnell Washington suddenly become via options, and opposing teams have a lot more to defend. Because of this balance, there was much more room for Najee Harris and the ground game to succeed. Week 8 brought Harris three straight games with over 100 rushing yards.

This team's intended identity was clear from the start. It's a formula that can work in the playoffs, but the Steelers need to be able to execute that identity consistently. Over the last few weeks, and especially since Wilson has been the starting quarterback, they have started to show that consistency.

The divisional schedule hasn't started yet, so there's still a lot to learn about this team. That being said, Ryan Clark has seen and been a part of good Mike Tomlin-led Steelers teams, and he recognizes some of those traits in this current group.