Hall of Fame coach George Allen took over the Washington Redskins in 1971 and turned a moribund franchise into a winner. The Pittsburgh Steelers are seemingly taking a similar approach – without the same results.

Allen assembled a roster heavy on veterans in the latter stages of their careers, many of whom had been cast off by other teams, and called them The Over the Hill Gang. Allen's teams made the playoffs five times during his seven-year tenure. Before Allen arrived, Washington hadn't played in a postseason game since 1945.

The Steelers have their own version of the Over the Hill Gang this season, and added to it by claiming wide receiver Adam Thielen off waivers from the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday. Thielen is 35 years old and has announced that his 13th season in the NFL will be his last.

The Thielen move comes after an offseason in which the Steelers signed quarterback Aaron Rodgers and cornerback Darius Slay as free agents while trading with the Miami Dolphins for defensive back Jalen Ramsey. The results have been mixed, encapsulated by the Steelers' 6-6 record.

Rodgers, 41, is fading after a solid start and is trying to play through a broken left wrist that has compromised his ability to take snaps. Rodgers has completed 65.2 percent of his passes for 2,086 yards and 19 touchdowns with seven interceptions.

Rodgers threw four touchdown passes in his Steelers' debut, a win over the New York Jets in Week 1, and matched that in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 16. However, Rodgers has played poorly in two of his last three games – with passer ratings of 50.6 in a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 9 and 65.0 in last Sunday's loss to the Buffalo Bills – and missed the second half of a win over the Bengals on Nov. 16 with his wrist injury.

Ramsey began the season at cornerback but moved to free safety after veteran Juan Thornhill struggled in his first year with the Steelers and was released. The 31-year-old Ramsey has shone at times this season, been solid overall, and even notched the first two sacks of his 10-year career in a win over the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 12. However, Ramsey is clearly not the same player who has been selected to seven Pro Bowls.

Slay sustained a concussion against the Chargers, missed one game, lost his starting job to longtime backup James Pierre, and was released on Tuesday. At 34, Slay is a lessened version of a player with six Pro Bowl nods.

Now, the Steelers will see if Thielen has anything left. His season statistics suggest the chances are slim that he can help bolster a wide receiver corps that has lacked a solid No. 2 option behind DK Metcalfe all season. In 11 games with the Vikings, Thielen was targeted just 18 times and had eight receptions for 69 yards.

If nothing else, Thielen fits in with the Steelers' Over the Hill Gang approach.