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About an hour ago
Philadelphia fired coach Doug Pederson. He and the Eagles won the Super Bowl three years ago.
Mike Tomlin, meanwhile, has a lifetime job in Pittsburgh.
Tomlin has presided over season-ending meltdowns in each of the past three years: the Steelers went from 7-2-1 to 9-6-1 and no playoffs in 2018; 8-5 to 8-8 and no playoffs in 2019; from 11-0 to 12-4 and a playoff exit from the first game this season. In 2017, the Steelers lost their first playoff game to lower seed Jacksonville at Heinz Field, edging 21-0 after less than 19 minutes.
The Steelers have won three playoff victories in 10 years. And that’s despite a Hall of Fame quarterback and a host of top talent. Their 3-6 playoff record during that time includes losses to jabroni QBs Tim Tebow and Blake Bortles.
In their latest playoff debacle, the Steelers were favored by six at home against Cleveland last Sunday. The Browns were crippled by covid and injuries. The Steelers trailed 7-0 after a snap, 28-0 after a quarter. They lost 48-37, but it wasn’t that close.
Tomlin was manhandled and Browns coach Kevin Stefanski wasn’t even there. Tomlin’s game management revealed he was living in his fears. This is his new standard.
Sunday night at Heinz Field was a total humiliation.
Chase Claypool recovered pretty quickly. The rookie catcher was on TikTok less than 24 hours after the loss. He easily dismissed loss because the Browns would be “cheered” by Kansas City in the next round of the playoffs. “Everything is fine,” Claypool said.
It is not “all good”. The culture of the Steelers is in disarray. No leader, only veterans. Much of the team is immature and fuzzy. The rest of the team won’t fix the problem.
It’s a litany of excrement. A trainer with Tomlin’s recent resume would not remain employed anywhere other than Pittsburgh. Its greatest achievements are ancient history.
Tomlin’s tenure is not improving. It gets much worse. None of the above was fuzzy. The plane crashed into the mountain.
But Tomlin will coach the Steelers for as long as he wants.
Tomlin has never known a losing season. Huzzah. Should a franchise that has won six Super Bowls be content with a near-manufactured feat in the regular season? Hey, remember when Antonio Brown had five or more catches for 50 yards or more in 35 straight games?
“The Steelers couldn’t find a better coach than Tomlin. It is often said.
But the Steelers replaced Bill Cowher. They replaced Chuck Noll who could be the best coach ever. (This was after letting Noll stay at least half a decade too long.) The franchise hasn’t had a problem finding talent to serve as a head coach.
Look at the situation objectively. There’s no logical reason to hold Tomlin apart from the idea that the Steelers never fire coaches. They have had three coaches since 1969.
Engaging in this at the expense of ignoring reality is a slippery slope.
But it’s “like the Steelers”. How the franchise works.
But “Steelers style” doesn’t work. It no longer exists. He expired with Dan Rooney. The franchise is intimidated by its own players. It’s the new “Steelers way”.
What must happen before Tomlin is fired? The Eagles went 4-11-1. Is this what it takes? It probably won’t happen next season. But it is not far.
Can Tomlin fix 4-11-1, 3-13, 5-11 or 6-10? (He just threw 11-0 in the toilet.)
Can Tomlin rebuild the Steelers? He never had to.
Tomlin will be back. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be too. Quality will be subtracted from the list via free agencies and reductions in the salary cap.
Things will not change except for the worse. The Steelers will delay rebuilding until it is unmanageable.
The solution: dismiss one or two coordinators. Tomlin leads the defense, Roethlisberger attacks. But fire those who do that. Place the marks. Hit a butterfly stitch on a gunshot wound.
Categories:
Mark Madden Columns | Sports | Steelers / NFL
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