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We all know the “tomlinisms” of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. His colorful descriptive sentences to turn a sound mouthful.
There is usually a message underlining these quotes, too. Truth and lessons below.
The problem is, if you judge Tomlin by his own slogans, he hasn’t measured them in the past 10 years.
At least not to the “standard” that he so often mentions. Here are some examples.
“Smile in the face of adversityWhen the going got tough, there have been a lot more frowns than smiles at Heinz Field in recent years. When the going got tough, the Steelers started …
… Right out of the playoffs.
After a 7-2-1 start in 2018, the train started to wobble. Tomlin and his players couldn’t keep him on track. They finished 2-4 and missed the playoffs.
The team certainly put on a big smile in 2019, when they managed to go 8-3 in their first 11 games after quarterback Ben Roethlisberger got injured in Week 2. But they lost the last three games of the year to miss the playoffs.
Then there’s this year’s utter collapse after an unbeaten 11-0 start.
“It was a disappointment. I recognize that, ”Tomlin said Wednesday. “I am not going to maintain the status quo and I hope the result will change. This is the definition of insanity.
Watching the last six weeks of this season has certainly driven Steelers fans crazy. Tomlin got that part right.
We can also talk about not smiling in the face of adversity in individual games in the last two playoff appearances. There were bad starts against the Cleveland Browns this year and the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017, and the Tomlin Steelers couldn’t find a way to stop the bleeding quickly enough in either contest. .
Both results ended in discomfort in the playoffs.
“We don’t live in our fears“: Yes you do. All the time.
That’s why you decided to kick the Browns 38-yard line while losing 28-0 early in the second quarter. Then again on the fourth and the 1 while you were behind 35-23 to open the fourth quarter.
That’s why you didn’t let Matthew Wright attempt a 45-yard basket late in the fourth quarter against Washington with the game tied 17-17. Or let your struggling racing game try to get a yardstick. Instead, Roethlisberger said a prayer to a returning recruit.
You lived through your fears of the Dallas kick block unit to the point that you dodged a late-game field goal attempt that would have earned your team eight points. Instead, the Cowboys stayed down five points and almost won the game.
Last year you were so scared of your own offense and bad comebacks that you decided to return the ball in overtime for a possible loss to Baltimore.
It is the height of your fears.
Now Steelers fans should be concerned about finishing third – or worse – in the AFC North for the foreseeable future.
“A high floor“: It’s an expression Tomlin uses to describe a player – or a team – that is characterized by consistent quality of performance.
They / He may be capable of great things on occasion, but they never slip under a winning caliber of play.
I mean, he practically describes himself, doesn’t he? Of course, Mike Tomlin never drops below 0.500. He is still between 8 and 12 wins. And if the team isn’t in the playoffs, they’re alive within the last two weeks.
Awesome. Here is the problem. We haven’t seen Tomlin hit a “high cap” since 2010. We’ve only seen several playoff wins in Pittsburgh once a season since.
This is despite a lot of ‘high ceiling’ talent on the roster over those years.
“If you have red paint, paint the barn red“: I’m pretty sure he stole this one from Dick LeBeau, but that’s okay. I receive the images.
The point is, you build your game plan based on how much talent you have. The problem is, the Steelers don’t have enough red paint.
When injury or illness has plagued Devin Bush, Bud Dupree, James Conner and Ben Roethlisberger over the past two years, it has proven just how slim the Steelers’ depth is. And I think that’s part of the reason we’ve seen the squad disappear so dramatically in December lately.
When the paint starts to peel, Tomlin can’t seem to find the right shade of red to repair the bare spots.
It’s time to find more versatile colors to repaint the barn. And since much of the barn will have to be rebuilt anyway, I’m concerned about how much paint Kevin Colbert can afford to buy.
“The norm is the norm»: We will end with the big one.
Mike Tomlin has said that “the standard” has been “the norm” in the organization since joining the Steelers coach in 2007. And for most of his early years on the job, the team has been living up to it. of this creed.
Since the Steelers and New England Patriots are the only NFL teams with six Super Bowl trophies, “the norm” in Pittsburgh is competing for the titles. Over the past 10 years, it feels like the Steelers have flirted with that high bar but haven’t hit it often enough.
In just two of those seasons (2015, 2016), the Steelers won a playoff game. It’s the same as the franchise slogan in the 1980s (1984, 1989).
Tomlin’s teams never hit rock bottom like those editions of the 1980s. But in the decade after Super Bowl XLV, the Steelers missed the playoffs four times and lost four times in their first game. – without any playoff wins in the past four seasons.
All this with Roethlisberger on watch for nine of those years. What’s the biggest difference between this comparison with the 1980s.
Based on “the standard,” Tomlin claims to meet, for much of the past decade he hasn’t.
“It’s our desire to be competitive,” said Tomlin. “To compete and pursue a world championship every year. As we begin this process of preparing for 2021, that will be our mindset. “
Considering Roethlisberger’s age and the terrible salary cap situation looming this offseason, this will be even more difficult to accomplish next fall.
TribLive Steelers Beat Writer Joe Rutter joins me for our latest podcast of the 2020-2021 Mike Tomlin Press Conference. We’re talking about Ben Roethlisberger’s future, the offseason salary cap issues and Tomlin’s contract.
Tim Benz is an editor for Tribune-Review. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication, unless otherwise specified.
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Sports | Steelers / NFL | Breakfast with Benz
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