The Pittsburgh Steelers ended their season 10-7. Another winning season, but who cares anymore? Since joining the team in 2007, head coach Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season. He has succeeded in Pittsburgh, accumulating a record of 183-107-2 and winning a Super Bowl in only his second season as head coach. In 2011, just two years after the Super Bowl win, Tomlin led the Steelers back to the Super Bowl, this time suffering a loss to the Packers.
Tomlin succeeded early on and has done a lot for this city and the Steelers. Making two Super Bowls in your first four years as head coach is a remarkable feat, but things have not gone great for Tomlin or the Steelers since then. Success seems to be avoiding Tomlin. Since the 2010 season, the Steelers have only won three playoff games, which is utterly abysmal. To make matters worse, they have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season. Everybody would be up in arms if this were any other coach, but for some reason, Tomlin seems to have a “get out of losing free” card. Until recently, Tomlin could do no wrong in the eyes of the public, but after finishing this season with four straight losses and a looming playoff match at Baltimore, people seem to be coming to their senses.
Fans of any team want their team to win the Super Bowl year after year. Everyone knows that it is not possible, but it is more than possible to win more than three playoff games since 2010. Steelers fans want them to win this Saturday. However, if they do noy win, it should be the final nail in the coffin for Tomlin’s career. After all, "the standard is the standard.” Especially lately, the Steelers have struggled, and something needs to change. Steelers fans have given Tomlin too many free passes and chances over the past few years. First, they blamed Matt Canada for their troubles; they got rid of him, and nothing changed. Then they blamed Kenny Pickett; he left, and nothing changed. They have tried to make changes, and nothing has helped, so maybe it is time to look at that constant. That constant is Mike Tomlin.
Photo courtesy of: ESPN
The Mike Tomlin die-hards will claim that he is doing fine since he has not had a losing season. Those people do not like success. Pittsburgh is the City of Champions, not the City of Just Barely Not Losers. Steelers fans are tired of doing just okay. If the team can beat the Baltimore Ravens in this weekend’s wildcard game, they may ride the Tomlin train a bit longer, but they can not handle another year without a playoff win.