For years now, Steelers fans and general NFL fans alike have questioned whether Mike Tomlin’s job as Steelers head coach is on the ropes. True, he has never led the team to a losing season in his 16-season tenure, but he also has not led the team to a playoff win since 2016. Even in the early-to-mid-2010s, when the Steelers assembled arguably one of their greatest teams of all time, they still could not win a coveted Super Bowl ring. Steelers fans are certainly tired of the lack of improvement since the decline of legendary quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s career, and many complain that the Steelers are wasting the talent and careers of multiple future hall-of-famers (TJ Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, etc). So, the question many fans must ask themselves is: is Tomlin to blame for the Steelers’ apparent lack of success?
To which I would answer: at the end of the day, Tomlin simply finds ways to win no matter what he is given.
Ever since Roethlisberger’s career-changing elbow injury ended his year in the second game of the 2019 season, he was simply never the same. Few quarterbacks recover fully from such an injury, let alone at age 37. This was also the season after the Steelers lost both Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, two of the league’s greatest offensive weapons of the 2010s. The team was clearly on the decline. Since 2019, the Steelers have cycled between Devlin Hodges, Mason Rudolph, Josh Dobbs, Mitch Tribuisky, Kenny Pickett, and now Justin Fields at quarterback.
Rather than insulting him for a lack of success in recent years, fans should thank Mike Tomlin for leading horrendous rosters to winning seasons in a highly competitive division. It’s true that the team has been mediocre at best for the past several seasons, but mediocre should exceed expectations when taken into consideration the complete lack of quarterback talent that the Steelers have seen in the time period. It’s ridiculously impressive that Tomlin has managed even or winning records while coaching horrible teams in what is without a doubt the NFL’s most competitive division, the AFC North. He should be given credit for leading the Steelers to such success, not ridiculed for a lack of playoff berths and wins. He has simply had little to nothing to work with – and still seen success and victory.
Another common argument against Tomlin is that he has not produced enough successful assistant coaches in his career. While this is true, a head coaches’ success in the league has never been measured by their ability to produce assistant coaches. Clearly, Tomlin’s primary goal as a head coach is the same as all head coaches’ goals should be – to win, not to create coaching masterminds.
Unfortunately, the Steelers have had some recent draft picks which did not pan out. Kenny Pickett was a failure, Devin Bush’s career was blemished with injuries, and it looks like Najee Harris may be leaving Pittsburgh after this season. From these picks, one might come to the conclusion that the Steelers may look better today had they been terrible for a few years and secured earlier draft picks. Then, the team might have drafted their guys of the future, and/or our franchise quarterback – recent draft classes have been loaded with talent.
But intentionally losing (“tanking,” as it is often called) for a draft pick is simply not the Steeler way. As Tomlin often says, “the standard is the standard.” Pittsburgh is, and will always be, a competitive football team. 6 years of competitive mediocrity can be frustrating for fans, but if Tomlin is a guy who turns truly bad rosters into competitive ones, there is no reason to get rid of him. Personally, I think the ability to work with bad rosters and difficult schedules and create winning seasons is unbelievably impressive, and a great way to coach a team – maybe even one only Tomlin could replicate.
In addition, Tomlin is a guy that NFL athletes simply love playing for. Besides for Tomlin’s polished speaking abilities and his incredible ability to win, he creates great team chemistry. Players love playing for him, and assistant coaches love coaching for him. Every off-season, he attracts talented free agent and prospect names from around the league solely because they want to play for the great Mike Tomlin.
We cannot truly blame him for the lack of Super Bowls in the 2010s, either. Although the Steelers assembled an incredible team, it was also in the same era as the Tom Brady-led Patriots dynasty, the Seahawks’ Legion of Boom, and around the peaks of quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, Cam Newton, Tony Romo, Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers, Russell Wilson, Eli Manning, Matt Ryan, Matthew Stafford, and more. It was arguably the most competitive era that the NFL has ever seen, and competing with the Patriots for Super Bowl appearances would prove to be extremely difficult. All of this is not to mention the countless locker room problems that Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell caused, which Tomlin calmly handled impressively for upwards of 5 years. There have been some very unfortunate playoff losses in recent Steelers history, but considering the extreme competition level of the NFL in this era, we cannot discredit Tomlin for a lack of rings. I dare say that if the mid-2010s Steelers super-team was assembled in today’s league, they would absolutely win Super Bowls.
And to any Tomlin critics, I have bad news: he’s most likely not going anywhere. In June of this year, Tomlin was extended through 2027. The Rooneys know how to run a football team; they put Pittsburgh sports on the map by creating the greatest football franchise of all time. The owners love him, the players love him, and no matter your opinion on Tomlin, one thing is undeniable: they know what’s best for the Steelers far more than fans do. If you are someone who disapproves of Tomlin, I ask that you re-evaluate his career and success in the league: consider the rosters he’s been given, and the competition he has faced. He’s an incredible coach, and fans should be thankful to have him leading our team.
