You possibly can in all probability cease speculating on whether or not or not the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to fireside, commerce or exchange head coach Mike Tomlin this offseason. In line with a report from the Pittsburgh Submit-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, the Steelers have no plans to actually make a head-coaching change and are anticipated to deliver Tomlin again for a nineteenth season.
In Tomlin’s first 18 seasons, the Steelers have been probably the most profitable regular-season groups in soccer. They’ve by no means had a shedding season and have maintained a persistently aggressive roster, even following the retirement of future Corridor of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Over the previous two seasons, for instance, they nonetheless received 10 video games and made the playoffs every season regardless of coming into them each with extraordinarily low expectations from across the league.
Tomlin has additionally received a Tremendous Bowl and coached in one other throughout his time with the Steelers.
The issue for him and the Steelers is that for as aggressive as they’ve been within the common season, they’ve been utterly uncompetitive within the playoffs.
Following Saturday’s 28-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers haven’t received a playoff sport because the 2016 season and have now misplaced 5 consecutive playoff video games. Tomlin is now 8-11 general within the playoffs.
What makes Saturday’s defeat much more irritating for the Steelers, their gamers and their followers is that it resulted in a five-game shedding streak to shut the season after beginning 10-3 and trying to be in full management of the AFC North. As an alternative of internet hosting a workforce just like the Los Angeles Chargers, they needed to go on the street to play their fiercest rival and one of many NFL’s finest groups.
It’s a actually difficult spot for the Steelers.
So long as they’re profitable extra video games than they lose and persistently making the playoffs, there’s a threat in making a change. The chances of discovering a greater coach are in all probability not nice, particularly given the success fee of different head-coaching hires across the NFL. However additionally it is fairly clear that the present scenario just isn’t getting them nearer to a championship. They’re workforce. That’s their ceiling.
A part of that’s because of the quarterback scenario, and till that will get resolved, it’s arduous to see that ceiling rising anytime quickly. Kenny Pickett was not the reply. They know Russell Wilson and Justin Fields should not the long-term reply. Even on the tail finish of Roethlisberger’s profession, he was not enjoying at a excessive stage. It has in all probability been seven or eight years because the Steelers have actually had high-level quarterback play.
That’s the greatest hurdle the Steelers and Tomlin must clear.
It’s not the one one, although. As inconsistent (and dangerous) because the quarterback play has been, the protection has additionally persistently failed them in playoff video games. That’s the place the Steelers have constructed their workforce from and what they rely on to win. It has not been there for them within the greatest video games.
