It seems the threshold of tolerance should have already been crossed…
The Pittsburgh Steelers have lost each of their last five playoff appearances under Head Coach Mike Tomlin. Yet, fans and pundits alike remain wholly skeptical that team president Art Rooney II will enforce any meaningful change this offseason.
The standard is the standard… and that standard has taken a nosedive since the team’s last playoff win back in the 2016 season. But still, it doesn’t feel like Tomlin’s in any danger of losing his job. His seat isn’t hot; hell, it’s not even lukewarm. After all, how do you fire a head coach with 18 consecutive winning seasons?
In theory, keeping Tomlin around makes sense. The winning record, the love his players have for him, his leadership abilities — he knows Pittsburgh football better than anyone… but none of it means anything if the postseason starts and ends in the Wild Card Round each and every season, does it? Never have regular-season wins felt so meaningless.
The question Steelers fans should be asking is, “If now’s not the time to move on from Tomlin, then when?” What line, if any, would Rooney draw in the sand when it comes to Tomlin’s employment with the team?
Is an 8-11 record in the NFL playoffs not enough? Are the failed attempts to find a capable offensive coordinator not enough? How about the fact that the Steelers have now ranked bottom-10 in offensive yards in each of the past six seasons and hasn’t ranked top-12 in points since 2018?
None of that probably matters. The fact is, the Rooneys are much more likely to let Tomlin’s current contract expire than enact meaningful change. Even if the team moves on from DC Teryl Austin, it’s still Tomlin’s defense at heart. Even if the team moves on from OC Arthur Smith, Tomlin’s fingerprints will be all over the decision-making process. None of that changes until he’s out of the building.
Simply put, if the Rooneys haven’t yet their limit with Tomlin, they never will. Fans should buckle in.