Why coaching is responsible for the Steelers Super Bowl drought

PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 16: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on in the third quarter during the game against the New England Patriots at Heinz Field on December 16, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 16: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on in the third quarter during the game against the New England Patriots at Heinz Field on December 16, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next

Reasons Steelers Super Bowl drought:part-three. The coaching as it relates to draft picks and the offensive and defensive schemes since 2008.

In the third and final installment of our three-part series, we will look at coaching as it relates to the reasons for the Steelers Super Bowl drought that has lasted for a decade. We will also review the players whom the Steelers have drafted since 2008 and how those players fit into to the offensive and defensive schemes the Steelers have deployed since 2008.  If you have read parts one and two, you are familiar with what we discussed.  If you have not read the aforementioned, below is a synopsis.  As always, statistical and biographical information courtesy of Pro Football Reference.

In part one, we talked about how the Steelers fared in the draft over the last decade in terms of whether or not those players contributed to the success of the team. Success is debatable, but the Steelers have enjoyed better than average success in the regular season, but below average success in the postseason. Let’s review the regular season and postseason records of the Steelers over the past decade under Coach Tomlin.

From 2009-2018, the Steelers have posted a regular season record of (103) wins and (56) losses, a 54.3% winning record.  During the postseason, the Steelers have won (5) games and lost (6) games, including a Super Bowl loss.  The equates to a 45.5% winning percentage in the postseason under Coach Tomlin.

I would bet there are 30 other teams in the National Football League (with the exception of the New England Patriots) that wouldn’t mind having a 54.3% winning record in the regular season and one Super Bowl appearance over the last (10) years.  The Steelers; however, are not other teams; we are the Steelers, a team that won (4) Super Bowls in a (6) year span during the 1970s. The Steelers are a team that has had (3) head coaches since 1969; three head coaches in the last (50) years.  The Steelers are a model of stability.

Since, at the moment, we are talking about coaching as it relates to the draft, how would we assess the players the Steelers have drafted under Tomlin? Although we explored this in depth in part one, let’s review.