Losers: The Coaching
To be fair, it is almost impossible to overcome a 28-point deficit after only a quarter of play, but even with the Steelers surging as the game went on, there were plenty of questionable coaching decisions for the game. Starting with everyone’s favorite Randy Fichtner, his offense in the first quarter looked every bit as conservative and stale as it did when the team was backsliding late in the season. He is clearly an issue as an offensive coordinator, and no matter what happens with Roethlisberger, he needs to be replaced.
As for the defense, Dick Butler has had a weird stretch of games where linebackers end up covering receivers. Don’t blame T.J. Watt or Robert Spillane for getting burned by a slot receiver, as that is a horrible mismatch that makes it hard for them to succeed. Add in the defense’s inability to stop the Browns and you have easily Butler’s worst game of the season.
Finally, Mike Tomlin also deserves some criticism. This team came in with a safe game plan despite playing a dangerous opponent. It ended up biting them and causing them to lose the game. Will every one of these coaches be fired? No, and they all don’t deserve to be. That said, Fichtner in particular needs to be on a new team next year while Tomlin needs to make sure this team is playing a more aggressive and modern style of offense. As for Butler, his job should be safe, but it will be interesting to see how well this defense does after it loses some considerable talent in the offseason.
Despite the Steelers starting the season 11-0, they ended their season on a brutal 1-5 run. Changes will be coming this offseason, although it will certainly be up to Roethlisberger as to how severe those changes will end up being. This game was tough to watch, and one that will hurt us as fans for a while. That doesn’t mean we should give up on the team. The Steelers need to learn from this loss and come out hungry next year.