Talk is cheap.
It might be a simple statement, but Mike Tomlin is right. You can conjure up every scenario in the book, but if you're not winning meaningful football games, there is nothing to back up your words. Tomlin has been the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers for 19 seasons, and has won a Super Bowl. His biggest issue has been a hot start to a career that ultimately led to mediocrity.
Pittsburgh is tired of the mushy middle that the Steelers have been stuck in under the direction of Tomlin. They haven't won a playoff game in nine years, and it appears each season is the same. Their goal is to keep Tomlin's useless 'non-losing season ' streak alive, and pack it up once the playoffs hit. Sometimes they don't even make the postseason, but they find a way to keep from a losing record.
Everyone should give Tomlin the benefit of the doubt that he isn't shooting for anything but a Super Bowl, but his players don't seem to be following that.
'The standard' in his players' eyes has only become a race to not be the first group under Tomlin to produce a losing record. Instead, they play hard for their head coach to get him over the hump. That is disastrous and should be a call for change.
Talk is cheap after Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin just blew another playoff game
Everyone who left the stadium early was wise.
After holding the game close heading into the fourth quarter with a score of 7-6, the dam finally broke. The Steelers couldn't hang with the young and superior Houston Texans for much longer. Houston's defense finally created enough splash plays to inflate the final score to 30-6. The Steelers' offense was non-existent, and their defense was left to fend for itself.
There appeared to be some momentum for Pittsburgh going into this game after winning the last four of their five matchups. Ultimately, it didn’t matter, as the Texans advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs on a ten-game winning streak. They have an elite defense and an offense that can come alive in specific moments. It's something that led to another postseason flub by Tomlin.
“When you don’t get it done, words are cheap. … there’s too much talking in our business,” Tomlin stated after the devastating loss.
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He's right, you can't talk whenever you are losing games of this ilk. You must find ways to win in the playoffs at least once in a while. Since 2017, the other AFC North teams have enjoyed greater postseason success, while the Steelers have lost six straight playoff games. This trend is not circumstantial. Tomlin is a significant issue, and his rambling press conferences have grown tiresome.
While his admission that talk being 'cheap' is true, fans are tired of the empty excuses.
They want to see wins when they matter most in the elimination tournament. Instead, they are expected to cheer on a Tomlin-led team that will do nearly the exact same thing each season. There will be no change unless Tomlin allows it, a clear sign of how poorly the Steelers are run. It’s time for Art Rooney II to show some courage.