Merril Hoge believes Mike Tomlin will 'knock the door down' to bring Steelers success

In the game of football, it's all about punching your ticket to the tournament. Mike Tomlin has made that abundantly clear. Over the years, the Pittsburgh Steelers have tried to maintain relevance in the AFC and weasel their way into the postseason. Sadly, things haven't gone according to plan.

Tomlin's present-minded thinking and blatant disregard for the future of the team have been questioned at times by the fanbase. Plateauing at nine-to-ten wins per season and a quick exit in the Wild Card round of the playoffs isn't what anybody wants, but it's all we've seen for the better part of a decade.

One former Steeler and current ESPN analyst believes this streak is destined to end.

Merril Hoge joined Sterling Holmes on the Still Curtain to discuss the state of the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers. In addition to addressing topics like Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, Hoge gave a glowing endorsement for Coach Tomlin.

"You can't argue the obvious. People say, 'Well, he hasn't won a Super Bowl, won a playoff game for a long time after Bill [Cowher's] players'," Hoge explained. "At the end of the day, he's been a terrific leader and he's won games, and they've never been out of it. They always have an opportunity to knock on that door."

"There's no doubt, I guarantee this, that Mike Tomlin wants that more than anybody," Hoge continued. "He wants that more than any fan wants that; he wants that more than the Rooney's want that. Having worked there actually last year and to watch him operate, they'll keep knocking on that door."

"Eventually, if you keep knocking on that door, you'll knock the door down."

Hoge believes it's just a matter of time for the Steelers

Hoge makes it clear that he agrees with Tomlin's approach to football. If you can cash your ticket into the playoffs often enough, eventually it will work out in their favor to get back to the Super Bowl. After all, it only takes four wins from a Wild Card seed to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

Unfortunately, this is easier said than done.

If the Steelers are to keep making the playoffs by the skin of their teeth, they will miss out on home-field advantage as they go on the road to face the best teams the AFC has to offer. A true 'rebuild' would pay off in the long run, but it's simply not in the cards for a head coach like Tomlin.

Still, this route to success isn't impossible. The last time the Steelers won the Super Bowl, it was as the lowest Wild Card seed. They went on to upset their opponents in three straight road games before defeating the Arizona Cardinals in an epic showing in Super Bowl XLIII.

Hoge is a believer in the Steelers, and perhaps we should be too. But at some point, Tomlin can't just 'knock on the door'. He needs to come in with a battering ram and knock the hinges off.