The Pittsburgh Steelers are self-imploding right now, and for fans of the recent team, it feels like a familiar scene. Since the end of Ben Roethlisberger's prime, this team has fallen on some hard times.
Mediocre results mixed in with the famed “never have a losing season” mantra have become exhausting. It has become crystal clear that Mike Tomlin is spinning his wheels with little to no results.
This team has tried tweaking small things in the offseason. The results remain the same. We saw them aggressively rebuild this team last offseason. The results remain the same. Now, after another embarrassing loss this season, it's time to have a hard conversation.
This goes beyond the simple fire Tomlin rhetoric. The real question is whether the NFL game has moved past Tomlin?
This isn’t uncommon for long-tenured coaches. Frankly, I think you can draw a lot of similarities between Tomlin and a former AFC coach in Marvin Lewis.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have their own Marvin Lewis in Mike Tomlin
Lewis took over a bad Bengals team and quickly found success. However, he never truly got over the hump as a head coach. His teams would have stretches of great play, but they would always falter in the playoffs.
That said, Lewis was a stable figure in Cincinnati. Eventually, the team decided to part ways when they realized that Lewis wasn’t adjusting to the modern game. Sure, he could win you games, maybe get you to the playoffs, but beyond that, he wasn’t getting the job done.
Sound familiar?
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While I will say I think Tomlin is a better overall coach, it is crystal clear that the game has moved past him. His coaching hires have constantly underwhelmed, and his player development is failing.
The league has successfully gotten more aggressive. Tomlin has decided to shrink into his shell and play in his fears. Like Lewis, we can expect wins every year, but we aren’t moving past an above-average team at best.
So, what is the solution? Parting ways could solve the issues, but whoever takes over this team has a lot of trash to sift through. You could force Tomlin to get with the times, but it is rare to see an old dog learn new tricks.
While I am fairly confident that a nine-win season will still occur this year, we are clearly out of the running for the Super Bowl. Next offseason will be telling. If Tomlin is brought back, we can’t expect anything significantly to change.
This team is stuck in the past and clinging to a coach out of touch with the league. Until something significantly changes, this is what we can look forward to as fans of this team.