For the past few seasons, it’s felt like the Pittsburgh Steelers are running in place. They’ve largely remained the same team, despite making changes at multiple spots. They manage to finish with a non-losing record, finding themselves in the playoffs, only to lose in the first round. Usually, those losses aren’t pretty. A big reason for that has been their inability to field even an average offense. It’s held them back. ESPN analyst Michelle Smallmon believes that Mike Tomlin deserves some blame for that, even if he’s one of the best coaches in the NFL.
“In any other circumstance, in any other organization, the head coach would wear this more,” Smallmon said Friday on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike. “Mike Tomlin, with the streak and winning a Super Bowl and the way that he has stabilized that organization deserves praise.
“He deserves credit for that. He extracts the best out of his players consistently, and he deserves credit for that. But you also can’t be immune to blame when things like this come to the surface. You just can’t.”
Smallmon makes a good point. Tomlin has been one of the best coaches in the NFL. Fans might be tired of hearing about his streak of non-losing seasons, but it’s still impressive. However, that shouldn’t shield Tomlin from criticism, especially at this point in his career.
Most teams hit rock-bottom when they lose their franchise quarterback. Not Tomlin’s Steelers. Since Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Steelers have continued to compete for a playoff spot. That’s been good and bad, though. It’s left them stuck in mediocrity. They aren’t bad enough to really fix their issues, but they aren’t good enough to compete for a Super Bowl, and that should be their goal.
Now, not all of the blame for that should fall on Tomlin. The Steelers have other problems. That doesn’t mean Tomlin isn’t a problem, though. His fingerprints are all over this team, and that includes the offense.
Compared to some of the best teams in the NFL, the Steelers’ offense feels like it’s behind the curve. They stuck by former OC Matt Canada for far too long. Their current quarterback situation is a mess. Their succession plan for Roethlisberger wasn’t good enough. The entire team totally collapsed to end the 2024 season.
Tomlin should receive some blame for all of that. He’s still an incredible head coach, and he could turn the Steelers around. However, he’s made several missteps in recent years. It doesn’t seem like he’s in any danger of losing his job, but if the Steelers continue to lose in the first round of the playoffs, it will be fair to wonder if he should be replaced. Tomlin’s earned a lot of trust, but he shouldn’t be immune to blame.
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