Behind the Steel Curtain
For the past month, we’ve been trying to seek out the positives in what feels like another lost season. We’ve found the silver linings in the Steelers’ long-term prospects, even if we haven’t felt many reasons to be optimistic about the chances of Pittsburgh finally snapping their playoff victory drought this season, let alone climbing that elusive Stairway to Seven.
However, the discontent in Steelers Nation has gotten too loud to ignore. Our own frustrations have hit a boiling point as well, with Ryland struggling to get his postgame column done, and Ryan presaging the post-halftime collapse during the second quarter because we’ve all seen that exact game the Steelers played against the Bills a million times.
In my mom’s favorite musical, a group of Austrian nuns ask, “How do you solve a problem like Maria?” This week, R&R is asking, “What do we do about Mike?”
The kid gloves are off. We’re wading into the Tomlin waters, hopefully for the last time before the season wraps. With five games left on the schedule, we don’t want to rehash this conversation again and again over the next month if things continue to turn south for our beloved Steelers.
But this conversation we felt like it was too top of mind amid the fanbase to delay any longer.
RP: Ryland, both you and I have been pretty lenient with Mike Tomlin in the past. I’ve never sided with the section of the fanbase that wants to discredit his part in the two Super Bowl appearances have made under his watch. And while the “Killer B” era ultimately fell short of their potential, I blame untimely injuries and the Patriots dynasty – Jesse James caught it, damn it! – more than Tomlin.
But both of us have eyes, analytical passion for the game of football, and I’d wager a decent amount of common sense. Putting aside the “will they, won’t they” of how we expect the Rooney family to handle Tomlin and his employment status, it’s pretty hard to paint a picture of him being the man to right this sinking ship. The case for his ouster has never been more compelling, no?
RB: I would agree. Tomlin has been an exceptional hire for the Steelers and has likely earned a future gold jacket. He’s made it to two Super Bowls and won one as Pittsburgh’s head coach. His winning season streak has become an NFL meme of sorts, but it’s strong proof of his ability to elevate the floor of every roster he coaches.
But like you, the last few seasons have marked my slow descent from being a Tomlin defender to becoming increasingly open to the idea of moving on to a new head coach.
But before diving more into the “why,” I think it’s worth touching on that the Tomlin discourse itself has long been its own story. There have been and continue to be countless bad faith arguments surrounding his quality as a coach from people who have...
