It appears that Mike Tomlin has finally met his match. After compiling a record 16 straight non-losing seasons to start his head coaching career, the longtime Pittsburgh Steelers coach doesn’t appear to have the personnel necessary to make it 17 straight seasons.
It would have been hard to fathom Tomlin’s team being in its current situation a month ago, when the Steelers were drinking wine (to steal a Tomlinism) and sitting at 7-4. Since then, Pittsburgh has been squashing plenty of grapes, having lost three straight games that include consecutive losses to 2-10 teams.
The Steelers can still make the playoffs, but to mimic what former Colts coach Jim Mora once said about his team, the Steelers may be lucky just to win another game. That’s where things are with the surging Bengals coming to Pittsburgh on Saturday.
How did things get to this point? Injuries have certainly played a large part. The Steelers’ ILB corps and secondary positions have been decimated. Kenny Pickett, fresh off his big performance in Cincinnati in Week 12, got hurt the following week and hasn’t played since.
But there are reasons for Pittsburgh’s current struggles that can be attributed to the head coach. Let’s take a look at those reasons, starting with the most obvious.
1. Retaining Matt Canada
Really, hiring Canada in the first place was a risk. He had never been an offensive coordinator in the NFL prior to Tomlin promoting him in 2021. Pittsburgh’s offense was bad Canada’s first year, but a soon-to-be retiring Ben Roethlisberger was used as the scapegoat.
The offense was just as bad last season, but the team’s 7-2 finish (against pretty light competition) compelled the Steelers’ brass to keep Canada on board. It’s safe to say that they regret that decision.
Steelers fans surely hope team president Art Rooney II will apply recent history when he begins the process of finding Pittsburgh’s…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/three-reasons-mike-tomlin-can-be-blamed-for-steelers-late-season-meltdown/
Author : Bryan DeArdo
Publish date : 2023-12-19 18:21:53
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