Steeler Nation finds itself in an awkward place after witnessing a 30-6 beatdown Sunday against the Houston Texans on the road, looking like a team that is lost and looking for answers rather than a team that could be in the running for a playoff berth in the AFC. Both the offense and defense looked abysmal for most of the game, stemming from issues with individual players not executing routinely as well as the coaching staff not properly preparing the team to play.
After the game, head coach Mike Tomlin noted that changes were going to be made in regard to the loss that Pittsburgh took last weekend.
Former Steelers CB Bryant McFadden asked current Steelers CB Patrick Peterson on the latest edition of the All Things Covered podcast which aired on YouTube if Tomlin has made any changes yet when Pittsburgh reported to the team facility Monday morning to start prepping for the Baltimore Ravens this coming Sunday.
“Those decisions and things like that are something that comes from upstairs,” Peterson said on All Things Covered. “But for the most part, today was like a regular Monday, win, lose, or draw. We clean up the tape, get our workout in, our run, and tomorrow’s our off day. So, definitely have to look ourselves in the mirror. Like he says, coaches included, having to demand more, players having to be more receptive to the coaching and being more detail oriented as far as like I talked about being where you supposed to be. It’s like being in a coach’s meeting, I’m just always finding myself using his catchphrases, but he’s so right. It, it is not mystical man. It really isn’t.”
Based on what Peterson said, it doesn’t sound like Tomlin laid into his team to the degree that some fans were hoping for after taking the butt-kicking the Steelers received last weekend. That’s never been Tomlin’s style though as he likes to be steady and measured in his decision making, not making brash decisions in the moment, but rather addressing the smaller details in-house when it comes to preparation, communication, etcetera.
We saw a similar response from Tomlin last year when he mentioned that he wouldn’t rule out personnel or coaching changes following a 38-3 beatdown at the hands of the Buffalo Bills, first stating that he’d be open to do whatever is required to change the outcome of the games. However, he ended coming out in the weeks following the big loss stating that he “wasn’t there” regarding making big changes to the offense or the offensive coaching staff, specifically OC Matt Canada.
When Tomlin mentioned that Pittsburgh better make some significant changes Sunday after the loss, many Steelers fans hoped that meant that Canada would finally get the boot as this offense has struggled under his guidance since he received the promotion from quarterbacks coach back in 2020. It doesn’t look like that will be the case, though as Peterson pointed to changes coming in-house regarding the players and coaches collectively taking that hard, long look in the mirror and start taking preparation seriously as the team went about the business per usual on Monday.
This likely isn’t the answer that Steeler Nation is wanting to hear, but the Steelers have never been one to make drastic changes in-season. It’s a Tomlin thing, but also a stance that owner Art Rooney II has preferred, desiring to be one of the most stable franchises in the league. Perhaps the Steelers will see a turnaround in performance on the field implementing this style of changes like they did last season, going on a run after their bye week. However, these slow starts and poor performances are starting to become a trend in recent seasons, and eventually need to be addressed properly for the Steelers to become that title contender they once were.
