Barring a disaster of an owner, which certainly isn’t unheard of in the NFL, the buck always ultimately stops at the head coach. Especially in an environment like Pittsburgh, everything flows through that title in one way or another, from play calling to personnel.
And Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is absorbing the blame for his team’s shortcomings this week after dropping three straight. He began that crusade after Saturday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts, shifting blame from his players to himself.
“We are a fundamentally poor football group right now. We’re playing losing football and I take responsibility for that”, he said in his opening remarks. Asked a direct question about QB Mitch Trubisky’s performance, he said, “None of us were good enough starting first and foremost with myself”.
He continued to take accountability for the Steelers’ performances of late on Monday during his weekly press conference ahead of Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. “I said that it starts with me. Forget the coaching staff, it starts with me”, he said in response to a question about the team’s apparent lack of preparedness.
Of course, this comes only weeks after firing one of his coordinators, but then, that’s part of the point. Tomlin’s fingerprints are on everything. He has a key role in every signing and hire. Matt Canada was here because he wanted him to be here. His players, whom he helped bring in through the draft and free agency are, on the field. His plays are being run. His leaders are leading.
Everything that happens with the Steelers is on him, positively or negatively. Their performance is a direct reflection of the job he does every year, barring the few things that are out of his control, such as injuries and things of that nature.
But ultimately, what does all of this accountability mean? What does it do? He’s not going to fire himself. I don’t anticipate him retiring over this. The only thing he can do is change the way he does things, and perhaps who does things. Perhaps deferring more often to those with qualified experience.
With three games left in the 2023 season, it feels as though we are reaching a significant moment. I don’t know if we could possibly see Tomlin’s tenure in Pittsburgh end after this season, but more than at any other point in the past 17 years, it feels like it’s within the realm of the believable.
I would still be surprised if that were to happen before 2025, though. There will be one more season with his quarterback, Kenny Pickett, with a new offensive coordinator in place, to figure things out. If next year looks anything like this year, however, both sides may want to move on.
