For the fourth straight time, the Pittsburgh Steelers under head coach Mike Tomlin are one-and-done in the playoffs, thanks to a 31-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills Monday in the AFC Wild Card Round.
The playoff wins drought continues for the Steelers, who have just three playoff wins since 2010, which has many quite fed up with the Tomlin tenure in the Steel City. There is endless speculation that will only grow in the days and weeks ahead regarding Tomlin and his future in Pittsburgh. He’s not only entering the final year of his contract with the Steelers but also walked off the podium Monday night in the middle of a question regarding his future.
Despite that speculation that is going to kick into overdrive moving forward until the situation is resolved one way or another, former NFL executive Scott Pioli believes that even with the loss in the playoffs and the struggles that the Steelers have had under him in the postseason in the last decade, Tomlin continues to do some “pretty special things.”
“I know some people are tired of hearing this. The fact is he’s been a head coach for 17 seasons and he’s had 17 straight non losing seasons, that is important to me,” Pioli stated during an appearance on Good Morning Football Tuesday, according to video via the show’s Twitter page. “To some people it’s not. But when I look at this, Mike Tomlin has…also done it in an era that is very different in football. This is the salary-cap era, player attrition is different. Roster building is different. He has worked through many different rosters.”
The fact that Tomlin has had the 17 non-losing seasons in the salary-cap era where players come and go consistently is rather impressive. Downplaying the feat by the longtime head coach is a fruitless exercise. If it were so easy, other great coaches would have accomplished that feat. The fact that Tomlin trails only Tom Landry and Bill Belichick — one of whom coached in the 70s and 80s without a salary cap — is quite remarkable.
Tomlin has the Steelers in the thick of things every single season, regardless of who is or is not on the field. This season’s coaching job going through three starting quarterbacks and dealing with the amount of injuries the Steelers dealt with defensively is as impressive as the job as he did in 2019 when the Steelers lost Ben Roethlisberger for the season six quarters into the season.
But it all comes down to the playoffs and Tomlin and the Steelers flamed out again, period.
Questions are going to arise regarding Tomlin and his future; that much is certain. But Pioli is very clear where he stands on Tomlin, especially from a former NFL executive standpoint.
“…The last two seasons, Mike Tomlin has found a way to win and be consistent with a quarterback situation that’s been very average,” Pioli said. “So to me, again, look at this, but understand you’ve got a coach who’s doing some pretty special things.”
That last line from Pioli is undoubtedly going to rile the Tomlin detractors, and rightfully so. Is 10-7 and a one-and-done in the playoffs a “pretty special” thing? Quick answer is no.
But there should be no discrediting the job that Tomlin did getting the Steelers to that point. More is expected, especially with the talent that the Steelers have on the roster, though questions at the quarterback position certainly hinder their ceiling as a team. Tomlin’s done a good job and the players rallied around him after the playoff loss.
We’ll see what the future holds though for the future Hall of Fame head coach.
