The Pittsburgh Steelers have routinely overperformed and defied the odds to make it to the playoffs, and a lot of credit for that goes to head coach Mike Tomlin. Tomlin has steered Pittsburgh to the playoffs, but in recent years, hasn’t won once it reaches the dance. Still, Tomlin’s track record as a coach is enough for Pittsburgh’s coaching staff to be ranked No. 7 in the NFL by ESPN.
It was the second-highest staff in the AFC North, with the Baltimore Ravens coming in at No. 5.
Ben Solak of ESPN called Pittsburgh’s staff “strong” and praised Arthur Smith for his work as a coordinator in Tennessee and Teryl Austin for getting the most out of Pittsburgh’s defense the last two seasons. While Solak writes that he is “positive that Tomlin is a good coach,” he questions how much credit Tomlin should get for taking teams with bad offenses to the playoffs when he’s partly responsible for the lack of success on that side of the ball.
“How much credit can you dole out to the head coach for enduring this nightmare when he is, in part, at fault for authoring it? Tomlin, who has a defensive background, has struggled to find a good offensive coordinator. His past few attempts: Matt Canada, Randy Fichtner, Todd Haley. No wonder they haven’t developed a quarterback yet. And if you can’t find a way to get a good offense onto the field — whether with a big quarterback move, a big coaching move, or both — your ceiling is capped as an NFL coach,” Solak writes.
Smith was a good hire as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator for this season, and they at least have some hope in the quarterback room with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, although the early returns haven’t been all that promising. If Smith works out and one of the two quarterbacks can emerge, then the two biggest flaws Pittsburgh has had over the past seasons will be fixed.
The potential of Pittsburgh’s offense under Smith is exciting, and the Steeleers still have one of the best defenses in the league, and it’s a group that Austin has gotten a lot out of over the past few years. They bolstered it this offseason with the additions of Patrick Queen and DeShon Elliott, and Elliott should allow Minkah Fitzpatrick to move back to a ball-hawking deep safety role that made him an All-Pro. Pittsburgh’s defense should once again be one of the better units in football and there’s no doubt that Austin will play a role in making that happen.
All in all, Pittsburgh’s staff is solid, but from Tomlin’s end, it’s time to finally win in the postseason. The Steelers made the moves necessary to make that a reality, and now they just have to get it done on the field.
