Three weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers were rolling. They controlled their own destiny in the AFC North and still had a chance at the top seed in the conference. Unfortunately, the Steelers have stumbled about as much as possible through their three-game losing streak. Mike Tomlin’s unit has been blown-out in every contest.
Both the offense and defense have struggled during that stretch. However, the unit that’s getting the most criticism, with some of that coming from the players themselves, is the defense. Pittsburgh’s given up at least 27 points in each of their losses to the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs. Seven of those points against the Eagles came off an interception from Russell Wilson, but the defense has given up 83 combined points in those three losses.
A difficult schedule has done the team no favors but failing to compete with three playoff teams is an ominous sign. Especially with the playoffs just two weeks away.
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo spoke with WMBS Radio’s George Von Benko on Saturday. While much of the fan’s ire has turned to DC Teryl Austin, Fittipaldo shined the light on Mike Tomlin instead.
“Keith Butler was a defensive coordinator in name for a few years,” Fittipaldo said. “Now, Teryl Austin is the defensive coordinator in name. But he’s not really the one who’s pulling all the strings. This is Mike Tomlin. This is a guy who has a background in the secondary. He was a defensive backs coach for Tony Dungy before he went on to become the Steelers head coach. You would think with all those years of experience, and everything he’s encountered in his 20+ years in the NFL, he could figure this out.”
As Fittipaldo mentions, Tomlin does have a long history as a defensive-oriented coach. Tomlin began his time in the NFL as a defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fittipaldo seems to think that Tomlin has more influence over the defense than the current defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, and signals that Tomlin should be the one getting the blame for the unit’s struggles.
Whether that be true or not, it’s something that has to be figured out. Tomlin’s been a great coach for Pittsburgh, and is guiding the team into both a winning record and the playoffs, yet again. However, this might be the beginning of another late-season slide and potential quick postseason exit. That wouldn’t be anything new for his Steelers. Whether it be Tomlin or Austin with more of a say over the defense, they’ll need to fix whatever issues there are. Quickly.
