After losing five games in a row to end the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in a familiar position, heading home early in the postseason once again. It’s been eight years without a playoff win for the Steelers, and on NFL GameDay Morning, Kyle Brandt said it might be time for the Steelers to look elsewhere for their head coach and part ways with Mike Tomlin.
“This was a 10-3 team that completely fell apart and lost five in a row to end the season. This is now eight straight seasons without a playoff win for the Pittsburgh Steelers. And this was undignified. The first half of that game was undignified. It’s also unprecedented. Chuck Noll never went more than four seasons without a playoff win. Bill Cowher never went more than three seasons without a playoff win.”
Brandt said he understands the argument that teams would be lining up to hire Tomlin, but he thinks Pittsburgh’s lack of postseason success weighs more heavily than it would elsewhere.
“I also think there are 25 teams in the league that would be thrilled to make the playoffs every year. It’s great. We get to the playoffs, we can do business, and we’re done. But there’s also an exclusive fraternity of teams in the league that would hate just making the playoffs every year because they stand for something different. The Steelers are not in that fraternity. They’re the president of it. Eight straight years, it’s not working, it’s getting worse, it was undignified last night. Whether it’s talking about a trade or saying it’s not working anymore and let’s make a move, I do think it’s time to consider a divorce.”
It’s rare for someone in the national media to float the idea of the Steelers moving on from Tomlin, but Brandt has been consistent in getting on Tomlin for not winning playoff games. And after yet another playoff loss, there might be serious discussions happening in Pittsburgh about the future of the head coach. The Steelers’ current playoff losing streak is tied for the longest in football, and the harsh reality is the Steelers have only won playoff games in four of Tomlin’s 18 seasons as a head coach. The current drought is double what the Steelers have experienced since Chuck Noll took over, and it’s hard to argue that the Steelers are one of the league’s best franchises when they can’t win when it matters.
Six Super Bowls are great, but the Steelers simply haven’t won enough lately. Tomlin is one of the better coaches in the league for how he’s able to get a team to the playoffs, but when they get there, it’s been rinse and repeat with a big early deficit and a disappointing loss in recent seasons. The standard for the Steelers is to compete for Super Bowls every season. Currently, that standard isn’t being met. Brandt’s right that some teams would be happy to be there when it comes to making the postseason and would probably rush to hire Tomlin if he ever became available.
But the Steelers and their fanbase aren’t content with just making the playoffs, and that’s where things have worn thin with Mike Tomlin. It would be a surprise if the Steelers made a change, and it probably won’t happen this offseason, especially after his recent contract extension. His players still speak highly of him, but they aren’t winning in the postseason for him. While the Steelers could have better quarterback play, they had a roster that could’ve won in the playoffs, and they beat the Ravens once this season, so it wasn’t some improbable task.
At this point, I don’t think anyone around Pittsburgh would question it if the Steelers moved on from Mike Tomlin. It would be risky, but the lack of playoff success is glaring, and it’s not what the Steelers organization should represent.
