James Harrison admits he doesn’t have all the answers. There’s no quick-fix to getting the Pittsburgh Steelers on track. But the commonality between the last eight years of unsuccessful seasons is one man. Mike Tomlin. And he should feel the weight of this new-age team not meeting the standard that existed when Harrison played.
Harrison weighed in on the state of the Steelers on the Why Willie Show with J.J. Williams, joining former Pittsburgh teammate OL Willie Colon.
“If I’m the head coach of a football team and I’ve been the head coach of this football team for however long that’s been,” Harrison told the show. “And now the team’s not doing well. That all has to fall on my shoulders. Because I’ve been here long enough to be able to draft who I want and put the guys in the positions that I need.”
Tomlin will enter his 19th season in 2025. Without a playoff win since 2016, the Steelers have fallen into dreaded football purgatory. Not good enough to contend for a Super Bowl, not bad enough to justify hitting the franchise’s reset button and getting a high draft pick for a blue-chip prospect.
In fact, the Steelers’ playoff drought has gone on so long, their last win came in Harrison’s final season with Pittsburgh. He bolted mid-year to New England in the hopes of more playing time but it’s perspective of how long the franchise has gone without a taste of playoff success.
“For me to be like, ‘I haven’t been get this or get that.’ Well, I’m the guy who’s supposed to be getting that,” Harrison said of the head coach. “And I’ve been here long enough to get it.”
It’s a crucial and accurate point. It’s been tough for Pittsburgh to win without a franchise quarterback but part of Tomlin’s job is finding that player. Easier said than done but it’s how the Steelers will truly turn their franchise around. And Tomlin has plenty of control over how the roster is built and what players are brought in, leaving him unable to deflect blame on the general manager or other front office big-wigs.
James Harrison pointed to a lowering of team expectations from Super Bowl to division title to simply making the playoffs in the hopes of getting past Wild Card weekend.
“It’s not what you’re used to. The standard is the standard. It feels like a saying now. It’s not something you actually see.”
It’s commentary shared by other ex-players like CB Bryant McFadden who made similar remarks earlier this month. While without all the answers, Harrison says the entire organization must improve.
“We gotta get better with the players. We gotta get better with the coaching,” Harrison said.
So far, Pittsburgh hasn’t made and doesn’t appear to be making major coaching changes. Perhaps some changes to positional coaches and assistants are on the horizon. The roster should see a shift with two dozen pending free agents, many of whom won’t return. No matter the reason or solution, Tomlin and the Steelers need to find it.
