The Steelers have gotten familiar with playoff failure under HC Mike Tomlin. Comfort is a matter of speculation, but familiarity is certainly not up for debate. Indeed, Tomlin is reaching unprecedented heights of postseason failure, but he has the anatomy to bear it.
Asked during his year-end press conference if the playoff “luggage” he references as his is growing heavier, the Steelers head coach had a simple response. “I’ve got big shoulders”, Tomlin said, via the team’s website.
Under Tomlin, the Steelers are now 8-11 in the playoffs, remarkable considering they were 5-2 at one point. They have now lost six consecutive games, tied for the longest active streak in the NFL. They haven’t won a playoff game since 2016, which only three current players experienced.
Those three players are Cameron Heyward, Chris Boswell, and Tyler Matakevich, two of whom are specialists. Matakevich has spent roughly half his NFL career in Buffalo but was a rookie on the Steelers when they last won a playoff game. Boswell was in just his second season. Mike Tomlin was in his 10th season as Steelers head coach, though, but hasn’t won again since.
This is why Tomlin disassociates the organization’s failure from the individual. He is the only real common denominator through all these Steelers losses. It’s certainly not Heyward’s fault or even T.J. Watt’s. They have had four different quarterbacks starting in those six games. Le’Veon Bell was still around when this streak started.
We’re talking about a long period of time in the life of an NFL roster. But while Tomlin might bear the Steelers’ failures, how long can the Steelers bear his? He still has three years left on his contract, and plenty of money on the books.
Even though the Steelers don’t want to pay Tomlin money not to coach, I also believe they still very much believe in him and his ability to turn things around. They seem convinced that they would not find a better option if they were to part ways and start over.
It’s a good thing, then, that Tomlin is prepared to do his Atlas impression, because he’s going to need it. His aim is to be the lightning tower on the Steelers’ skyscraper, drawing the ire to himself. That is part of the job of a head coach, and admittedly one he does well.
But the coach’s ultimate job is to put together winning teams, and not just in the regular season. If you try hard enough, you can make a list of excuses and defenses for Tomlin. But the Steelers’ playoff resume is their resume, and his legacy, and it’s looking worse every year. Unless that changes, eventually the load will be too much to bear.
