While Mike Tomlin is one of the NFL’s best head coaches, his lack of recent playoff success has caused people to question whether the Pittsburgh Steelers should stick with him. Not many people even expected the Steelers to make the playoffs this year, which might be a point in Tomlin’s favor. However, the way the season ended made it feel like more of the same. Despite that, analyst Pete Prisco believes Tomlin criticism is unwarranted because the Steelers have exceeded expectations.
“This team is an overachieving team; there’s no question about that,” Prisco said Tuesday on CBS Sports HQ. “We talk about it all the time. What do they do well? They rush the passer well. That’s about it.
“They don’t throw it well, they don’t run it well, they don’t stop the run well. This is not a great Steelers defense. We expect, if they’re not great on offense, their defense is gonna carry them. It’s not a great Steelers defense.”
Prisco is correct that the Steelers surpassed expectations set for them. Really, they’ve been doing that since Ben Roethlisberger retired. Most teams hit rock bottom after they lose their franchise quarterback. Not the Steelers. They’ve continued to compete, despite not having much stability at quarterback.
That doesn’t excuse their shortcomings. The Steelers’ standard is championships, and they haven’t competed for one of those in a while. Hovering around the middle of the pack shouldn’t be good enough.
That’s part of what makes evaluating Tomlin so difficult. While the Steelers don’t want to just make the playoffs, they’ve been working behind the 8-ball when it comes to their offense. They’ve mostly gotten subpar quarterback play. They were actually at their best when Russell Wilson looked at least average. If they can finally figure that position out, maybe they’ll finally be a threat in the playoffs.
Tomlin clearly raises the Steelers’ floor, getting the best out of them. However, in recent years, the Steelers have faded when games matter most. Tomlin likely does deserve some blame for that. However, he also deserves some credit for getting them into the playoffs in the first place.
The Steelers could still win a playoff game this season. They’re massive underdogs against the Baltimore Ravens, but that’s a rivalry they’ve dominated for the most part recently. They could pull off an upset. In that case, the criticism of Tomlin might really not be warranted. First, they need to win the game.
