Some things never change.
Like that prices go up and not down. And that kids don’t like spinach or cleaning up their room. And, of course, that the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers will continue to be Mike Tomlin.
Talking about anything else in my final dispatch of the season is like asking Mrs. Lincoln whether she approved the costume selections for the play.
If you ask Tomlin if he should remain as leader of the pride of Pittsburgh, he’ll give you 50 million reasons why he isn’t going anywhere, all of them shared while he’s laughing his well-compensated way to the bank.
The joke was on all of us when Art Rooney II gave Tomlin his three-year extension this summer. If we thought this season would be a probationary year for the head coach to find a way out of his decade-long maze of disappointing results, Art reminded us who was sitting on the Iron Throne.
In other words, it’s not Art.
So…now we return to this most aptly named column on this esteemed platform because, certainly, things just keep spinning round…and round…and round.
Let’s get on with it. Let’s give it a last Spin for the season.
Worth Your Salt
There have been Tomlin detractors for quite some time. (Just read some of my columns from more than ten years ago to see when my detracting began.) The truth is that those of us who are sober about the issue are quick to point out that Tomlin is actually an exceptional leader of men and is an excellent coach who deserves high praise for rising so impressively to the paramount position in the National Football League.
In many ways, he is the salt of the earth as a human being and has been for years. The thing with salt is that it can lose its value over time.
Historically, salt has been one of the most precious resources on the planet. It was so valuable that in ancient times, it was used as a monetary exchange unit…just like gold in trade. In fact, it’s from where the word “salary” is derived.
However, salt, unlike gold, does lose its value over time. This is because it loses its flavor and preserving qualities.
It’s where we’re at with Tomlin now. It’s absolutely true that if he were released, he would be hired almost instantly by several teams. And for several years with the new franchise, all of his sayings, mannerisms, and ways of motivating others would be fresh and highly effective.
It’s just that here in Pittsburgh, it’s lost its flavor. When he does his postgame interviews after a difficult loss (and there have been too many in the past month), it’s almost as if we’re listening to the adults in a Peanuts cartoon.
“Wah…wah…wah…wah…wah…wah.”
Perhaps this doesn’t matter to those in the Peanuts gallery, but you get the real sense that this is the effectiveness of his speeches these days with his team.
The Steelers weren’t just defeated in the last five games of the season; they were humiliated, and mostly before broad, national audiences. It wasn’t just the television announcers who questioned whether the team had quit on the field; it was the booing Steelers fans in the stadium as well.
From the sideline, Tomlin looked like a man with no answers. It was like that guy at the craps table who had just lost most of his family’s groceries money with bad bets and now could only hope for an incredibly lucky roll to bail him out.
Unfortunately, Tomlin has been all snake eyes lately, and at some point, you might suggest that he pass the die to someone else before we all go bankrupt in postseason joy.
How many of you actually wanted to watch that game against the Baltimore Ravens? Yeah…me neither.
Franchise Quarterback
One of the most common refrains from those clinging to the same excuses for Tomlin they’ve been sharing for years is that he just needs his next franchise quarterback, and all will be well.
First of all, the fact that the Steelers don’t have their franchise quarterback is an impeachable offense to begin with.
It wasn’t a great mystery to all that Ben Roethlisberger was aging. He actually took 18 seasons to age out of the NFL. Back in 2018, I was screaming here that the Steelers should use every one of their draft picks until they had several young heirs to choose from.
Here we are in 2025, and Tomlin chose to play a 36-year-old quarterback rather than using yet another year to seek out the next franchise quarterback seriously.
Everyone should be reminded that Tomlin already had a franchise quarterback, and it didn’t do him much good. His name was Roethlisberger. Big Ben didn’t win a Super Bowl past 2009 when he was still supported by Bill Cowher’s defense.
You need more than a franchise quarterback to win in this league.
Entitlement
Another popular phrase shared by Tomlin apologists is that Steelers fans are just suffering from entitlement. We expect the team to win the Super Bowl at least once every other year.
In my case, this statement isn’t true. I’d be fine with winning the Super once every three years.
But all tongue-in-cheek aside, the issue isn’t with the entitlement of Steelers Nation. The issue is with the Rooney family believing that having the top sports fan base in the world is their birthright…regardless of the product they put on the field year after year.
To be clear…we aren’t fans just because we think the uniforms are cool.
As I shared last week, Steelers Nation is at a generational risk. Under Tomlin’s leadership, this team has been unexceptional (at least in terms of playoff excellence) for almost 15 years now.
Although there has been a flash here and there, this once-vaunted Steelers defense hasn’t been dominant since they shoved Casey Hampton out the door (which is no small task). We’ve been Tampa Two-Stepped ever since.
No More Gaslighting
The fact of the matter is that the old-timers and the long-timers who are Steelers fans will hang in there until they start throwing dirt on our heads (sadly for some of us, there already is some dust in our eyes). We owe it to Terry, Swanny, Franco, Mel, Jack, Joe, and the gang.
But don’t lie to us. We can take it.
Don’t bother telling us that the Steelers organization is fully committed to further filling the trophy case with Lombardis.
That is no longer the core mission of this franchise. If it was, there is no way the status quo of meh would not only be celebrated but rewarded so heavily financially.
Just tell us what matters most is having a cozy office environment where everyone gets along, and the bills continue to be paid, and then some.
Forget about going all in for those fans, who mortgage their homes to bring their families to games in sub-zero temperatures, in foreign stadiums, to see the level of preparation and excellence that could have just easily been built in Cleveland, Ohio.
This is not your father’s team. This is not your grandfather’s team.
We realize you don’t care what we think. You’ve made that abundantly clear.
Just tell us the truth—no more gaslighting.
Until We Spin Again
Deep bows to the many of you who have been Spinning along on this journey for many years now. I appreciate each and every one of you who takes the time to hear this voice from the cheap seats weekly during the season.
I read and enjoy every comment, even from those of you who chose to tell me so elegantly with well-thought-out prose what an ingrateful idiot I am.
We’ll catch you in the next chariot around the sun. Until we Spin again.
