At this point, it seems clear the Pittsburgh Steelers are not going to part ways with Mike Tomlin this offseason. Whether that’s the right decision remains to be seen. Tomlin has plenty of upside as the Steelers’ head coach, but he’s also got his fair share of flaws. Former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh believes the Steelers are making the right decision by keeping Tomlin.
“Does Mike Tomlin want to advance more in the playoffs?” Houshmandzadeh said Wednesday on FS1’s The Facility. “I’m sure he does. Would the Steelers like to also? Yeah, but things can also be a lot worse. You look at so many teams, ‘We’re gonna be in the playoffs.’
“You’ve got a losing record. The Steelers, they’re always there. They’re just not good enough. Will they get over the hump? No. [Tomlin] does a lot with less, but I just think they need to move into today’s football world. It’s offense.”
Houshmandzadeh is correct that the Steelers could be in a worse situation. Despite his failures in the playoffs, Tomlin isn’t one of the worst head coaches in the NFL. He’s still good enough to keep the Steelers competitive in the regular season. There are reasons he’s never had a losing season.
That doesn’t mean the Steelers should be comfortable with the mediocrity they’ve been stuck in. Tomlin hasn’t won a Super Bowl since 2008. He hasn’t competed in a Super Bowl since 2010. The Steelers haven’t even won a playoff game since 2016. The bar is continuing to get lower.
Not all of that is Tomlin’s fault. There are obviously other factors that go into how disappointing the Steelers have been. The point is that he’s been their head coach for 18 seasons, and he should be held to a higher standard. The Steelers’ ultimate goal every year isn’t just to make the playoffs. It’s to compete for a championship, and they haven’t done that in years.
Houshmandzadeh seems to believe the Steelers’ issues are rooted in their philosophy, and he might be right. This year, they wanted to play a tough brand of football, focused on their defense. That didn’t translate to consistent success. Maybe they do need to put more of an emphasis on offense.
Perhaps the Steelers will improve under Tomlin if they can find their next franchise quarterback. That could be the missing piece, although this playoff losing streak did start when Ben Roethlisberger was still in his prime.
Would it be more frustrating if the Steelers were one of the worst teams in the league? Yes, but that doesn’t mean the cycle they’re stuck in now isn’t also infuriating. Things need to change. Tomlin seems to understand that, and while his job is safe, it doesn’t seem like that’s giving him any comfort. He wants things to improve just as much as fans. He has to walk the walk as much as he talks the talk, though.
