The standard is the standard. That’s a common phrase Mike Tomlin uses. It means that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ standard is what it has always been, and that means competing for championships. However, it’s been a while since the Steelers lived up to that standard. They haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. Analyst Matt Harmon of Yahoo Sports isn’t sure what the Steelers’ standard is anymore.
“Mike Tomlin is famous for saying, ‘The standard is the standard,'” Harmon said recently on Yahoo Sports’ podcast, Football 301. “We can all just acknowledge that, in recent years, the standard, what is it? Since 2018, this team has had almost the same season every single year, outside of one in 2020 when they won the division.”
Harmon is correct that the past few years have felt like Groundhog Day for the Steelers. Begin the season with low expectations, start hot, secure a non-losing season, lose games toward the end of the year, sneak into the playoffs, and get bounced immediately. Rinse and repeat. That’s roughly been how the Steelers’ seasons have gone.
It’s fine to have a season or two like that after the Steelers lost their franchise quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. However, this playoff losing streak stretches back to when Roethlisberger was their quarterback. During the last few years of his career, he wasn’t the same player, but that shouldn’t be used as an excuse.
There are multiple reasons why that’s been the case, but it’s clear the Steelers haven’t lived up to the standard. Despite that, Tomlin’s job doesn’t seem to be in any danger. He did make it clear that change is likely to come after another blowout playoff loss.
What that means remains to be seen. Whatever happens, the Steelers need to pick a direction and stick with it. Spending most of the season looking like a playoff threat only to fall to pieces near the end of the year shouldn’t cut it anymore. Even without a franchise quarterback, the Steelers still have a talented roster. With players like T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward, they should be competitive.
We’ll see if the Steelers restore the standard to its former glory next season. If they don’t, the heat will need to be turned up in their building. The standard is the standard because of the people in the Steelers’ organization. They set that bar, so they shouldn’t continue to fall short.
