Are these really the changes the Steelers promised?
Shortly after the Steelers’ season ended, HC Mike Tomlin promised that there would be changes. So far, all they have done is move on from two position coaches, neither of whom were viewed as liabilities. While we don’t know if either Aaron Curry or Grady Brown wanted to leave, we do know the Steelers have yet to do anything else.
So if this is the changes the Steelers promised, it’s understandable that so many fans feel thoroughly underwhelmed. Even while feeling underwhelmed, though, I don’t think anybody is really surprised. But at the end of the day, right now, it makes Tomlin’s declarations look hollow.
Surely, the Steelers have bigger problems than the shuffling of some deck chairs will fix. You can make all the excuses you want for the five-game losing streak, but they still lost five games. Good teams find a way to win at least one or two of them, but they just spiraled out of control.
The coaches can’t draw the blame for everything, of course. The Steelers clearly have a talent deficit, and position coaches can only do so much about that. And when it comes to changes, Tomlin has a whole offseason to make them. We focus on the coaches right now because that is the first opportunity of the offseason to make moves.
At least, that’s one of the reasons, but there are others. For example, the Steelers’ offensive line remains below the line, but the team has invested there. Many seriously doubt that current OL coach Pat Meyer is the man for the job, yet he remains the man with the job.
The Steelers are nearly a decade removed from their last postseason win, yet they haven’t voluntarily made many big, sweeping changes since then. They changed general managers, but that’s because Kevin Colbert stepped away. And they replaced him with his protégé, Omar Khan, though they did add an assistant role. Their boldest change to date has been signing a former Super Bowl-winning quarterback on a bargain contract. But that’s not really cutting the mustard with Steelers fans right now, and who can blame them? I don’t think Gerald Alexander is going to bring them much closer to contending with the Eagles.
The Steelers’ 2024 season has come to its predictably inauspicious end, with yet another one-and-done postseason for HC Mike Tomlin. The offense faltered, and the defense matched it blow for blow, leading to a 21-0 first-half deficit.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. Do they still believe in Russell Wilson, and/or Justin Fields, or do they want another solution? There are other major decisions to make, as well, such as what to do with George Pickens. Do you sign him to an extension, try to trade him, or let him play out his rookie contract?
The Steelers started the 2024 season 10-3, with Mike Tomlin in the Coach of the Year conversation. Wash, rinse, and repeat, and we have another late-season collapse. This may be the worst yet, a four-game losing streak presaging a one-and-done playoff “run”. Welcome to Steelers football.
