It feels like just yesterday that Mike Tomlin led the Pittsburgh Steelers to victory in Super Bowl XLIII. However, that was almost 20 years ago now, and the Steelers are a very different team. Tomlin remains, but the Steelers haven’t gotten close to a Super Bowl in years. Despite that, Tomlin’s job isn’t in danger, with Art Rooney II expressing confidence in him. While not everyone is satisfied with the job that Tomlin’s done, he still has a lot of support. That includes analyst Charles McDonald, who still thinks Tomlin is the fifth-best head coach in the NFL.
“I understand why people are frustrated, but he’s never had a losing season,” McDonald said Wednesday on Yahoo Sports’ Football 301 podcast. “It’s been almost 20 years. Even if you’re not great, even having a chance to win 10 games every year is something that no other NFL coach can say that they’ve done. So, I’ve got to put them at five.”
Tomlin’s consistency is almost unparalleled. He’s gone 18 seasons as the Steelers’ head coach without a losing season. While they haven’t always made the postseason, he’s kept Pittsburgh in the playoff picture for almost two decades. It’s hard to argue against that kind of success.
However, Tomlin’s lack of postseason success shouldn’t be ignored. It’s not just that the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game in almost 10 years. It’s that they’ve gotten crushed in most of their recent playoff appearances. They’ve lost by double-digits in each of their last four playoff games. For a franchise as successful as the Steelers, that should be embarrassing.
McDonald expanded on that dichotomy during that same podcast.
“It’s hard to sit here and watch them pitter-patter to 10-7 every year. We’re like, ‘This is our floor. Every year, our floor is going to be getting to the wild card round and getting knocked out.’ That sucks after a while, to know every year when you get to January you don’t actually have a real chance to win the Super Bowl.
“But let me tell you, as someone who is on the other side of that, that hasn’t seen their team play in a playoff game in eight years, it could get a lot worse.”
Yes, things could be worse for the Steelers. Like McDonald says, several teams haven’t even sniffed the postseason in years. Look at the New York Jets, who haven’t made the playoffs in 15 years. That kind of drought would drive Steelers fans nuts.
However, the Steelers haven’t gotten this far by holding themselves to another team’s standard. For them, championships are what matter. Their goal every season isn’t just to make the playoffs. They want to win the Super Bowl every year, even when that goal seems far away.
That’s why some fans are frustrated with Tomlin. He’s a great coach, but lately, his Steelers have felt stuck. Perhaps a change could get them out of this rut.
Something similar happened with Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles. While he was great as their head coach, it felt like they plateaued under him. Therefore, the Eagles cut ties with Reid, with both parties ending up better off on the other side. Reid built a dynasty with the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Eagles have won two Super Bowls.
Maybe Tomlin and the Steelers could follow a similar path. However, it doesn’t seem like Tomlin’s time in Pittsburgh is coming to an end. Unless they suffer a major collapse, Tomlin probably isn’t going anywhere.
