After starting out at 4-1, the Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7. It was a disappointing loss, especially for the Steelers’ defense. That unit allowed almost 500 yards of total offense, and the Bengals didn’t even have Joe Burrow. They put up that performance with Joe Flacco starting under center. Dave Dameshek thinks that failure is Mike Tomlin’s fault and should make the Steelers reconsider their future with the head coach after this season.
“Don’t blame defensive coordinator Teryl Austin,” Dameshek said recently on his Football America podcast. “It is not his scheme. Keep in mind, Mike Tomlin is supposed to be a defensive whiz with a specialty in the secondary. These guys, Joey Porter [Jr.] and Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey, handpicked to stop not just garden-variety wide receivers, but Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase.
“And they just smoked them off the right arm of an old man named Joe Flacco. I think it stinks. I don’t want to get hyperbolic, but I think, after 18 years, it’s time. If they can’t make some hay come January with the formula that he wanted to use for this season, if it does not work with some legitimate success, and I mean a win or two come the AFC playoffs, then I think it’s time to move on already.”
Dameshek is correct that Tomlin’s background is on the defensive side of the ball. He was a defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach in the NFL before becoming a head coach. Therefore, there are expectations for Tomlin’s secondary to perform well.
That’s especially true for this season. The Steelers made several notable additions to their secondary. That includes signing Slay and trading for Ramsey. They thought their secondary would be one of their team’s biggest strengths. Instead, it’s been a weakness. That was on display against the Bengals, when Chase and Higgins combined for 22 catches, 257 yards, and two touchdowns.
While Tomlin isn’t the Steelers’ defensive coordinator, his fingerprints are all over their defense. He’s very involved on that side of the ball. That means he deserves some of the blame for their defensive failures.
However, that doesn’t mean Tomlin deserves to get fired after this season. Even if they don’t win a playoff game, it’s unlikely that the Steelers would move on from him. Yes, their lack of postseason success is frustrating, but the Steelers haven’t shown any inclination that they’ve run out of patience with Tomlin.
Tomlin will likely have a job as long as he wants to be the Steelers’ head coach. Also, the sky isn’t falling for the team right now. Despite their recent loss, the Steelers are still 4-2 and on top of the AFC North. It’s too early to tell if they’ll win a playoff game. They’re in a good position to win their division. While some fans are frustrated, don’t expect Tomlin to go anywhere anytime soon.
