Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers have, to say the least, been spoiled by a perennial contender and a trustworthy and successful head coach for decades. Chuck Noll won four Super Bowls during his 33-year tenure, Bill Cowher won one in two appearances over the course of 15 years, and Mike Tomlin has had two Super Bowl teams in just six seasons, winning in 2009 and losing in 2011. The Rooney family has been able to maintain consistency and build a system by putting who they want in charge and keeping him for years, instead of making frequent changes and starting over as many NFL franchises tend to do.
Surely then, in his seventh season coaching the Steelers, Tomlin is not on the infamous “hot seat”, right? After five winning seasons, four playoff appearances, and three AFC North division titles in his first five seasons, Tomlin’s team battled through offensive woes and several key injuries en route to an 8-8 record last season. Excuses were made by fans and the media that the combination of a new offensive coordinator (Todd Haley), an aging roster, and lost time for QB Ben Roethlisberger, among others, was the difference between that being an eight-win squad as opposed to a playoff squad. So far, in 2013, the team is 0-1 following an ugly home loss to a seemingly lesser opponent, and spirits are down all across Steeler Nation.
Mike Tomlin was hired in 2007 at the age of 34 and he inherited a strong roster from Cowher, who retired to spend more time with his wife and daughters. He quickly became the youngest head coach to lead a Super Bowl contender and, upon defeating Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII, the youngest to win one, too. He is known for his calm demeanor, no-nonsense attitude on the sidelines and in front of media, and for being generally liked and respected by his players. He has had only three coordinators through six-plus seasons; Dick LeBeau continues to produce one of the top defenses statistically each season and Bruce Arians spent five years as Tomlin’s offensive coordinator before leaving for the same position at Indianapolis when his contract expired after the 2011 season. Arians is now the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. His departure led to the hiring of Haley, most recently the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. Haley’s hiring and the development of a new offensive system that followed had reportedly caused some friction between Tomlin and Roethlisberger, who had enjoyed success and a strong relationship with Arians.
If Tomlin is to be blamed for the current state of the franchise, it could start with letting Arians walk away, as well as the selection of Haley. The offensive play-calling, poor offensive line performance, and complete absence of a running game can, in many ways, be contributed to Haley’s early failures at finding solutions to put the ball in the end zone and points on the board. The coaching staff and team management have unsuccessfully drafted or signed players to fill the weaknesses this team has displayed over the past few years and it is now, undoubtedly, catching up quick. Slews of injuries to basically every offensive lineman have not helped, of course. Second and third string linemen are constantly in the starting lineup it seems and, thus, Roethlisberger is frequently hit or sacked and the running backs have nowhere to go.
This begs the question, how much is this actually the fault of one man? Neither Tomlin, Haley, or even general manager Kevin Colbert can shoulder all of the blame, but if team performance continues to trend as it is, all three will continue to feel the burn from a fan base that does not simply hope to win, rather they expect to win. It would not be out of the question for Haley to be dismissed mid-season unless there is drastic improvement, but that also is not the way the Steelers front office tends to make changes. As for Tomlin, expect him to be allowed to carry on throughout the rest of the season without any shadow of doubt cast publically by his bosses. Parity in the NFL is bound to catch up with even the most successful franchises and an occasional bad season is never out of the question. However, Tomlin will unquestionably need to control the damage and turn this thing around, at least a little bit. Sunday’s 16-9 loss to Tennessee had a certain stench to it that will not be tolerated by the veteran players, the booing fans, or Tomlin himself. Expect he and his players to carry on through the already significant injury list, the doubters, the turmoil, and the 16-game schedule. After all, a win Monday night in Cincinnati, improbable as it may seem, would be a quick fix and would provide the cooling touch Tomlin is seeking these days.
