CBS Takes Brutal Shot At Steelers, Mike Tomlin: "Standard" Is Just Getting "Bounced Early" From The Playoffs Again

The Pittsburgh Steelers kicked off Week 9 of the NFL season with a resounding victory over the Tennessee Titans on Thursday Night Football. Coming off an ugly loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars and a short week of preparation, Head Coach Mike Tomlin deployed a lot of finely-tuned details into the team’s game plan. Between positioning rookie tackle Broderick Jones on the right side of the line, ushering Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada out of the booth and onto the sidelines, and playing musical chairs to accommodate for the absence of Minkah Fitzpatrick, everything seemed to have added up to a winning effort.

However, hidden in the 20-16 victory were a cornucopia of blemishes on both sides of the ball. Those include forfeiting over 100 yards on the ground, 80 yards in penalties alone, allowing six first downs off of penalties, and allowing a rookie quarterback to throw over 260 yards in his second career game. On offense, albeit slightly improved, was out-gained by the opposition again, Kenny Pickett’s accuracy was significantly lacking, and they lost the possession battle by three minutes. But even though the team won, it is obvious the offense can’t win games and Pickett needs the defense to bail him out; at least, according to CBS Sports’ Adam Schein.

Steelers' And Mike Tomlin's "Standard" Is Still A Mystery

After the books closed on the Thursday night prime time game, there was a lot to sift through. Schein seemed to echo a lot of restless Steelers fans by asking for a definition of Tomlin’s “standard.” The team may have won on the field, but it took all 60 minutes of the game to beat an inferior opponent. Of course, Tomlin has coined the phrase, “The Standard is the Standard,” but no one seems to know what exactly that “standard” is. According to Schein, that standard is something fans should expect to see come January.

“I think they’re going to make the playoffs and I think they get bounced early,” he said. “Mike Tomlin always says, ‘the standard is the standard.’ What is the standard? Is it just making the playoffs and being bounced in the first round? Is that the new normal in Pittsburgh? Print the tee shirts, ‘Tomlin goes over .500 again.’ Is that considered a success? I keep looking for reasons to fall in love with the Steelers… but I don’t know any Steelers fan that watched that game [on Thursday night] that feels great about anything other than the final score.”

Across the entire Steelers fan base, one of the common denominators within the angst of the group is the lack of playoff success in the last decade. Sure, Tomlin can avoid a losing record, but that doesn’t hold much weight without a win in the playoffs. But with that said, Tomlin is simply reverting back to the blueprint that was already set for him in his early Super Bowl success. 

That blueprint being the obvious mantra of “defense wins championships.” As of where the team is sitting with a 5-3 record under their belt, are the Steelers depending on their defense too much? Or, is this simply par for the course for the Steelers? Schein seems to side with fans eager for a strong offensive performance.

“Kenny Pickett and the Steelers are certainly at their best when their backs are against the wall,” Schein said. “But even though they came back, and even though Pickett has a knack, I mean, what Steelers fan feels good today? I don’t think anybody feels good, I mean, you take a look at the Steelers’ play on offense and Pickett missed more passes than he hit, and Matt Canada came down from the booth and called the plays, but there was still issues, and Pickett threw for under 200 yards, and he missed a wide open [George] Pickens on numerous occasions, the defense bailed them out, no question about it.”

The defense in Pittsburgh has always been the bedrock of any success for generations. That reputation is one that is unanimously understood and respected across the entire football landscape. That reputation has been the reason for multiple victories, as well as ugly losses, throughout Tomlin’s tenure. But if we look at the blueprint of the historic Super Bowl-winning 2008 team, there are a lot of statistical similarities between that team and the 2023 edition of the Steelers.

A lot has been said about the Steelers somehow achieving a 5-3 record while being outgained in yardage in every game. That fact is simply proof of the defense doing what they need to in order for the team to win, even when the offense can’t move the ball. As absurd as that statistic is, there was a similar trend in 2008. In the entire season including the playoffs capped with Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers were 3-2 in games where they were outgained on offense. If we simply look at the Super Bowl victory, the Steelers were outgained by 115 yards. Seeing as though that 2008 team was successful in their championship run, it is hard to argue against the blueprint not being effective; this is where Tomlin's logic lives.

The teams that featured the high-flying offense with Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and Le’Veon Bell didn’t see any Super Bowl success even with one of the best offenses in the league. By building a roster with an elite offense paired with a lackluster, porous defense, Tomlin buried himself in a 3-4 playoff record in that era. Therefore, that “standard” that Tomlin witnessed early is one that isn’t centered around the offense. Instead, it takes more of the form of Novocain, where it'll work, just give it time. Ironically, Tomlin seems to have all the time in the world to wait to see the right results.

To Schein’s point, putting all the stock into the defense in hopes they continue to bail out a discounted offense. Going back to the sentiment around the fan base however, Schein amplified the continued angst when looking at Tomlin try to execute his “standard.” As pitiful as this may seem, the idea of being outgained and outgunned on the field, force the defense to win games, and expecting that to work has been engrained in the DNA of the Steelers for decades.

While the frustration is warranted in Pittsburgh, it comes with the underlying expectation on which this is, and has been, what Steelers football has been built. When Roethlisberger retired, it left Tomlin to find a way to construct the roster how he sees fit. He simply went back to basics, analyzed the team who last won a Super Bowl, and regenerated what worked 15 years ago. Could the fourth attempt at a playoff win do the trick for Tomlin? Or, is Schein correct in anticipating another 0-1 playoff run in 2023? Only time will tell.

Do you agree with Tomlin’s standard? What would it take for you to buy into this 2023 team? Let us know in the comments below!

#SteelerNation