The Pittsburgh Steelers have employed Mike Tomlin for 17 years. The early years were full of sunshine and rainbows, with two trips to the Super Bowl. They had a franchise quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger and a suffocating defense that was aging, but still effective. Nobody in Steeler Nation knew that after Rashard Mendenhall fumbled away Super Bowl XLVI, it would be the last trip to the big game during Tomlin’s tenure.
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Steelers nemesis Tim Tebow completes a slant to Demaryius Thomas and ends the Steelers' budding dynasty.
The Steelers limped into Mile High Stadium the following season against the Denver Broncos led by Tim Tebow, and the wheels came off. Roethlisberger tied the game, only to see Tebow find the late Demaryius Thomas on a short slant that went for 80 yards. Fans didn’t know it, but it began a decade of playoff futility. The Steelers have only won three playoff games since that loss, including the second-longest playoff win drought in the franchise’s history.
Pro Football Talk
Steelers sometimes critic Mike Florio criticized Kirk Herbstreit's defense of Matt Canada on Thursday Night Football.
Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk joined The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller for his regular appearance on Wednesday afternoon. Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller have pressed Florio hard this season about Tomlin’s performance and his decision to retain Matt Canada. They asked him what he thought of the move on Tuesday.
“It really is amazing that they did it,” Florio began. “There was clear dysfunction on the offensive side of the ball. I know Mike Tomlin said it was his decision and his decision alone. It might be a decision he wanted to implement weeks ago, and it wasn’t until Art Rooney said go ahead and do it, that he was actually permitted to do. It really is unclear who made the final call.”
The conflicting reports on the decision to terminate Canada have been confusing. It is the closest the Steelers have come to public dysfunction in the Super Bowl era. Florio, the founder of Pro Football Talk, is a Minnesota Vikings fan. He knows a little something about dysfunction.
“Are things going to be better,” Florio asked. “Who is going to get the criticism if they aren’t? Fundamentally, is this just a situation where Kenny Pickett isn’t the guy? That would be strange to see the Steelers admit after only two years that they got it wrong with Kenny Pickett.”
Steelers' Mike Tomlin Defended With Loathsome Talking Points By Mike Florio
Florio is one of the staunchest Tomlin defenders in the national media. When he isn’t spouting the cringeworthy cliched defenses of Tomlin, he is making up his own. The most offensive might be that Pittsburgh should not move on because someone else would hire him immediately. A point that even he acknowledged is no longer valid because of the head coach's words.
“Mike Tomlin said it’s a results-oriented business that applies to him, too,” Florio continued. "It always irritates me when there is that pocket of Steelers fans that gets very loud when the Steelers are struggling that Tomlin needs to be fired. But if it’s a new reality, then he’ll be under scrutiny as well if they have a protracted stretch of futility.”
The seven-year playoff win drought and a four-game AFC playoff losing streak over that stretch would meet the criteria. Steeler Nation expects relevancy and at least trips to the AFC Championship games. Contending for Super Bowls, not finishing .500 is the standard that Tomlin is supposed to be measured against.
“Doesn’t that make the whole notion of who actually called this shot to remove Canada even more intriguing,” Mueller asked. “If it was Rooney, as Gerry Dulac reported, and maybe Mike didn’t want it to happen, that makes me think that maybe Mike Tomlin without a new contract might be on the most notice he’s ever been on from the owner's box.”
From the outside looking in, Tomlin’s retention beyond 2024 does not feel like a certainty. He could be resisting going in a new direction behind closed doors. Tomlin has never been a strong tactician and has not employed one since Todd Haley during the 2017 season. Florio, shockingly, entertained the idea that Tomlin and the Steelers could part ways and even cautioned Art Rooney about the decision-making process.
“You know that’s not a bad point,” Florio acknowledged. “Rooney has been so adamant about Mike Tomlin. Six, seven years ago, I heard some of the limited partners wanted to make a change after all the Antonio Brown stuff. The idea that he wasn’t properly controlling the team. I’ve been a huge Mike Tomlin supporter, but if there ever is a time when they need to make a change, I hope they don’t resist simply because it’s their thing, and it’s their trademark that they’ve only had three coaches since 1969.”
After Mueller cornered him, even the former attorney could not find his way back to the comfort of his usual talking points. Florio did not endorse firing Tomlin but the veteran NFL observer did not dismiss it as a possibility either.
The dirty little secret that the national media has been ignoring for more than half a decade is that Tomlin's current stellar reputation revolves around the fact that he kept a lid on Antonio Brown's antics. It also makes sense that the dysfunctional NFL franchises would find that an attractive trait. Going .500 with an occasional division championship to show for it would make many NFL owners very happy.
Steelers.com
Steelers' Mike Tomlin and Bill Cowher sit down together.
A fan base spoiled by Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and the first third of Tomlin's career is growing increasingly impatient. The Steelers' way is dying, and apathy is killing it. The NFL is perfectly content to let a franchise built on defense and running the football fade into irrelevance in 2023. It will be interesting to see if Florio brings his newfound awareness that moving on from Tomlin is no longer a fringe group of the fan base. It is a significant portion with a point that should be shared with his national platform.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Has Florio finally turned his playbook to the same page as fans of the black and gold regarding Tomlin? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq.
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