The national media zealously defends the Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach. Steeler Nation is very familiar with the talking points. He has never had a losing season. Mike Tomlin gets the most out of his players and does more with less. If the Steelers let him go, teams would be lined up to get him. Fans have heard it ad nauseam, and for the first time in his tenure, Tomlin is in real jeopardy of losing his job.
The Rich Eisen Show
Steelers fans were taken to task for questioning Rich Eisen's friend, Mike Tomlin.
The clichés have run thin for the Steelers' coach's allies. Rich Eisen criticized fans for wanting to get rid of his friend Tomlin. He was then subjected to doing the play-by-play for the latest embarrassing Steelers loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Eisen was forced to watch Tomlin's poor game management and an unmotivated roster blow a 13-point lead to Gardner Minshew and practice squad running backs.
Eisen, who was confronted by the direct evidence of Tomlin's failures, welcomed Marshall Faulk to The Rich Eisen Show on Thursday. Faulk stepped into the role of advocate for the Steelers' head coach. He was a dynamic force on the football field, and Faulk unveiled a new, albeit misguided, defense of Tomlin by attacking Omar Khan, who he thought was the real culprit.
“I believe Mike Tomlin, the Pittsburgh Steelers, when they lost their GM, that’s the difference in this team,” Faulk stated. “The talent doesn’t look like the Pittsburgh Steelers talent. The Pittsburgh Steelers used to draft the best available talent, not what they needed. If you start drafting what you need you get in trouble. So you gotta take the best available talent.”
Steelers Former GM Kevin Colbert Owes Ben Roethlisberger A Big Apology
Faulk is on the right track. The Steelers are averaging retaining only one player per draft class since they last won a playoff game. The 2016-2022 NFL drafts are absolutely pathetic. The only issue is that the previous General Manager, Kevin Colbert, not Khan, is responsible. Tomlin has been deeply rooted in the draft evaluation process, and Faulk is giving him a pass for the questionable selections and virtually nonexistent player development.
Michael Hickey / Getty Images
Fresh off a massive contract, 49ers defensive lineman Javon Hargrave returned to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers in Week 1 of the 2023 season.
It is not that the Steelers have completely missed during recent drafts. Javon Hargrave from the 2016 class is one of the highest-paid defensive linemen in the league. He just plays for someone else. It is not just who Colbert and the Steelers let walk at the end of their rookie contracts. It is who they retained. Chukwuma Okorafor, for example, got a big second contract to play right tackle. Two seasons later, he started his last game in Pittsburgh, barring injury.
The Steelers took Najee Harris and Pat Freiermuth in the first two rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft. They chose skill position players to help Ben Roethlisberger in his final season, passing over Landon Dickerson and Creed Humphrey. The Steelers needed to replace an offensive line decimated by injury and retirement. Nico Collins, Amon Ra St. Brown, and Rhamondre Stevenson were available in later rounds if the Steelers wanted to draft skill positions.
Joe Sargent / Getty Images
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris understands that for the 2023 season to be successful, the team has to stick together.
How different would the Steelers look in 2023 if they had prioritized the best available player in the 2021 NFL Draft? Faulk is doing his best impression of a contortionist by passing the blame onto Khan. The general manager should be blamed. The problem is that Faulk, like so many in the national media, is so out of touch with the situation in Pittsburgh that he is blaming the wrong one.
Khan has only had one offseason to remake the roster. He brought in Andy Weidl to help him rebuild the offensive line. They signed Isaac Seumalo in free agency and drafted Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Seumalo has been above average, and Jones looks like a home run. Khan essentially traded Chase Claypool for Joey Porter Jr., which by any measure was a spectacular fleecing of the Chicago Bears.
Steelers.com
Steelers GM Omar Khan smiles as his master plan unfolds.
It wasn't a perfect offseason, but Khan filled a flawed roster with talent, Mr. Faulk. The curious defenses of Tomlin are growing stranger by the day. Find someone else to blame for the now seven years of futility in Pittsburgh. Here is a hint: it is not the guy who has been doing a pretty good job during his first year as the general manager.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Are you shocked Faulk would blame the brand new general manager for years of failure under Tomlin and Colbert? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq.
#SteelerNation
