Steelers' Mike Tomlin Must Desperately Learn From Successful Rival John Harbaugh Begs NFL Analyst

The Pittsburgh Steelers fan base is becoming extremely restless after another season came to an end without a playoff win. January 15, 2017 was the last time that Mike Tomlin and co. were able to come away with a postseason victory. Falling the following week in the AFC Championship Game to the New England Patriots began a five-game losing streak that most recently continued against the Buffalo Bills. The biggest head-scratcher surrounding it all has been that the rosters have been talented, while the team hasn't had a losing record throughout Tomlin's tenure either. Something needs to change moving forward for 2024 and beyond.

Pittsburgh is the only team in the AFC North to not win a playoff game since the 2016 season. The Cincinnati Bengals have the most, winning five along with a Super Bowl appearance in that timeframe. One NFL analyst, however, called Tomlin out for not taking pages out of one of his main rivals' books. Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh has his team in the AFC Title Game on Sunday and The Athletic's Mike Sando is imploring Tomlin to follow Harbaugh.

Sando has been with The Athletic since 2019 following a 12-year stint with ESPN, so he has been a part of the NFL media landscape for some time. On Monday, an article he wrote on the Ravens' dominance throughout Harbaugh's tenure was published and he offered advice to other coaches throughout the league. He promptly called out Tomlin's inability to hire someone who can effectively lead an offense.

"The Steelers’ Tomlin has struggled to find the right offensive coordinator. It’s a leading reason Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game in the past seven seasons (2,563 days and counting for frustrated Steelers fans). Tomlin has pledged to look outside the building after promoting from within previously."

The Ravens parted ways with Greg Roman after the 2022 season and then brought in an external hire in Todd Monken. The offense is buzzing and Monken wasn't promoted from within. He had plenty of play-calling experience at the NFL level, but spent 2020 from 2022 with the Georgia Bulldogs as their offensive coordinator.

The article as a whole details that hiring coordinators is one of the biggest reasons teams have success in the NFL. The Ravens defense has been scary good during Harbaugh's tenure and while the Steelers have had good groups, inconsistencies have frequently been visible. Pittsburgh has critical decisions to make in the 2024 offseason if they want to compete at an extremely high level sooner rather than later.

There is no word on the future of Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin, but the offensive coordinator search has already begun after it was announced by Tomlin that neither Eddie Faulkner or Mike Sullivan would be considered for the open position. Tomlin has been stubborn in his hiring practices for the majority of his head coaching career, but Sando makes a valid point.

Kenny Pickett's future in the NFL may be riding on who is brought in to call plays in 2024. It's not even a given that he will be named the starter after a disappointing sophomore season in 2023, but he will be given a chance to gain the trust of the coaching staff with whoever the new hire is. There's no doubt that it could determine the organization's short and long-term future.

Steelers' Tomlin Needs To Adapt To The Modern Day NFL

It has often been said that Pittsburgh needs to get with the times. Tomlin's approach back in 2008 and 2010 that led to one Super Bowl win and two appearances is not what gets the job done in today's NFL. The first big step in evolving is bringing in an offensive mind that can create a dynamic offense that has the ability to consistently put up 30 points per game.

Do you think Tomlin could take a lesson from what Harbaugh has done in Baltimore? Let us know in the comments below!

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