The Pittsburgh Steelers have never had a losing season under Head Coach Mike Tomlin. In Tomlin's 17 seasons in Pittsburgh, he has consistently maintained a winning record. This is a remarkable feat in the NFL, which is arguably the most competitive league in professional sports. Maintaining a winning record for nearly two decades is truly impressive.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin looks on while coaching a regular season game.
Equally surprising is the fact that Tomlin and the Steelers have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season. Despite his consistent regular season success, this has led to some dissatisfaction among fans. In Pittsburgh, the standard for success is often measured by postseason achievements. While Tomlin is widely praised as one of the greatest coaches ever, the lack of recent playoff victories is frequently overlooked.
Defenders of Tomlin sometimes attribute this to a lack of talent, but Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo disagrees. In his Steelers chat, Fittipaldo pointed out that Tomlin has indeed had significant talent on his teams.
“I disagree. You might be right about one or two years recently when other AFC teams had better rosters, but that definitely was not the case from 2014-18. Those Steelers teams were stacked with great talent. You had Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell in their primes. You had a terrific offensive line. Yes, the defense struggled at times, but those teams underachieved given the talent Tomlin had at his disposal. In Pittsburgh, you're judged on your postseason success. I refuse to grade on a curve for any perceived issues in talent in recent years.”
While many claim that Tomlin has achieved a lot with limited talent, the opposite might be true. It is surprising to see the caliber of players Tomlin had during his playoff losses. Fittipaldo highlighted that during the entire playoff drought, Tomlin had a loaded defense, with many players in their prime.
“And mind you, he's had Cam Heyward, TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick in their primes and hasn't won a playoff game with them. Lots of teams would love to have a core 3 on their defense like that trio.”
The notion that Tomlin has achieved success with limited talent is not entirely unfounded. Recently, Tomlin has had to contend with average and below-average quarterback play.
Some pundits argue that this is another fault of Tomlin, as he has been involved in scouting and bringing every quarterback to Pittsburgh. Moreover, during his tenure with the legendary Ben Roethlisberger, there were several seasons with disappointing playoff outcomes, despite Roethlisberger's talent and experience.
Steelers' Mike Tomlin Struggled In The Playoffs Even With The Killer B’s
Despite having star offensive players like Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, and Roethlisberger, Tomlin's postseason success has been limited. These players, considered among the best in the league during their time with the Steelers, contributed to a formidable offense. However, despite their talents and impressive regular season performances, the team struggled to translate this success into deep playoff runs. The lack of postseason victories, given the presence of such elite offensive talent, is a notable aspect of Tomlin's tenure that has sparked debate and criticism among fans and analysts alike.
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Former Steelers trio Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown were known as the Killer B's.
These are simply the facts. Tomlin is a tremendous head coach and has proven himself to be one of the best ever. However, it has been a long time since Tomlin has been in Super Bowl conversations. The pressure is on Tomlin in 2024 to get Pittsburgh back in those talks. This offseason, Pittsburgh made some major moves.
They brought in two new quarterbacks, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. The defense improved by signing linebacker Patrick Queen in free agency. The special teams units also saw upgrades. The only area that has Pittsburgh fans concerned is the wide receiver room.
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Pittsburgh Steelers' Russell Wilson throws as Justin Fields watches.
If Tomlin does not secure a playoff win with this roster, Pittsburgh fans will be very displeased. However, their feelings may not matter much, as Tomlin recently signed a three-year extension with the team, keeping him as head coach through the 2027 season. With star defensive players like Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and TJ Watt running out of time in their primes, Tomlin needs to lead this team to playoff success fast.
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