Steelers' Mike Tomlin Is Happy To "Tote Those Bags" Containing Playoff Losses Rather Than Project Them Onto His Current Team

The Pittsburgh Steelers made the playoffs during Week 15, despite losing to the Philadelphia Eagles. Entering into that tough three games in 10 days stretch, fans were cautiously optimistic. The team was 10-3, however, they knew they faced a daunting challenge, mostly because of the talent they were set to play and the lack of recovery time they would have in between contests. After losing the last four games of the season, fans are in a tailspin now, and are wondering how it could possibly get better in the postseason. 

The Steelers haven't won a playoff game since beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2016 season. At that time, Patrick Mahomes was still a year from being drafted, and Alex Smith was their quarterback. Since that 18-16 win over the Chiefs, the Steelers have had zero postseason success. Head Coach Mike Tomlin was asked during his weekly press conference what gives him confidence heading to play the Baltimore Ravens when the team hasn't won their last several playoff games.    

"Because I've worked with this group every day," said Tomlin adamantly. "I'm excited about it. We're very familiar with this team. We know how to play this group. So that's where our focus is as we get prepared for this one. What you mentioned is my story. It's not this collective story. Many of these guys involved do not tote those bags. I happily tote those bags. But it's not something I'm going to project on the collective."

The Week 18 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals took the wind out of many fans' sails. They feel the team has no momentum heading into the postseason, while the Ravens have everything going their way. 

The players don't agree. They have said they feel they have as much of a shot as anyone. The scoreboard resets to zero, and every team has to win to stay in. In addition, the Steelers have had remarkable success against the Ravens, winning eight out of their last 10 games. Tomlin was asked how the coaches can help restore the player's confidence after the recent cold streak. 

"I don't know that it needs restored," said Tomlin. "We've been in too many battles, and we've had too much success to be fragile in that way. We can certainly hate our recent performances and the outcome of those recent performances, but I don't think it's reflected in terms of how we feel about ourself or our ability to make plays or engineer victory or win games."

Many fans are angry enough that they want Tomlin and his coaching staff fired and the team to move on from several players, including Russell Wilson and George Pickens. There is no indication that the organization will do anything like that; it smacks in the face of how the Steelers stay loyal to those who are a part of the family. 

The frustration is fair; the offense, in particular, has performed poorly in the losses, and there seems to be a lot of blame to go around. The one spark of hope should come from the fact that they engineered several impressive wins earlier this season and have shown they can do it. 

Would The Steelers Trade Mike Tomlin?

Adam Schefter recently reported that several teams might contact the Steelers, hoping to make a trade for Tomlin depending on how the season ends. This has happened in the past with mixed success: Bill Belichick from the New York Jets to the New England Patriots, and Jon Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from the Oakland Raiders. 

Coaching trades like this are rare, but some feel a coach who is as highly respected as Tomlin could net several draft picks that would help the Steelers get back on track. That leaves the question of who would take his place.

How much confidence do you think the team has headed into the playoffs? Click to comment below. 

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