Steelers' Shameful Loss Will Lead To Scapegoats: "You Almost Feel Sorry For Them Because They Don't Allow Them To Do Their Job"

The Pittsburgh Steelers once again lost in the first round of the playoffs, and fans wonder what needs to change for the team to find its way back to postseason success. While fans are banging the drum for Art Rooney II to fire Head Coach Mike Tomlin, that seems unlikely. This means the team will have to look for other ways to bring change that creates wins. 

Mark Kaboly, Steelers reporter from The Pat McAfee Show, joined the 93.7 The Fan Morning Show to talk about the loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round. Kaboly said fans are misguided if they think Rooney will decide what to do based on their complaints. However, he believes that Tomlin has his fingers in running the offense and defense, and that is something that should change. 

He believes Tomlin admitted his involvement during one of his press conferences when he said they needed to stop turning the ball over and to remedy that; they were getting back to a more run-heavy scheme. That new scheme was markedly different than the one Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith had employed all season, getting them to 10-3 before the losing streak. He believes Rooney needs to tell Tomlin to back off and let the coordinators do their jobs. Instead, he thinks he will sacrifice scapegoats, specifically Pat Meyer and Teryl Austin when he talks with the media.

“We see it with Hard Knocks; his fingers are in everything,” said Kaboly. “I don’t know how a guy’s able to do his job correctly. And I think that’s partly why these coordinators stick around, why Matt Canada sticks around; you almost feel sorry for them because they don't allow them to do their job to their full extent. I think he’s (Teryl Austin) one of them, you gotta look at Pat Meyer and I thought Pat Meyer was very good the past couple years, but when you just look at the straight facts, the offensive line just did not get better.”

Kaboly said that, very soon, Rooney would be sitting in a room with all the media members and forced to address his comments last year about how continuing to lose in the first round of the playoffs is unacceptable. Rooney answers questions a lot like Tomlin does; he never gives any direct answers, but Kaboly believes he knows people are frustrated. Regardless, he doesn’t think he will ever bend to what they want and fire Tomlin, but he does think he will sacrifice some of the coordinators to attempt change. 

What Kaboly thinks will be more challenging is for Tomlin to keep his hands out of the play-calling on both sides of the ball. He believes that Rooney needs to put his foot down and tell him to lead the team and allow others to run the plays, but he doesn’t think he will. 

Steelers Weren’t Ready For The Ravens

The slow starts are one of the biggest knocks on the Steelers' offense this year. Earlier this season, they primarily overcame them to pull out wins. They got behind early in those final four games, and the playoff game, and just couldn’t catch up. 

Wide receiver George Pickens indicated after the game that perhaps the team wasn’t prepared enough. He said they were all trying their hardest, but the players on the other side of the ball are also the best of the best. Those defenders are also getting paid and want to win just as badly as the Steelers' players. They have to be ready for that. 

The Steelers certainly looked unprepared. The defense could not stop their rushing attack, and Derrick Henry embarrassed them play after play. The offense seemed to have a spark early, but quickly collapsed. The Steelers have to look inward this offseason and address the problems on both sides of the ball. 

Do you agree with Kaboly that Tomlin needs to keep his hands out of the play-calling? Click to comment below. 

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