Steelers' Mike Tomlin Has Absolutely No Idea Why His Team Couldn't Break Their Losing Streak

The Pittsburgh Steelers end the season with another infuriating result. While Steeler Nation has been projecting its anger at the team, it at least shows that the faithful still care. If the team isn't careful, its loyal fan base will grow apathetic about it, like it did with the local baseball team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. Change is needed, and there is no way around it. Unfortunately, there seems to be no indication of real change. The standard will continue to be the standard until further notice, and the Steelers will be useless in January once again.

During his end-of-season press conference, Head Coach Mike Tomlin was asked about the team's inability to break the losing streak at the end of the year, like they have done in previous years. He has yet to come to a conclusion, despite the fans already doing so.

"I'm unearthing that, you know," Tomlin said. "And I guess that's the spirit in which I open this because I know you got questions, but the answering of some of those questions would be speculative from my perspective. At this point, I'd be making something up, and I'm not going to do that, but make no mistake: that's what the upcoming days and weeks and even months are about for us as we begin the process of laying a foundation for 2025."

The Steelers had numerous issues during the losing streak. Unfortunately, they can't all just be magically fixed with a typical "rah-rah" speech or a pre-practice mosh pit. There has to be accountability and self-reflection across the board. In cases like that, it starts with the head coach of the frustrated unit. 

Unfortunately, Tomlin has been spending more time preaching about change than actually making it happen. Actions speak louder than words. He can talk about change all he wants, but his refusal to adapt from his outdated ideas are the main thing holding the team back. He can't just tell everyone else to adapt and then not practice what he preaches.

Because of that, the latest campaign ended the way it did: guys not playing hard as questions stir about if the head coach actually knows what he's doing. Yes, he's a great motivator, but when your own team sees right through your stagnant ideology and leadership tactics, it loses the desire to play. 

Steelers Need To Step In And Force Mike Tomlin To Change

If ownership and/or the front office also have the desire to achieve something better than just a .500 record, they will make their veteran head coach do certain things that he is currently unwilling to do. It's obvious that Tomlin is content with "The Standard." No one else in that building should be, though.

It has been confirmed multiple times that Tomlin runs the defense and meddles with the offense. Both units have been stagnant for years. They will never get anywhere with the head coach demanding that they play hyper-conservative regularly. Soft zone does not work anymore, and neither does throwing endless check downs.

The Steelers need to strip Tomlin of that power. The defensive coordinator should run the defense, and the offense coordinator should run the defense. The head coach should stay out of their ways and instead focus on what he is good at. Don't overstep those boundaries, and maybe the team could finally thrive.

If there is no faith in one or both coordinators, they should be fired and replaced with actual coaches, as opposed to yes-men that won't challenge Tomlin. There are quality options out there for coordinators on both sides of the ball. He needs to hire someone that knows what they are doing, as opposed to scapegoats that will take a paycheck to stay out of his way.

What do you think about Tomlin not understanding what the rest of the football world sees? Let us know in the comments.

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