The Pittsburgh Steelers are stuck in mediocrity, and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has spent more time deflecting blame off of himself than making adjustments to his flawed gameplan. With the amount of turnover on the roster, coaching staff, and even front office since these consistent failures began, the reason for the team not accomplishing anything meaningful points to one man. However, neither him nor his enabler, Owner Art Rooney II, are willing to admit that, and that's why they are where they are at this point.
Charles LeClaire / USA Today Sports
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin (left), General Manager Omar Khan (middle), and Owner Art Rooney II at training camp.
During his end-of-season press conference, Tomlin was asked about the team being "stuck" in their current scenario. They've lost their last five playoff games and it feels like the Steelers are in sports purgatory -- not ever being bad enough for a high draft pick, but not ever being good enough in recent years to truly compete for another Super Bowl.
"I don't know that I've looked at it from that perspective [of being stuck]," said Tomlin. "I'm certainly disappointed that I'm not working to prepare to play this week. I've certainly felt that in recent years, but 'stuck' is a helpless feeling, and I don't know that I feel helpless."
The team's effort has felt almost nonexistent for a large chunk of the losing streak to end the 2024 season. It seems like no one was truly bought into the head coach's messages, and they played like they wanted to go home, as opposed to chasing a Super Bowl.
Benjamin B. Braun / Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin looks on during a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2024 NFL season at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA.
While Tomlin may not feel helpless, much of the fan base can see that this team is feels hopeless for the near future. Tomlin was even asked about what there is to be optimistic about moving forward, and if the team truly isn't "stuck."
"I don't know that I'm ready to be overly optimistic or sell optimism to you either. I'm just acknowledging what transpired and what has to happen and what is beginning to happen -- acknowledging the complexity and the amount of work that's ahead of us -- certainly feel capable, but definitely don't feel in the mood for optimism or the selling of optimism. I don't know that that's appropriate."
Steelers' "Standard" Is Holding Them Back From Postseason Success
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin on the field before facing the Cleveland Browns in Week 12 at Huntington Bank Park in Cleveland, OH in a snow game.
"The Standard" is not good enough anymore; it's way too low. Instead, he should be saying "raise the standards" every single day that he is in the building. Until he raises the standards, including for himself, the Steelers are likely stuck in their current predicament. That includes changes to his coaching staff, which he also mentioned is a possibility during his press conference on Tuesday.
All the stats have been talked about nonstop, yet Tomlin chooses the wrong time to shut out the noise. He truly needs to think about the common denominator of all those failures and figure out how to never let that happen anymore.
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