The Pittsburgh Steelers have recently developed a reputation of being content with mediocrity. It doesn't help that Jim Rooney basically admitted that in a recent interview. Ownership prioritizes loyalty and continuity with the team, as they don't like making risky moves that lower the floor of the team. However, teams never thrive if they refuse to take risk. If they want evidence of that playing out in real time, they should look across the state.
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Jason Kelce celebrates after the Philadelphia Eagles' victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
For the third time in eight years, the Philadelphia Eagles are going to the Super Bowl. They have maintained success by doing the opposite of what the Rooneys believe in, as Andrew Fillipponi points out on 93.7 The Fan.
"The team in the Super Bowl from Pennsylvania does not believe in that. They don't believe in 'just good enough,'" said Fillipponi. "They don't think, 'Well, we have Andy Reid; he had one crappy year, let's keep him around and give him a mulligan season.' No, they fired him and replaced him with a coach who won double-digit games (Chip Kelly). When he didn't tickle everybody's fancy and the players got tired of him, they fired him for a coach that won the Super Bowl (Doug Pederson), then that guy had one bad season, and they fired him and replaced him for another coach that has now gone to two Super Bowls (Nick Sirianni)."
While the Steelers seem complacent, the Eagles are making these needed cutthroat decisions to get what they truly want. Sure, it may not be fair to take a coach that has led you to a Super Bowl and another that won it for you and fire them both quickly, but sometimes, those decisions need to be made.
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Former Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson was let go by the team on January 5, 2025.
While hiring Chip Kelly may not have been the greatest move, the Eagles let him go quickly and brought in Doug Pederson. He was able to fix the culture of the team and even lead them to a victory in Super Bowl LII, but he developed his own issues and got canned only two seasons after that victory. It seems like the Eagles made the right choice, however.
Despite making the Super Bowl in the 2022 season, Head Coach Nick Sirianni was on the hot seat due to the team's disastrous collapse at the end of the 2023 season. The 2024 campaign started off shaky, but he got his act together and is now fighting for the Lombardi Trophy for the second time in three years.
Steelers Continue To Struggle In Postseason
Meanwhile, the Steelers still can't figure out how to have a quality postseason performance, let alone win a playoff game. Head Coach Mike Tomlin does enough to get the team to a record above .500 consistently, so he is allowed to stick around for now.
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Mike Tomlin, Omar Khan, and Art Rooney II at training camp.
Despite his stubbornness at times getting the best of him repeatedly, ownership sees no reason to rock the boat. Tomlin is a loyal Steeler that helps make the team competitive in the regular season, and that's good enough it appears. The players like him for his ability to relate to him, so why ruffle some feathers there?
The reason is because good is not good enough. The Eagles don't believe in that, and that's why they make these harsh moves. The Kansas City Chiefs don't believe in that, and that's why they traded up to draft Patrick Mahomes after a 12-4 season. Their abilities to make these tough decisions along with proper scouting and management are why they keep winning. That is why they are facing off in the big game for the second time in three years while the Steelers are still trying to figure out who their next signal-caller will be.
What do you think about the Steelers failing to do what the Eagles do? Let us know in the comments.
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