Mike Tomlin is a true leader of men. His players eagerly follow him into battle, which is partly why he’s never had a losing season.
Unfortunately, Tomlin has a fatal flaw as the Steelers’ head coach: he can’t see the obvious, especially with his offense. This wasn’t apparent for the first twelve years of Tomlin’s tenure because the Steelers had one of the most physically gifted QBs of a generation.
Having Mike Munchak as the O-line coach from 2014 to 2018 didn’t hurt, either, as the line consistently ranked in the top ten.
This success masked the deep cracks forming in the offense, something Mike Tomlin failed to notice as his QB and O-line sank toward the bottom of the league’s performance. It wasn’t until 2023 that the Steelers began to address their O-line problems seriously, and they still haven’t addressed their QB situation six whole years after it became a liability.
Everyone makes mistakes. Men do that every day when they ask their wives if anything is wrong.
Anyone who watched Matt Canada’s offense take shape in 2021 knew that Tomlin had stepped in it. Even toddlers watching their first Steelers game were heard saying, “Ga ga goo!”, which in baby talk means, “This offense sucks!”
Despite this, Tomlin kept Canada around for another season and a half, boring fans and opposing defensive coordinators alike. Even the toddlers thought they could do better, and that was with fresh poo in their diapers.
As the legendary coach Bill Parcells famously said, “You are what your record says you are.” Here is Pat Meyer’s record as an O-line coach in the NFL:
| Year | Team | O-line Rank |
| 2017 | Los Angeles Chargers | 24 |
| 2018 | Los Angeles Chargers | 30 |
| 2019 | Los Angeles Chargers | 29 |
| 2020 | Carolina Panthers | 18 |
| 2021 | Carolina Panthers | 31 |
| 2022 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 28 |
| 2023 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 17 |
| 2024 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 19 |
That looks like a lot more baby doo-doo.
How important is this? For the 2024 season, the Steelers ranked in the bottom third of the league in total sacks against (49) and rushing yards per carry (4.1). In their one playoff game against Baltimore, they ran 11 times for 29 yards for an average of 2.6 YPC. They also gave up four sacks and a subpar pressure rate of 38% on passing plays (the league average is around 33%).
The whole reason teams put those behemoths on the offensive line is to run block and pass protect. When they can’t do either very well, especially when they’re a mix of high draft picks and accomplished veterans, it’s time to change the O-line coach.
What does Tomlin do? Absolutely nothing. It’s business as usual. Stay the course. Just a bit more duct tape and everything will be fine. One wonders if the Steelers’ QBs will share that sentiment:
…said absolutely no one ever trying to win a Super Bowl.
Mitch Trubisky, Russell Wilson, possibly Aaron Rodgers, or even Kirk “My Arm’s Dead” Cousins. Look, it’s understandable. Everyone loves finding diamonds in the rough, but usually, they just find rough.
Once again, Tomlin is ignoring the obvious. Did he notice that no one else in the NFL is playing musical chairs with aging QBs? Did he not see Sean Payton draft a new franchise QB while paying $39 million to ship the old one to the Steelers? As one of Shakespeare’s characters might have said, “Dost thou not see the failings that loom before thine very eyes?” Perhaps something on Mike Tomlin’s battle helmet needs fixing:
Most people in the NFL think highly of Mike Tomlin. Put him in charge of a good roster, and he’ll likely win another Super Bowl because he is so good at leading his players into battle. He routinely gets more out of his teams than most coaches would.
Unfortunately, Mike Tomlin is not very good at identifying and addressing his team’s obvious weaknesses. He seems unable to guide his team from competence to dominance.
The sooner the Steelers figure that out, the better.
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