Love or hate him, Mike Tomlin has accomplished great things with the Pittsburgh Steelers, even if a second Super Bowl eludes him. With the Steelers’ win over the Detroit Lions in Week 16, they broke the record for most consecutive seasons with a winning record, passing the Dallas Cowboys. 22 consecutive seasons above .500 is impressive. Steelers fans want championships, but 22 seasons of winning ball games is no easy feat, and it does deserve some credit.
The truth about Tomlin as a coach is that he has the highest floor ever. No matter when, he is getting nine wins. His ceiling is questionable at this point, but the floor is potentially the highest in NFL history. He has a unique ability to win games that he has no business being in, and lose games that should be layups. The duality of man. It’s hard to win in the NFL, but Tomlin finds a way to do it every year, even when they say that he can’t.
Even through dark days at the quarterback position, Tomlin has found a way. He’s dragged Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Duck Hodges, and Mason Rudolph to winning seasons. That is enough to deserve a gold jacket right there. Life after Ben Roethlisberger hasn’t been easy, but the Steelers keep winning regular-season games. It’s remarkable. When you think they’re going to have a down year, they show up in the playoffs.
A month ago, things looked bad for this Steelers team. They got shelled by the Buffalo Bills as the Fire Tomlin chants rained down on Acrisure Stadium. It appeared to be more over than it ever has been, but those chants woke something up in the Steelers. Tomlin has coached his ass off ever since. The Steelers have won three straight games and positioned themselves to control their own destiny down the stretch. It’s hard to ask for much more at this point in the season.
Steelers fans can always ask for more. It’s time to win a couple of playoff games. End the drought. If they can get into the dance, they will have a freshly rested D.K. Metcalf and T.J. Watt waiting for them. That will be a boost of epic proportions for both sides of the ball. Pittsburgh has gotten hot at the perfect time, and it is time to turn that into playoff success. If they get bounced in the first round again, things could get ugly.
A heavy helping of Steelers fans are ready to move on from Tomlin, and their gripes are understandable. Winning Super Bowls is the standard in the Steel City. It always has been, and it always will be. The people of Pittsburgh don’t mess with their football. If they aren’t winning in the playoffs, nothing matters to them. It hinders their day-to-day life. A deep run in the playoffs would go a long way in mending a relationship between Tomlin and the yinzers.
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