The Steelers had two new quarterbacks this past season, but the story remained the same. Another winning record, another playoff appearance—but yet again, nothing to show for it. Their season ended with another wild-card exit, extending their postseason win drought and delaying any hope of a Super Bowl run.
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Frustration is boiling over among fans, including superfan Kevin Adams, who took things to the next level. He put up a billboard with a blunt message for owner Art Rooney: “Trade Tomlin or sell the team.” The controversy caught the attention of Unc and Ocho, who weighed in with their thoughts.
Pointing to Tomlin having no losing season, Ocho thinks they should stick with the Super Bowl-winning HC for the coming seasons. He feels Steelers giving up Mike or trading him would be imprudent as it would leave them in a predicament to choose his successor. There aren’t many good coaches out there who can get positive results with a lack of talent at their disposal.
“Mediocrity? 17-win season…You let Tomlin go, who you bringing?…You have to build yourself up to having a Super Bowl team. You know what that takes? That takes personnel, it takes a consistent quarterback.”
However, Shannon disagrees and believes it is time for the Steelers to move on from Tomlin. He believes no losing season doesn’t equate to success, pointing out the Steelers HC’s lack of playoffs since 2016.
Chad stuck to his argument, pointing out that grass is not always greener. He asserted that it takes a lot to build a Super Bowl-winning team, and it all starts with a QB, especially in the modern game. According to him, the Steelers haven’t had a competent QB since Ben Roethlisberger.
Sharpe believes his co-host’s argument has no leg to stand on because Tomlin failed to make good personnel decisions. He deserves the blame for poor drafting and signings.
“So Mike Tomlin has no say in personnel, he has no say in free agency, has no say in final 53, in draft? He bears some culpability. When Ben Roethlisberger was getting old, what did they do- they let him wither on the vine. That’s Tomlin. “
The 9-8 and 10-7 season ain’t cutting it anymore. If we go by stats and look at Tomlin’s resume beyond 2010, there isn’t much to rave about. Shannon might be onto something.
Mike Tomlin’s mediocre run a worrying sign?
For a coach who talks about the Steeler’s high standards, the franchise is not living up to them and these standards are nowhere to be found. He might have added another .500 season to his resume, finishing the regular season 10-7 but their record in the playoffs remains abysmal.
They have made the playoffs four times in the last five seasons. During those seasons, they played four wild-card games and lost all of them. He has won the AFC North only once in that duration, finishing 12-4 in 2020 but still couldn’t get past the wild-card round, losing to the Browns.
They have not been to the Super Bowl since 2011 and have not won the Lombardy since 2008. They haven’t been to the AFC Championship Game since 2016, which was the last season when they won a playoff game. While Tomlin’s regular season record is 183 wins and 107 losses, maintaining a winning percentage of .630, his record in the postseason is dismal.
It’s now 8-11 in the playoffs for him. The Steelers are proud and one of the most successful franchises with six Super Bowls. This is mediocrity and many are still celebrating the bare minimum. Art Rooney has a very important decision in his hands for the sake of the future of the franchise.
Mike Tomlin hasn’t reinvented himself. They still believe they can win a great defense and an average QB. But the times have changed and everything goes through the team’s QB which is paramount for success. Trading Mike will get the Steelers some good draft capital.
Robert Kraft saw his team stuck in a rut under Bill Belichick and pulled the trigger. Why can’t Art do the same?
