Mike Tomlin

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I get it. A buddy of mine can't stand him. Big Steelers fan, hates Tomlin.

I also get the issue with fans from crappy teams not understanding - the Browns, Bengals, Jets, etc... aspire to have winning seasons - Steelers aspire to win the Super Bowl. Big difference - winning from Sept-Dec don't mean a lot when you aren't winning in January. The rest of us are just happy to be there.

Bengals got a bit of a taste with that those 5 straight playoffs - by year 4 and 5 - the fans were turning on Lewis because he wasn't winning in January. To make a comparison - UC basketball fans turned on their head coach despite being one of just 6 teams to make an NCAA tournament 9 years in a row, and was coming of a 3 year stretch in which they won 32, 30 and 29 games. Only one other team on that list is from another nonn P5 conference (Gonzaga). That's a damned good list to be on. Best 3 year stretch in school history - and yet fans wanted him gone because in March - the teams were substandard, and he didn't win enough.

Hard for fans that don't experience the constant winning to understand the frustration against a coach that wins in the regular season but not in the post season until you actually get there and can experience it.

Nailed it.

Thought this was discernable to all fans, but apparently not. Thanks for explaining this so I didn't have to!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

it seems the steelers have their plug and play system figured out. It doesn't matter who's the coach or players they just keep on winning. Talking about consistent, they only have 3 HCs in the last 50 years or so.

I'm sure glad the Rooneys don't listen to the fans, media, or even their own minority owners because ALL of them were calling for a coaching change at some point over the last 2-3 years. Obviously to varying degrees. And it was almost yearly with Cowher, at least early on in his career.

 

[Wamu]

My mistake. Thought coming from a Browns fan it was an implied comparison.

Yes I fully admit that I turned on Tomlin. I don't feel as though I was misguided though. We were amidst a rough 7-8 year stretch of ineptitude and the red flags were all there. I said those things knowing full well how much worse it could have been.

I can go on & on about the reasons, but I'm just here to eat crow and give the man his due.

Hell no it wasn't a comparison. That would have been insane on my part. My team's a dysfunctional dumper fire. Your team is the exact opposite.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Nailed it.

Thought this was discernable to all fans, but apparently not.

Here's what happens - you lose for so long that when you get to the point of winning in the regular season - you end up complacent with that. You don't want to risk going back to the dark days, so even if you don't win in the post-season, it's "OK" because some are scared to make a change.

That's how you end up where the Bengals ended up. I think Lewis was a great coach at the right time. Twice, actually - to rebuild the Bengals. FIrst with Palmer and then again with Dalton. The problem was, as good as he was at getting them into the playoffs, he was completely outmatched in the post-season for numerous reasons.

But, you had a large subset of fans that were afraid to move on - risking going back to being the Bungles of the 90's. Instead, that rope eventually ran out, and instead of building onto a solid core of players, the Bengals were left, once again, rebuilding from the ground up.

 

[Cincyfan78]

Hell no it wasn't a comparison. That would have been insane on my part. My team's a dysfunctional dumper fire. Your team is the exact opposite.

Join the club...lol

 

[Clayton]

This is something I used to say when I was advocating against Tomlin... I used to ask, would you feel more confident in this team sans Tomlin, or sans Colbert...

I'd say Colbert handled losing AB, Shazier, and Bell better than about 90% of GMs. Didn't nail everything but no one does.

 

[Wamu]

Join the club...lol

Hey misery loves company.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Here's what happens - you lose for so long that when you get to the point of winning in the regular season - you end up complacent with that. You don't want to risk going back to the dark days, so even if you don't win in the post-season, it's "OK" because some are scared to make a change.

That's how you end up where the Bengals ended up. I think Lewis was a great coach at the right time. Twice, actually - to rebuild the Bengals. FIrst with Palmer and then again with Dalton. The problem was, as good as he was at getting them into the playoffs, he was completely outmatched in the post-season for numerous reasons.

But, you had a large subset of fans that were afraid to move on - risking going back to being the Bungles of the 90's. Instead, that rope eventually ran out, and instead of building onto a solid core of players, the Bengals were left, once again, rebuilding from the ground up.

Agreed!

For the Steelers fans it was a tough position to complain about obviously, but it did feel like complacency was setting in. Getting to the postseason and being 1-2 & done every year was growing old. Especially when we were all fearing for Ben hanging up his cleats. A lot of it had to do with looking at the "SB window", and not thinking that the Belichick-Brady dynasty was ever going to end... Hand in hand there.

Watching those PIT v NE games were heartbreaking for us Stiller fans. Every time the Steelers would be hyped as the "should" win team, SB or bust, only for them to get completely dismantled. Belichick vs Tomlin in regards to in-game/situational coaching was flat out embarrassing at times. Tomlin became known as the rah-rah coach mainly due to that rivalry. Everyone feared that game every year because we knew deep down that the Steelers were outmatched. So it was hard to get behind a coach that felt like he was squandering talent. Bell, AB, Ben & a top flight O-line... How the hell was that not a perennial SB contender? The defense always let them down and Tomlin was hired as a defensive-minded coach. Lots of red flags there.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Feels good to air out this dirty laundry.

Ask me again in a week if PIT loses to DAL though... I may be singing a different tune lol.

 

[Wamu]

I know who the Steelers next coach should be. Hue Jackson!

 

[Wamu]

Feels good to air out this dirty laundry.

Ask me again in a week if PIT loses to DAL though... I may be singing a different tune lol.

Pittsburgh ain't losing to the Cowboys. But if they do I will laugh.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Pittsburgh ain't losing to the Cowboys. But if they do I will laugh.

I will too. Only difference is my laughter will be mixed with tears.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I know who the Steelers next coach should be. Hue Jackson!

If Todd Haley couldn't even get behind Hue, then he would have no chance here lol.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

I think the loss to Blake Bortles really brought a lot of this out originally, didn't it? I look at guys like Tomlin and Pete Carrol and yeah, we can say but this and what if that but it really isn't easy putting a winning product on the field year after year.
Maybe we would like to see more SB rings or appearances or whatever but January is tough. Injuries to key players, other guys at less then top speed, ending up in a matchup that for a multitude of reasons, just is bad. Pitt doesn't win in Foxboro, Seattle never wins in Lambeau and The Patriots can't win in Denver, for example.
And yeah, sometimes no matter what the coach preaches, the players just play down to the competition and lose inexplicable games to shitty teams.
I would say be pretty happy with what you got even though the expectations are super high because there honestly aren't a whole lot better guys out there. There's some flash in the pans and a handful that appear to be very good but change for the sake of change will usually bite a team in the ass.

 

[SteelersPride]

I think the loss to Blake Bortles really brought a lot of this out originally, didn't it? I look at guys like Tomlin and Pete Carrol and yeah, we can say but this and what if that but it really isn't easy putting a winning product on the field year after year.
Maybe we would like to see more SB rings or appearances or whatever but January is tough. Injuries to key players, other guys at less then top speed, ending up in a matchup that for a multitude of reasons, just is bad. Pitt doesn't win in Foxboro, Seattle never wins in Lambeau and The Patriots can't win in Denver, for example.
And yeah, sometimes no matter what the coach preaches, the players just play down to the competition and lose inexplicable games to shitty teams.
I would say be pretty happy with what you got even though the expectations are super high because there honestly aren't a whole lot better guys out there. There's some flash in the pans and a handful that appear to be very good but change for the sake of change will usually bite a team in the ass.

How bout that Matt Nagy!

 

[Ojb81]

 

[PDay8810]

I've always thought Tomlin was a very good coach and never understood Pit fans calling for his head.
I know I'd take him in Dallas in a New York minute

 

[jerseyhawksfan79]

I've always liked Tomlin. Sure he's had some bad games but all coaches do, yet he keeps them competitive year in and year out.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I think the loss to Blake Bortles really brought a lot of this out originally, didn't it? I look at guys like Tomlin and Pete Carrol and yeah, we can say but this and what if that but it really isn't easy putting a winning product on the field year after year.
Maybe we would like to see more SB rings or appearances or whatever but January is tough. Injuries to key players, other guys at less then top speed, ending up in a matchup that for a multitude of reasons, just is bad. Pitt doesn't win in Foxboro, Seattle never wins in Lambeau and The Patriots can't win in Denver, for example.
And yeah, sometimes no matter what the coach preaches, the players just play down to the competition and lose inexplicable games to shitty teams.
I would say be pretty happy with what you got even though the expectations are super high because there honestly aren't a whole lot better guys out there. There's some flash in the pans and a handful that appear to be very good but change for the sake of change will usually bite a team in the ass.

The "there aren't better coaching candidates out there" argument is null & void when you consider Mike Tomlin. Who here knew who he was before being hired by the Steelers?

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]