Time for heads to roll in Pittsburgh

[Sharkonabicycle]

Don't know why anyone thought Tomlin was that great. He inherited a crazy good roster from Cowher's days.... Tomlin has not proven anything. He drafted some great prospects (coach is not solely responsible for this) but there's been zero development on the Steelers' roster.

 

[Midnightangel]

I think we way over paid aging players and it's caught up to us.

We don't have that battering ram at RB anymore and that's what we need to get back to. Pounding the ball rests your defense, wears down the opposing defense and keeps the other offense on the bench where they can't hurt you.

Here's a stat that I'm probably the only Steelers fan in the world that knows it....

If you go back to 1970 and look at where we rank in defense every year and average it out, our defense has ranked 7th.

Let me say that again....

Our defense has ranked, on average, 7th since 1970.

Big part of why we have 6 Lombardi's.

We got away from running the ball and fell in love with Big Ben and passing and it's hurt.

 

[Wazmankg]

He really isn't that good of a coach. He was a beneficiary of the Rooney rule and a stacked Steeler roster that, to his credit, he was able to keep the mojo going for 2 more SB's, one win. But poor drafting/development, along with the "kick the can" approach towards the cap, has finally caught up with the team. Watch a few Steeler games and you'll see a team that never comes out of the gate with any fire, a team prone to mistakes and a coach that has no clue how to go about clock management and situational football. The roster no longer has any real leadership being cultivated, and there's certainly seems to be no direction towards success by the team.

Pittsburgh is 4-11 in their last 15 games.

I can understand that, as a fan of another team looking in, his platitude-speaking ways and aviators make him seem like the perfect coach to have around, but don't be fooled; there's not much substance there, as far as an NFL head coach is concerned.

Looks like a talent deficit to me as an outside observer. How much input does Tomlin have there ? It looks as if somebody isn't replenishing the cupboards effectively.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Agreed

Heads do need to roll...today I fight against a knee jerk response to say everyone needs to go.

Reality...at least imo...you can't have players quitting...giving up 197 yd on the ground & 55 pts had to make even the most patience Rooney of all cringe a little. I don't see Tomlin getting fired unless we see more efforts like that one in NE.

I've posted this in a other threads, but it's time for Lebeau to step aside...and I won't even put it all on him...his DEF probably still works as well as it always has, but the players were well schooled, and ideally suited to play the roles they played....then...not now.

I've voiced my complaints about Colbert, but you can't change all the players at once...I think moving Woodley to DE along with Heyward, with Hood and McLendon inside we get the best use of the DL skill set...Worilds, Timmons, Jones, gets the best 3 LBs on the roster on the field.

OFC...weapon with size.

 

[indypatfan]

Start with "O" line first . Until that fixed all else means nothing.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Looks like a talent deficit to me as an outside observer. How much input does Tomlin have there ? It looks as if somebody isn't replenishing the cupboards effectively.

Tomlin does have a hand in this, but I think some of the comments were a reach.

Rooney Rule...quite obviously they were going to follow their own criteria and interview a minority candidate...from the word on the street it really looked as if OC Whisenhunt off Cowher's staff was going to get the job, and Russ Grimm was going to be the OC...after the Tomlin interview, there was no announcement...the next statement from the Rooney's was they were hiring Tomlin...Ken and Russ apparently found out thru the media, and to this day have issues with the Steeler organization...so the point of this is whatever Tomlin did in his interview impressed them enough to hire one of the youngest HC at the time in the game.

OC/DC...he inherited Dick LeBeau @ DC ...and to be honest Idk if Arians (former OC) was his hire either...the RB coach was thought to get that job prior to the fire accident, but Haley seemed to be a Rooney hire...I do know of a ST coach, and OL coaches, I assume he hired, but coach Mitchell, and coach Lake were holdovers under Cowher...I'd be curious to know how many coaches Tomlin actually hired.

Talent...bad scheme on DEF for the players we have to get the most out of their potential if you you ask me, but playmakers along the DEF front 7 are lacking in general.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

I don't watch the Steelers every week but...How many PI calls yesterday? Wow.
Penalties can kill you, and thats coaching.

I was never impressed with Tomlin, I thought he inherited a stacked Cowher built team that was destined for years of greatness. But, I don't think he needs to be fired yet. I think he needs a chance to build the team back to greatness. Another 6-7 years of of sucking will be ok by me.
Just kidding, but he does deserve the chance to prove he wasn't just riding Cowhers team and can build his own. I think in this day of instant everything, good coachescan get fired.

 

[Jims_Doors]

Hey Eagle fan, take it from the guy who follows the team closely: yes, Tomlin is a huge part of the problem.

This guy knows what he's talking about.

Tomlin is buddy-buddy with his players and won't get in their face or put a foot in their ass when they fuck-up.

Cower was just the opposite and got results.

 

[tshirt]

Its already been pointed out in this thread, but I'll say it again, He is no good at player development. He walked into a team full of stud players in their primes. He's been riding them, and now he hasn't been able to add talent to the field. Its plain to see, and something has to be done. Honestly, has he developed one elite player yet?

Look at his resume. he was a career DB coach before taking over a loaded Steelers team. that team would make any coach look good. now that this is his team they suck. he appears to be in over his head as a head coach which is no surprise given his lack of experience.

 

[bigdeal701]

Every team goes through bad years, no one stays on top forever. Cower built a damn good team, and now that team is getting old. It takes years to replace an aging team, maybe Tomlin isn't smart enough, but I think he has earned the right to at least try. I do think it starts with the QB position, and it is time for the Steelers to draft that next guy. Its going to take several years to replace that defense, and the O-line still needs work. I think the Steelers are set at wide receiver, but haven't had a good running back in a while.

 

[element1286]

Tomlin needs work for sure, his team's have had a lack of discipline, tendency to 'flat', and he is a terrible clock manager. That being said, he didn't win a Super Bowl, and go to another by accident, those teams were very good, but never shoe-ins to make it there. I can't just throw that away, for something that seems to be on the 'lack of talent' more than the 'poor coaching,' although Tomlin has not been able to develop many players since he has taken over.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Knee-jerk alert!!!!!!

You guys make me laugh. Any real PITT fan would know that Tomlin is the least of our problems. The problems with this team boils down to the simple fact that the players don't fit the scheme. We obviously know that Lebeau's scheme works, or else it wouldn't have for the past 9 years! I have my doubts about Haley, but in all reality we are missing too many pieces on both sides of the ball. You can blame old age, injuries, or whatever, but this team is trying to use offensive & defensive schemes that they just don't have the players to make it work.

I have said it a thousand times before... But for a team that builds through the draft, they just can't afford to have any draft disasters like they have in the past few years (08 & 09 in particular). And they have had a LOT of picks simply not living up to expectations. Sure you could point a finger at Tomlin, but in all reality he is doing the best he can with the personnel provided. And who does the providing, you might ask? ....... Colbert . The players he decided to keep around until they are dinosaurs are starting to hurt this team, and he has failed to provide the talent to take over these positions. It's easy to blame the coaches for not developing the talent, but IMO that is not the problem.

You could also point the finger at the coordinators for not changing their gameplans/schemes to better fit the talent. Lebeau has never had to change much in terms of schemes because the majority of his talent pool on defense has been around this organization for 10+ years. Hence the reason why rookies RARELY start for him.

 

[fastforward]

Most fans would look at the last 2 Steelers Drafts and say they made good picks. Some of them haven't worked out and some have had injuries, but the decisions were good based on the information available at the time. The Steelers have slowly succumbed to age and cap problems and Roethlisberger is showing wear and tear. The Steelers also haven't adapted to the 'new passing NFL' as well as other teams. Their traditional offense has simultaneously hit a RB & OL quality issue. Most of these problems would have occurred regardless of who was in charge. If the team had been ripped apart in March 2012 Steelers fans would have been up in arms.

 

[Jakology]

I don't watch the Steelers every week but...How many PI calls yesterday? Wow.
Penalties can kill you, and thats coaching.

I was never impressed with Tomlin, I thought he inherited a stacked Cowher built team that was destined for years of greatness. But, I don't think he needs to be fired yet. I think he needs a chance to build the team back to greatness. Another 6-7 years of of sucking will be ok by me.
Just kidding, but he does deserve the chance to prove he wasn't just riding Cowhers team and can build his own. I think in this day of instant everything, good coachescan get fired.

How long does he get? He's had plenty of drafts and time to develop players. And what has he gotten out of it?

 

[element1286]

Knee-jerk alert!!!!!!

You guys make me laugh. Any real PITT fan would know that Tomlin is the least of our problems. The problems with this team boils down to the simple fact that the players don't fit the scheme. We obviously know that Lebeau's scheme works, or else it wouldn't have for the past 9 years! I have my doubts about Haley, but in all reality we are missing too many pieces on both sides of the ball. You can blame old age, injuries, or whatever, but this team is trying to use offensive & defensive schemes that they just don't have the players to make it work.

I have said it a thousand times before... But for a team that builds through the draft, they just can't afford to have any draft disasters like they have in the past few years (08 & 09 in particular). And they have had a LOT of picks simply not living up to expectations. Sure you could point a finger at Tomlin, but in all reality he is doing the best he can with the personnel provided. And who does the providing, you might ask? ....... Colbert . The players he decided to keep around until they are dinosaurs are starting to hurt this team, and he has failed to provide the talent to take over these positions. It's easy to blame the coaches for not developing the talent, but IMO that is not the problem.

You could also point the finger at the coordinators for not changing their gameplans/schemes to better fit the talent. Lebeau has never had to change much in terms of schemes because the majority of his talent pool on defense has been around this organization for 10+ years. Hence the reason why rookies RARELY start for him.

Not sure I can totally agree, isn't the coaching staff's job to develop talent? Not saying it's all Tomlin either but I can't see how you could pin it on one or the other with such certainly.

But I agree about signing the vets as a big mark against Colbert.

 

[SonnyCID]

I don't watch the Steelers every week but...How many PI calls yesterday? Wow.
Penalties can kill you, and thats coaching.

I was never impressed with Tomlin, I thought he inherited a stacked Cowher built team that was destined for years of greatness. But, I don't think he needs to be fired yet. I think he needs a chance to build the team back to greatness. Another 6-7 years of of sucking will be ok by me.
Just kidding, but he does deserve the chance to prove he wasn't just riding Cowhers team and can build his own. I think in this day of instant everything, good coachescan get fired.

This is his 7th year!!!

Almost every piece from the Cowher era has been gone for a while now. He hasn't had any coattails to ride on for years and his team has consistently regressed since losing the SB.

 

[ckhokie]

Drafting has been terrible under Tomlin. Someone else needs to be evaluating and making those decisions. LeBeau has proven to be a good DC when given a halfway decent roster.

It seems to me like the Steelers have more GM type problems than coaching staff problems.

 

[Ironbreaker]

Were Steeler fans harping on Tomlins lack of player development when they were winning?

I don't recall any of them throwing up a red flag about Tomlins shortcomings then.

 

[element1286]

Were Steeler fans harping on Tomlins lack of player development when they were winning?

I don't recall any of them throwing up a red flag about Tomlins shortcomings then.

I'm sure some were, winning covers it up for sure, but does that make it any less valid? Seems like a strange thing to bring up. It's pretty obvious they aren't getting young guys who can play, either the wrong guys are getting picked, the guys who are getting picked aren't being developed, or most likely a combination of the two.

 

[Wazmankg]

Tomlin needs work for sure, his team's have had a lack of discipline, tendency to 'flat', and he is a terrible clock manager. That being said, he didn't win a Super Bowl, and go to another by accident, those teams were very good, but never shoe-ins to make it there. I can't just throw that away, for something that seems to be on the 'lack of talent' more than the 'poor coaching,' although Tomlin has not been able to develop many players since he has taken over.

That's what I was thinking. They're not my team so I'm not close to the situation. But the guy has been there 7 years and they've been pretty damn good over that time. If you think you can just stick anyone in that spot and put it on auto-pilot I give you last season's New Orleans Saints. I'd lean towards their diminishing talent as the biggest reason for their apparent demise.