Should the Pittsburgh Steelers move on from Mike Tomlin?
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has always had talent around him year in and year out. Ever since he has been the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2007, his record is 116-60 and has only been to the AFC Championship game three times. They won Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals and lost Super Bowl XLV to the Green Bay Packers.
Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost 45-42 to the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Steelers were beaten worse than the score indicated. The Steelers were once down 21-0 and 28-7. Pittsburgh looked flat for most of the first half and they weren't ready to play.
That falls on the coaching staff and it was possible that the Steelers were looking ahead to the New England Patriots. Mike Mitchell talked about the possibility of facing the Patriots again right before the Jacksonville game and he was served a slice of humble pie.
Pittsburgh couldn't stop the run and they let Blake Bortles loose in the passing game as well. The Steelers defence showed no toughness what so ever. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler showed no aggression with his defensive playing calling either. They played too much zone and his defensive players were getting beat on the line all day.
As for offensive coordinator Todd Haley, his playing calling was garbage. The Steelers had a fourth-and-1 twice in the game and failed to convert. One of those plays was a pitch out to running back Le'Veon Bell and the other was a pass deep intended for wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and it was batted away. Yes, Pittsburgh did convert a couple of fourth down plays for touchdowns as well, but those fourth-and-1's were the difference offensively.
When the Steelers trailed 42-35 with 2:12 left, I don't blame Mike Tomlin for the onside kick even though most fans disagree. I wouldn't have trusted that defence either. The Steelers failed to recover and it led to a 45-yard made field goal by Josh Lambo. When the game was completed, many Steelers fans were disgusted and I don't blame them.
Pittsburgh was beaten by the Jacksonville Jaguars at Heinz Field twice. It seems like Mike Tomlin has a good record because of the talent he has and not the x's and o's factor. This loss in the playoffs for the Steelers under Mike Tomlin was just as bad as the 2012 playoff loss against the Denver Broncos in overtime 29-23.
The Steelers most likely won't fire Mike Tomlin but he should not have Todd Haley as his offensive coordinator and Keith Butler as his defensive coordinator next season. If the Steelers don't make any coaching changes, don't expect them to be in the Super Bowl anytime soon despite the talent they have on the roster.
Mike Tomlin needs to be held more accountable by management for these losses because of the high expectations that Steelers have every year and this is considered another failure for them.