Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is going to feel pressure like he never has before if the team suffers another embarrassing loss in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Outside of legendary New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, there is no coach in the league that has more respect from fans, media, and contemporaries than Mike Tomlin. And it’s well deserved for a man that has never, ever, had a losing season in his career and has won 10 or more games nine times. Not to mention two trips to the Super Bowl and bringing a Lombardi trophy home in one of those appearances.
However, there is no management spot in the NFL with more pressure and less job security than the head coach. So even for an individual with nothing to prove, and who should get the benefit of the doubt after a horrid 1-4 start to the 2022 season, Tomlin is feeling serious heat heading into Week 6.
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This season the team has been a mess on offense and has one of the worst defenses in the league. Sure, an injury to superstar TJ Watt has played a major role, but teams with less talent — the New York Giants — have faired far better. And after an awful 38-3 drubbing from the New England Patriots last week, another poor showing is likely to set the stage for Tomlin’s ouster with Steelers expectations being so high.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a couple of the key reasons why Tomlin’s hot seat could be ablaze if they are embarrassed by Tom Brady and the Buccaneers on Sunday.
Mike Tomlin did not properly plan for the post-Ben Roethlisberger era
One of the biggest knocks on Tomlins’s stellar tenure leading the Steelers is they never properly planned for life after Ben Roethlisberger. The coach was lucky enough to fall into a situation with a franchise QB already and he milked every bit of that opportunity during his tenure. However, he never took self-preservation into consideration and planned for the eventuality of Roethlisberger’s retirement. Especially when he was still playing in the league at 40 years old.
Yes, some of that falls on the organization’s front office, but Tomlin holds as much sway as any coach in the league. Using a third-round pick on Mason Rudolph and a late first in 2022 — a year with a weak QB draft class — on Kenny Pickett was not enough. Plus, the decision to sign Mitchell Trubisky to be the team’s starter, instead of making a trade for the likes of Russell Wilson, Baker Mayfield, or Jimmy Garoppolo only makes matters worse.
Pickett could end up being the team’s next franchise QB, but Tomlin may not survive to see that day come.
Tomlin is a victim of his own Pittsburgh Steelers’ success
For most organizations and fanbases, a tenure like Tomlin’s should at least give him two to three years of bad play before thoughts of being fired should creep into management’s mind. However, the 50-year-old coach has set such a high standard for a franchise with an already rich history, that having a down season is unacceptable. Is that fair? Not at all, but that is the nature of being the top ball coach for a storied franchise in the NFL.
If Tomlin were to have a 7-10 or 6-11 finish — which is still possible — it might be palatable for Steelers nation. However, the way things look now, Pittsburgh could be headed to a three or four-win season. Such a shift, a couple of seasons removed from a 12-victory year, is a horrible look for him and the coaching staff. It makes it seem like Roethlisberger was helping to prop up a poorly constructed roster by him and the front office.
Another rough showing against the Buccaneers Sunday — which is very likely — could set up the final downward spiral in the career of Tomlin in Pittsburgh. It is a sad fact, but not a surprising one.