Football
For the seventh straight time in the postseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers are one and done under Mike Tomlin. For the fifth straight time, the Steelers were blown out by double digits.
In the 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football in the AFC Wild Card Round, not much went right for the Black and Gold, particularly on offense. Despite entering the matchup winning four of their last five games and coming together well as a team in all three phases, the Steelers were bludgeoned by Houston’s defense and largely stood no chance.
It all led to things falling apart in the fourth quarter as Houston scored two defensive touchdowns, imposed its will with a surprisingly good running game, and turned a one-point game into a laugher.
Now, questions about Tomlin’s future are mounting. For former Steelers offensive lineman and Super Bowl champion Trai Essex, who appeared on the 93.7 The Fan Morning Show Tuesday, it’s time for something drastic to happen with the Steelers.
Like Tomlin and the Steelers parting ways.
“I mean, when you read off all those stats, how can you deny it?” Essex said of Tomlin and the need for change, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “Yeah, it’s one of the things that he used to tell us, and I’m sure he still uses it, your resume is your resume and his resume has been in Steelers terms and people think we’re, I don’t know, entitled as fans, but we have set a standard being the winning a Super Bowl team in NFL history and like there’s a standard to be set. And just because you win a certain amount of games doesn’t mean it’s being met.
“And it has not been met. We haven’t been a competitive team in, I don’t know, 8, 9, 10 years.”
In the last 10 years, the Steelers have won just three playoff games. Pittsburgh won one playoff game in 2015 and two in 2016. Since then, the Steelers have been one and done in every trip to the playoffs.
In that same decade, here’s the regular-season records the Steelers have accumulated: 10-6, 11-5, 13-3, 9-6-1, 8-8, 12-4, 9-7-1, 9-8, 10-7, 10-7, 10-7. As you can see, there’s a lot of average in there, especially in the last five seasons.
It’s noteworthy that the Steelers continue to be a playoff team despite not having a franchise quarterback and making major changes at the position year after year. But they’re stuck in purgatory. They’re not true contenders for a Super Bowl, and that’s what fans expect.
That includes Essex.
It all starts with Tomlin, too.
“Any other coach in any other franchise would’ve been long gone right now. And you just gotta look at that and just be like, it is what it is. I love Coach T but maybe for both benefits it might be time to see what other scenarios, how they work out for us,” Essex added. “Is the grass always gonna be greener? No, not necessarily. But you have to try. You can’t be scared to go out there and do something different because what is happening now, it’s not working. This fan base is pissed off, and something needs to happen.
“Something big needs to happen. And I think it might be a separation of Coach Tomlin and the Steelers.”
Something big does need to happen. Mediocrity and one-and-done trips to the playoffs just aren’t good enough. The Steelers have to know that internally, and Tomlin has to be feeling that. Maybe he heads off into the TV world for a year or two and resets. Or he runs it back with the Steelers for another year or two, depending on what the franchise decides with his option.
But it’s clear what the fan base and even some former players want. It just might be time. All good things come to an end. Nothing lasts forever. Sometimes, people can overstay their welcome. It feels like that’s where things are getting to with Tomlin and the Steelers.
Monday night’s playoff loss was another frustrating chapter in the late stages of Tomlin’s tenure.
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