After Pittsburgh's 45-42 divisional round loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, there have been questions surrounding Mike Tomlin's job security as the Steelers head coach, a title he has held since the 2007 season.
Tomlin was 35 years old when he became Pittsburgh’s head man and has won 116 out of a possible 160 regular-season games with a .659 winning percentage. In the postseason, however, Tomlin is now just one game over .500 in 15 games, including two Super Bowl appearances, winning one of the two in 2008.
As Tomlin often says: “The standard is the standard” in Pittsburgh. By that, he means nothing less is acceptable than a Super Bowl victory, something Pittsburgh has done six times. Since losing the big game to Green Bay in 2010, the Steelers have won just three playoff games. No loss was more disappointing than the one to the Jaguars.
Against Jacksonville, not only were the Steelers out-coached in many areas, but the Jaguars were the more physical and prepared team. This didn’t reflect well on Tomlin.
Over his 11-year stint as Pittsburgh’s head coach, there are three areas that have plagued Tomlin. First off, his teams have developed a nasty reputation of playing down to their opponent. This has been especially evident in road contests where the Steelers were favored. That being said, these type of losses have occurred far less over the past few years.
Secondly, Tomlin was never a head coach at any level before coming to Pittsburgh and has struggled with game and clock management as a result. Tomlin hasn’t improved enough in this area, and we saw glimpses of his deficiency again on Sunday.
Now, this isn’t to say Tomlin is incompetent on game day. But, development as an NFL head coach is essential. Some of his most questionable decisions have come in big moments against the top head coaches in the NFL.
That brings us to Tomlin’s final item that has haunted the Steelers' fan base: Tomlin isn’t Bill Belichick. The New England Patriots have had the Steelers' number and have dominated the AFC. The comparison to possibly the greatest that has ever done it is extremely unfair. But, Belichick is whom Tomlin has had to best for AFC supremacy, and it just hasn't transpired.
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This looked like the year in which Pittsburgh and New England were destined to meet again to see which team represented the AFC in the Super Bowl. The Steelers ultimately stumbled and were outplayed by Jacksonville even though an argument can be made for Pittsburgh owning the most talented roster of the three squads. Moreover, it can be said the Steelers have the most talented roster in the entire NFL.
So is it fair to put Tomlin on the hot seat? Absolutely not. His greatest crime is that he is a B+ head coach while Belichick is the best in the game by a wide margin. Regardless of his faults, almost every team in the league would kill for a stable B+ head coach that communicates well with his players and handles his organization with class and a dedication to winning.
Taking it a step further, shaking up this organization makes little sense right now. The Steelers have a rare dedication and trust in their head coaches, with just three men holding the job since 1969.
As it stands today, it doesn’t sound like there will be major changes on the defensive side of the ball, which is Tomlin’s area of expertise. This is a little worrisome for a defense that has blown a lot of coverages and was utterly embarrassed by Jacksonville.
There will be a change at offensive coordinator, though, as Randy Fichtner is taking over for Todd Haley. Expect more play action and hurry-up to be incorporated into the offense under Fichtner.
But overall, moving up from quarterback coach to offensive coordinator, Fichtner isn’t expected to make sweeping changes. Maybe more importantly, Mike Munchak, possibly the league’s best offensive line coach who was in the running for Arizona's head job, will be staying in place for Pittsburgh.
Ben Roethlisberger has said he will return next season to an already potent offense. Rocking the boat with a coaching change isn't a logical move. Tomlin is highly capable and proven - he just isn’t Belichick.
Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns and spent 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast." Find him on Twitter @WilliamsonNFL.
