I don't know if Merrill Hoge is a good analyst - haven't seen enough of him to know but I do agree with his take on Mediocre Mike's Biggest Flaw as a head coach...
Below is the text from the Steelers Depot article titled "Merril Hoge Shares Mike Tomlin’s Biggest Flaw As Head Coach," published on January 17, 2026:
Merril Hoge Shares Mike Tomlin's Biggest Flaw As Head Coach
By Josh Carney
During his 19-year tenure as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin did a lot of things well. He won a lot of games, has a Super Bowl title to his name and an appearance in a second, won eight division titles, and has one of the best winning percentages in NFL history.
He's a no-doubt Pro Football Hall of Famer, regardless of what a disgruntled former Steeler has to say.
But in the end, he went nearly a decade without winning a playoff game, going one-and-done in seven straight trips to the playoffs. He also lost his final five playoff games by double digits, leading to him stepping down on Tuesday.
If there was one thing that he didn't do well, it wasn't anything on the field from a coaching perspective based on Xs and Os in-game. Instead, for former Steelers running back Merril Hoge, it came down to Tomlin’s issues with evaluating coaches and putting a proper staff around him.
Appearing Wednesday on the 102.5 WDVE Morning Show, Hoge discussed Tomlin’s one flaw.
“If you look at his history, he hasn’t put the smarter people around him, the smartest people that he can. The coaching tree tells you that,” Hoge said of Tomlin’s one flaw, according to audio via 102.5 WDVE. “If there was one flaw that Mike [Tomlin] had maybe, it was the evaluation of coaches and getting people in that were just smarter in an area. Listen, it’s nice to be in a room and come up with an idea and then have somebody go, ‘Well, I think we should do it.’ And you’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s smart. That’s better than I did.’ You know?
“And if there was probably in his 19 years, there was never really any great depth around him, aside from initially.”
Tomlin was a tremendous leader of men. He was a great communicator, knew how to get his guys motivated and ready for games, and consistently had success. As is well-known, Tomlin never had a losing season in his 19-year tenure.
To do that consistently year after year in the NFL, even with the ever-changing rosters, is impressive. There’s no two ways about that. One can credit him for the consistency in the regular season year after year, while still criticizing him for the lack of playoff success in the last decade.
Where he went wrong in his coaching tenure is hiring the right coaches. Tomlin had a leg up coming into the NFL, landing in a great situation in Pittsburgh with some terrific coaches on staff like Dick LeBeau, Keith Butler, Bruce Arians and more.
But in the years since LeBeau departed and Arians’ contract wasn’t renewed, the Steelers have struggled to land the proper position coaches and coordinators under Tomlin. Butler was a good choice to succeed LeBeau as defensive coordinator and did well for a number of years. But after Butler, the Steelers turned to Teryl Austin.
While the Steelers did generate more turnovers under Austin, the defense saw sacks decline and had major issues stopping the run over the years. The unit was supposed to be historic this season, but all that came out of it was plenty of frustration for the scheme and playcalling.
Offense was the biggest issue under Tomlin following Arians’ and Todd Haley’s tenures. After Haley, Tomlin promoted Randy Fichtner to offensive coordinator, a move likely made to appease Ben Roethlisberger. There were some good moments under Fichtner, but it wasn’t good enough to get over the hump in the end.
Matt Canada’s tenure was a total disaster, and Arthur Smith’s two seasons didn’t yield great results, though the red zone offense at least improved this season.
Time and time again, Tomlin missed on coaches. Even offensive line coach Adrian Klemm comes to mind as a major whiff by the Steelers. It’s what came back to haunt Tomlin at the end of his tenure. He never had the coaching staff to elevate the talent, at least from Hoge’s perspective.
Now, a new head coach will come in, and the focus will be on the staff he builds in an effort to get the Steelers back to being Super Bowl contenders.
Here's a link to the article...
https://steelersdepot.com/2026/01/merri ... ead-coach/
Mediocre Mike's Biggest Flaw
And here's Joe Starkey's take on Mediocre Mike...
Joe Starkey: What the national media won’t talk about regarding Mike Tomlin’s Steelers tenure
Why did ‘overachieving’ become the annual theme around Pittsburgh?
A few years ago, the great Peter King joined my radio show for his usual spot, and we talked about Mike Tomlin.
At that point, Tomlin’s playoff-win drought had reached six years or so. We agreed it was a major concern, but King opined that Tomlin always seemed to overachieve based on his rosters.
I pointed out that Tomlin was largely responsible for those rosters.
That’s what the national media so often overlooked in Tomlin’s tenure: He had enormous power over personnel — and he made some ruinous choices on his way to these records over the past five years, including the lopsided playoff losses: 10-8, 10-8, 10-8, 9-8, 9-7-1
If Tomlin’s teams “overachieved,” it wasn’t by much — the Steelers haven’t come close to winning a playoff game in nearly a decade, after all — and nobody ever looked at why “overachieving” had become the annual theme around here.
Nobody ever seemed to ask the first important question: “Why is so little expected of the Pittsburgh Steelers anymore? Why is their Vegas over/under win total set around 8.5 every year? I’ll tell you why: because they weren’t very good, and one big reason they weren’t very good was because their all-powerful head coach badly miscalculated on so many personnel moves, both on players and assistant coaches (Tomlin doubled down on Matt Canada, for goodness sake, and his coaching tree is the size of a dandelion).
Then, when the Steelers would barely eclipse .500 and either barely miss or barely make the playoffs and immediately get blown out, Tomlin was hailed as a miracle worker.
What do you expect, the national media would crow, Tomlin doesn’t have a quarterback!
The first obvious response would be, what did Tomlin do in recent years when he did have a quarterback? In the final decade of Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers went 3-7 in the playoffs. Their only serious run ended with a blowout loss in Foxborough in the 2016 AFC Championship game, and they have not come close to winning a playoff game since then.
The next point would be this: Tomlin, with final say on draft picks, thought Kenny Pickett was a great idea. That was 100% his pick. When that failed in spectacular fashion, combined with the Canada debacle, Tomlin should have been fired.
But that was never going to happen.
The Steelers rightfully became a coach-centric organization way back when Chuck Noll was hired and given final say on picks. You saw the dynamic play out when Bill Cowher won his power struggle with GM Tom Donahoe, as well. Aside from the owner, and sometimes even including the owner, the coach is the most powerful person in the organization.
That served them well for decades, but it’ll be interesting to see if the dynamic remains intact with the new coach, or if the Steelers adopt a model more in line with, say, the Philadelphia Eagles, who run a GM-centric organization and have their coaches — no matter how successful — on perpetual notice.
Anyway, Tomlin whiffed badly on Pickett and Najee Harris and could not control George Pickens. That was going to be his version of Aikman, Smith and Irvin — but Aikman, Smith and Irvin were never outscored 73-3 in the first quarters of playoff games, as Tomlin was over his last seven.
Aikman, Smith and Irvin never went 70 games in a row without scoring more than seven points in the first quarter, either.
The Pickett miss begat more Tomlin blunders at the most important position in sports — Mitch Trubisky, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson. Aaron Rodgers changed the pattern, but not really, helping Tomlin win the broken AFC North before sustaining the worst home playoff loss in Steelers history.
A slew of first-round picks have failed to see a second contract, from Artie Burns to Pickett to Jarvis Jones, Harris, Terrell Edmunds, Devin Bush Jr. and now maybe Broderick Jones. So many of their acquisitions have busted over the years, the latest including Darius Slay and Juan Thornhill, who were supposed to be key pieces of what Tomlin predicted would be a historically great defense.
Yes, Tomlin had 19 consecutive non-losing seasons. But his brief playoff appearances over nearly a decade sure haven’t been non-losing. Average margin of defeat: more than two touchdowns.
Tomlin is 8-12 in the postseason and has tied Marvin Lewis for the longest playoff losing streak in pro football history. Art Rooney II spoke the other day of how Tomlin always had his team “in contention,” but the Steelers haven’t been a serious Super Bowl threat in years.
The crazy part is that Rooney was ready to run this back.
Did he expect something different?
Link to above article: https://triblive.com/sports/joe-starkey ... rs-tenure/
Joe Starkey: What the national media won’t talk about regarding Mike Tomlin’s Steelers tenure
Why did ‘overachieving’ become the annual theme around Pittsburgh?
A few years ago, the great Peter King joined my radio show for his usual spot, and we talked about Mike Tomlin.
At that point, Tomlin’s playoff-win drought had reached six years or so. We agreed it was a major concern, but King opined that Tomlin always seemed to overachieve based on his rosters.
I pointed out that Tomlin was largely responsible for those rosters.
That’s what the national media so often overlooked in Tomlin’s tenure: He had enormous power over personnel — and he made some ruinous choices on his way to these records over the past five years, including the lopsided playoff losses: 10-8, 10-8, 10-8, 9-8, 9-7-1
If Tomlin’s teams “overachieved,” it wasn’t by much — the Steelers haven’t come close to winning a playoff game in nearly a decade, after all — and nobody ever looked at why “overachieving” had become the annual theme around here.
Nobody ever seemed to ask the first important question: “Why is so little expected of the Pittsburgh Steelers anymore? Why is their Vegas over/under win total set around 8.5 every year? I’ll tell you why: because they weren’t very good, and one big reason they weren’t very good was because their all-powerful head coach badly miscalculated on so many personnel moves, both on players and assistant coaches (Tomlin doubled down on Matt Canada, for goodness sake, and his coaching tree is the size of a dandelion).
Then, when the Steelers would barely eclipse .500 and either barely miss or barely make the playoffs and immediately get blown out, Tomlin was hailed as a miracle worker.
What do you expect, the national media would crow, Tomlin doesn’t have a quarterback!
The first obvious response would be, what did Tomlin do in recent years when he did have a quarterback? In the final decade of Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers went 3-7 in the playoffs. Their only serious run ended with a blowout loss in Foxborough in the 2016 AFC Championship game, and they have not come close to winning a playoff game since then.
The next point would be this: Tomlin, with final say on draft picks, thought Kenny Pickett was a great idea. That was 100% his pick. When that failed in spectacular fashion, combined with the Canada debacle, Tomlin should have been fired.
But that was never going to happen.
The Steelers rightfully became a coach-centric organization way back when Chuck Noll was hired and given final say on picks. You saw the dynamic play out when Bill Cowher won his power struggle with GM Tom Donahoe, as well. Aside from the owner, and sometimes even including the owner, the coach is the most powerful person in the organization.
That served them well for decades, but it’ll be interesting to see if the dynamic remains intact with the new coach, or if the Steelers adopt a model more in line with, say, the Philadelphia Eagles, who run a GM-centric organization and have their coaches — no matter how successful — on perpetual notice.
Anyway, Tomlin whiffed badly on Pickett and Najee Harris and could not control George Pickens. That was going to be his version of Aikman, Smith and Irvin — but Aikman, Smith and Irvin were never outscored 73-3 in the first quarters of playoff games, as Tomlin was over his last seven.
Aikman, Smith and Irvin never went 70 games in a row without scoring more than seven points in the first quarter, either.
The Pickett miss begat more Tomlin blunders at the most important position in sports — Mitch Trubisky, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson. Aaron Rodgers changed the pattern, but not really, helping Tomlin win the broken AFC North before sustaining the worst home playoff loss in Steelers history.
A slew of first-round picks have failed to see a second contract, from Artie Burns to Pickett to Jarvis Jones, Harris, Terrell Edmunds, Devin Bush Jr. and now maybe Broderick Jones. So many of their acquisitions have busted over the years, the latest including Darius Slay and Juan Thornhill, who were supposed to be key pieces of what Tomlin predicted would be a historically great defense.
Yes, Tomlin had 19 consecutive non-losing seasons. But his brief playoff appearances over nearly a decade sure haven’t been non-losing. Average margin of defeat: more than two touchdowns.
Tomlin is 8-12 in the postseason and has tied Marvin Lewis for the longest playoff losing streak in pro football history. Art Rooney II spoke the other day of how Tomlin always had his team “in contention,” but the Steelers haven’t been a serious Super Bowl threat in years.
The crazy part is that Rooney was ready to run this back.
Did he expect something different?
Link to above article: https://triblive.com/sports/joe-starkey ... rs-tenure/
tomlins ego cost him post season success.
yes men for coaches
an poor player selection an development certainly are issues
but as sinceiwas4 said in other thread - his biggest issue that very few folks/media talk about is his inflexible and 100% predictable game Philosophy.
the consecutive and similar playoff blowouts and not scoring more than 7 points in the 1q for like 5 seasons and u shaped O, NHALS are not statistical anomalies ... as well as many other Tomlin team stats and trends ...
they are products of the the Plan and applying the same Plan to every single situation without reflection or bend and pretending that all that matters is execution.
i don't know how that isn't plainly evident to Everyone. the batch of statistics around 19 years of TonlinBall are undeniable
and they all need to stop this shit about the QB - rodgers was also useless and he Had Ben and did the same shit with him - just got bailed out more often.
i guess the Texans refuted the idea that you have to play risk free and avoid all TOs at all costs to Win. guess what if you turn the ball over early you can change your approach as the game goes on - of course that's not possible if you refuse to change - refuse to play the Game that is in front of you as opposed to the One you want it to be.
and peter king was a jackass
an poor player selection an development certainly are issues
but as sinceiwas4 said in other thread - his biggest issue that very few folks/media talk about is his inflexible and 100% predictable game Philosophy.
the consecutive and similar playoff blowouts and not scoring more than 7 points in the 1q for like 5 seasons and u shaped O, NHALS are not statistical anomalies ... as well as many other Tomlin team stats and trends ...
they are products of the the Plan and applying the same Plan to every single situation without reflection or bend and pretending that all that matters is execution.
i don't know how that isn't plainly evident to Everyone. the batch of statistics around 19 years of TonlinBall are undeniable
and they all need to stop this shit about the QB - rodgers was also useless and he Had Ben and did the same shit with him - just got bailed out more often.
i guess the Texans refuted the idea that you have to play risk free and avoid all TOs at all costs to Win. guess what if you turn the ball over early you can change your approach as the game goes on - of course that's not possible if you refuse to change - refuse to play the Game that is in front of you as opposed to the One you want it to be.
and peter king was a jackass
Sean McVay has more playoff wins, and more Super Bowls than Mike Tomlin's entire 19 years in Pittsburgh.
He was hired in 2017.
Tomlin is a good coach, but let's not act like we did anything exceptionally well since 2010.
2011 - lost to Tebow
2012 - missed playoffs
2013 - started 0-4 missed playoffs
2014 - bounced by Baltimore in first round after winning division
2015 - beat a back up QB in Cincinnati by a miracle - blew a lead at Denver
2016 - another blow out by Brady (injuries big factor)
2017 - ass kicked by Jags at home
All of these years with a Hall of Fame QB.
He was hired in 2017.
Tomlin is a good coach, but let's not act like we did anything exceptionally well since 2010.
2011 - lost to Tebow
2012 - missed playoffs
2013 - started 0-4 missed playoffs
2014 - bounced by Baltimore in first round after winning division
2015 - beat a back up QB in Cincinnati by a miracle - blew a lead at Denver
2016 - another blow out by Brady (injuries big factor)
2017 - ass kicked by Jags at home
All of these years with a Hall of Fame QB.
Certainly needed to be the smaetest guy in the room, not let anyone get more credit for his teams success.
The more different coordinators came in, the more we knew it was just Mikes game plan on both sides of the ball anyway.
The most overrated, over celebrated, over worshipped and protected coach in the history of sports.
The Myth of Mediocre Mike.
Same old Tomlin. Aaron Rodgers will come and go...it was the same stale game plan, schemes, philosophy, play calling.... for 6-7 years now.
His expiration date was actually Feb.6 2011....
When he stated he planned to ease into Super Bowl 45 in which they found themselves in a 14-0 hole in the first quarter, eventually losing to the Packers.
And that's exactly what he planned to do each and every game. Ease in. Probe, see how the other team comes out, their plays, formations, tempo. A reactive, rather than proactive approach.
Safe and conservative game plans, 1st and 2nd down is a conduit to get to third and manageable. Play for FGs...rely on one of the greatest kickers ever.
Wait for the other team to make mistakes and turn it over. If the other team does not turn it over, we do not win. We needed the Patriots to turnover the ball 5 times... to win by only 7.
We needed Colts to turn the ball over 6 times... to win by only 7.
We needed the Jets to implode week one to eek out a win, aided by a big Jets fumble late in 4th quarter.
In this last playoff debacle, the Texans fumbled 5 times and had an interception in the Red zone at the 5 to do everything possible to keep the Steelers in the game.
The most secure job in sports. And since he did not have to win in 1-2-3 years like 31 other coaches.... he played safe and planned "not to lose".... while the opposite coach needs to go win the game.
The opposing coaches need to take risks and gamble, they need to put together great game plans and come out of the tunnel with the better winning formula.
The most overated, celebrated, propped up coach in NFL history.
Sounded great at the podium explaining with new catchy phrases... how his team did not execute. Blows kisses to the crowd and TV after wins.
Game Prep.
In most NFL games, how the first quarter is played will be a great indication of what team did their homework, film study, game plan, play design, etc. Who game planned best to attack a team's weakness and defend their strenghts. Who found the mismatches and found the holes and vulnerabilities of the opponent. The first quarter play on the field is a summary of a week's presentation.
Games are won and lost on Tuesday thru Saturday. And you know soon after kickoff, what team prepped well, who did their best work to put their team in the best possible place to start well and grab momentum.
Tomlin used the 1st quarter to ease in and guage the opponents.
And this approach has been a true definer of his flawed approach.
The First Quarter
Brace yourself...for the stats we all know and updated till the day he retired.
The Steelers have not scored more than 7 points in the 1st quarter in 70 straight games. Week 1 of the 2022 season. Good lord!
More than 7 points would mean at least a TD and a FG. A TD and a safety. A TD and a 2 point conversion. A FG and a defensive TD. Three FGs. A bad miscue, a fumble, a pick 6. A wide open TD which was a result of some opponents weeknedd identified during the week.
Notta. None of these scenarios have happened in the first quarter in almost 6 full years.
And the last time they scored more than 7 points in the first quarter, it was still not the offense, as it was Minka Fitzpatrick with a pick 6, that gave them 7 of their 10 first quarter points. ?
96 Teardrops
You have to go back another 27 games, 96 straight games since the Steelers scored more than 7 in the first quarter on their own offensive merit.
How improbable is this, considering how offensively orientated the NFL has become.
And how rules friendly the NFL has changed over the years...to promote and protect offensive play.
In the last 6 years, 106 games... the Steelers have scored more than 7 in the 1st quarter only 3 times.
THREE.
But in two of those games, Minka Fitzpatrick had pick 6s for TDs in the first quarter.
In the last 6 years, 106 games, the offense itself had more than 7 points, ONCE.
It's improbably bad.
Nobody talks about this historically bad and indicative results of how poorly his planning and approach is and how he is continually out coached before the opening kick off.
A direct reflection on the preparation and game planning of one head coach... and being checkmated from across the field.
100s of players come and go...offensive coordinators have changed multiple times, Tomlin is the constant.
Coaching Tree
A great guage of a coaches genius is also his coaching tree, and how his assistant coaches have gained knowledge, knowhow and experience. How they absorbed his great leadership skills, how they excelled as a coordinator, became highly regarded and in demand as one of the leading candidates to land a head coaching job. ....An assistant coach a team hates to lose.
We have seen many examples of coaching trees... from Lombardi, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, Parcells, Landry, Gibbs, Billichek. Shanahan,
Cohwer, etc. I'm probably missing a few guys, a couple of good ones. And how assistant coaches under their leadership landed head coaching jobs and success on their own. There are guys coaching less than 10 years who have great coaching trees.
Tomlin does not have one single coach he hired, who went on to become a head coach in 19 years.
All of his assistant coaches were let go this week. Any predictions of who will land new jobs in the NFL?
Has not even had an assistant coach that left for an offensive or defensive coordinator job elsewhere.
Bruce Arians was the only coordinator that went on to another team and had success. He won a SB with Tampa Bay. Arians actually a leftover from Bill Cowhers staff, was fired by Tomlin.
You think that slow starts stat in 70 straight games is abysmal and indicative? It gets worse. His poor planning, approach and philosophy to start games has led to historically horrible starts to playoff games.
NFL Playoff Futility
He has lost 7 straight playoff games. An NFL record for a head coach.
No other coach survives this.
In those last 7 playoff game, he has been outscored in the 1st quarter by a combined 73-3.
SEVENTY-THREE TO THREE
3 points in the first quarter.. all 7 games.
Checkmate. Poorly prepared teams.
7 straight playoff loses in which they started 6 of those games down 21-0, 21-0, 35-7, 28-0, 21-0, 10-0.
The 7th would have started just as bad if Houston wasnt fumbling and bumbling the first 2 quarters.
No other coach survives this.
The latest debacle somehow saw their opponent score the last 23 points off the game.
But he has cool aviators on the sidelines and can smugly brush off questions with his wordspeak and well thought out and practiced catchy phrases. As people say..."I love your head coach"
Started those 7 games down by a combined 166-13 before the Steelers abandoned their poor game plan and went into desperation mode or before the opponent took their foot off the gas. It's not until desperation time that he opens up the offense to score or a vet QB throws out his game plans and goes no huddle calling the plays.
Desperation mode for playoff games starts long before the opening kick off.
They have trailed by 21 or more points at some point in all 7 games.
They only had a brief lead twice in those 7 games.
A 3-0 lead for less than a quarter in this last game, while Houston was continually fumbling snaps.
And the only TD in that 166-13 stretch was from a bad snap, where a TJ Watt scoop and return for TD, gave the Steelers a 7-0 second quarter lead... before KC ripped off 35 straight.
No other coach has had an even close to as a horrible, mind-numbing stretch....
No other coach survives this. N.O.C.S.T.
7 games, 420 total minutes of football. The Steelers have had a lead for a total of 17 minutes. Only 17 out of 420 minutes.
The Defense was just as bad
My so-called and heralded defensive minded head coach is a myth... he has given up 266 points in the last 7 playoff games... that's a 38 per game average. With staggering points allowed of; 48, 45, 42, 36, 31, 30, 28.
N.O.C.S.T.
Mike the Myth.
"He will get another job in 3 seconds"
Playoff recency
Only in the last year did the media start looking at his playoff failures.
He is 3 and 11 in his last 14 playoff games!
Yikes.
HOF worthy?
3-11.
Nobody brings up this stat when "Never had a losing season" is the only thing that seems to stick.
He has not won a playoff game in 10 years.
Nobody used to bring this up about Teflon Tom.
More never mentioned facts...
19 years as head coach.
He has won a playoff game in only 4 of those years. 19 years.
9 one and done playoff seasons.
8-12 career playoff record.
He was hired to a team fresh off a SB win. A winning and talent laiden roster with super stars and Hall of Fame players. He won a SB needing two of the greatest individual plays in SB history.
He lost a SB because of his poor game planning and approach to "easing" into games. Nobody plans to ease into a Super Bowl. .. but that's exactly how Tomlin said he planned to.
The Steelers last won a Super Bowl during the 2008 season. We are in the year 2026.
The Steelers are Good.
Tomlin has never had a losing season. Never had a losing season means at least one more win than a loss, or means at least a .500 record. Half the teams every year will not have a losing season. That's good.
The Players
Players come and go, many great ones, Cam Heyward, 15 years and 237 games in Pittsburgh, is 1-8 in the playoffs. TJ watt is in his 9th year in Pittsburgh, and has not won a playoff game.
Tomlin is the constant.
The Draft
The longer Tomlin was around, the more control and more responsible he was over player draft selections, free agents and player development.
This roster is depleted of talent. The skill positions on offense are the bottom of the league.
We saw the recent stat of the failure of so many of our recent 1st round picks to be awarded a contract 2.
Much of it due to Tomlin falling in love with a prospects story, family or friends connections, what school they went to or where they grew up, etc. Rather than actual talent, skill and NFL projections.
A decade of futility can be traced to a decade of missing on your 1s.
Jarvis Jones.
Artie Burns
Terrell Edmunds
Devin Bush
Chase Claypool ( 1st pick that year )
Najee Harris
Kenny Picket
Broderick Jones.
You just can't miss on 8 of 11 first picks over the years and expect to be a legit contender.
Free Agency
Tomlin used free agency to continually bring in safe vet players in order to keep his streak alive.
Russell Wilson, Josh Fields, Aaron Rodgers.
Continued to bring in WRs on the decline of their careers as depth only to find them in the spotlight at the worst times.
Look at last 2 weeks of the season, in which we played 2 WRs who were only added to the team a week before these games.
Adam Thielan and Marcuez Valdez Scantling, were 2 of the top 4 WRS for a playoff game.
The last 3-4-5 years saw the WR room filled with #4's and #5's
Your depth will start in the blink of an eye.
He continually choose safe and familiar.
He continually chose good over the potential of great.
Good is the enemy of Great.
Been saying it awhile...for years.
They would not have won another significant game with him coaching this team.
The more different coordinators came in, the more we knew it was just Mikes game plan on both sides of the ball anyway.
The most overrated, over celebrated, over worshipped and protected coach in the history of sports.
The Myth of Mediocre Mike.
Same old Tomlin. Aaron Rodgers will come and go...it was the same stale game plan, schemes, philosophy, play calling.... for 6-7 years now.
His expiration date was actually Feb.6 2011....
When he stated he planned to ease into Super Bowl 45 in which they found themselves in a 14-0 hole in the first quarter, eventually losing to the Packers.
And that's exactly what he planned to do each and every game. Ease in. Probe, see how the other team comes out, their plays, formations, tempo. A reactive, rather than proactive approach.
Safe and conservative game plans, 1st and 2nd down is a conduit to get to third and manageable. Play for FGs...rely on one of the greatest kickers ever.
Wait for the other team to make mistakes and turn it over. If the other team does not turn it over, we do not win. We needed the Patriots to turnover the ball 5 times... to win by only 7.
We needed Colts to turn the ball over 6 times... to win by only 7.
We needed the Jets to implode week one to eek out a win, aided by a big Jets fumble late in 4th quarter.
In this last playoff debacle, the Texans fumbled 5 times and had an interception in the Red zone at the 5 to do everything possible to keep the Steelers in the game.
The most secure job in sports. And since he did not have to win in 1-2-3 years like 31 other coaches.... he played safe and planned "not to lose".... while the opposite coach needs to go win the game.
The opposing coaches need to take risks and gamble, they need to put together great game plans and come out of the tunnel with the better winning formula.
The most overated, celebrated, propped up coach in NFL history.
Sounded great at the podium explaining with new catchy phrases... how his team did not execute. Blows kisses to the crowd and TV after wins.
Game Prep.
In most NFL games, how the first quarter is played will be a great indication of what team did their homework, film study, game plan, play design, etc. Who game planned best to attack a team's weakness and defend their strenghts. Who found the mismatches and found the holes and vulnerabilities of the opponent. The first quarter play on the field is a summary of a week's presentation.
Games are won and lost on Tuesday thru Saturday. And you know soon after kickoff, what team prepped well, who did their best work to put their team in the best possible place to start well and grab momentum.
Tomlin used the 1st quarter to ease in and guage the opponents.
And this approach has been a true definer of his flawed approach.
The First Quarter
Brace yourself...for the stats we all know and updated till the day he retired.
The Steelers have not scored more than 7 points in the 1st quarter in 70 straight games. Week 1 of the 2022 season. Good lord!
More than 7 points would mean at least a TD and a FG. A TD and a safety. A TD and a 2 point conversion. A FG and a defensive TD. Three FGs. A bad miscue, a fumble, a pick 6. A wide open TD which was a result of some opponents weeknedd identified during the week.
Notta. None of these scenarios have happened in the first quarter in almost 6 full years.
And the last time they scored more than 7 points in the first quarter, it was still not the offense, as it was Minka Fitzpatrick with a pick 6, that gave them 7 of their 10 first quarter points. ?
96 Teardrops
You have to go back another 27 games, 96 straight games since the Steelers scored more than 7 in the first quarter on their own offensive merit.
How improbable is this, considering how offensively orientated the NFL has become.
And how rules friendly the NFL has changed over the years...to promote and protect offensive play.
In the last 6 years, 106 games... the Steelers have scored more than 7 in the 1st quarter only 3 times.
THREE.
But in two of those games, Minka Fitzpatrick had pick 6s for TDs in the first quarter.
In the last 6 years, 106 games, the offense itself had more than 7 points, ONCE.
It's improbably bad.
Nobody talks about this historically bad and indicative results of how poorly his planning and approach is and how he is continually out coached before the opening kick off.
A direct reflection on the preparation and game planning of one head coach... and being checkmated from across the field.
100s of players come and go...offensive coordinators have changed multiple times, Tomlin is the constant.
Coaching Tree
A great guage of a coaches genius is also his coaching tree, and how his assistant coaches have gained knowledge, knowhow and experience. How they absorbed his great leadership skills, how they excelled as a coordinator, became highly regarded and in demand as one of the leading candidates to land a head coaching job. ....An assistant coach a team hates to lose.
We have seen many examples of coaching trees... from Lombardi, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, Parcells, Landry, Gibbs, Billichek. Shanahan,
Cohwer, etc. I'm probably missing a few guys, a couple of good ones. And how assistant coaches under their leadership landed head coaching jobs and success on their own. There are guys coaching less than 10 years who have great coaching trees.
Tomlin does not have one single coach he hired, who went on to become a head coach in 19 years.
All of his assistant coaches were let go this week. Any predictions of who will land new jobs in the NFL?
Has not even had an assistant coach that left for an offensive or defensive coordinator job elsewhere.
Bruce Arians was the only coordinator that went on to another team and had success. He won a SB with Tampa Bay. Arians actually a leftover from Bill Cowhers staff, was fired by Tomlin.
You think that slow starts stat in 70 straight games is abysmal and indicative? It gets worse. His poor planning, approach and philosophy to start games has led to historically horrible starts to playoff games.
NFL Playoff Futility
He has lost 7 straight playoff games. An NFL record for a head coach.
No other coach survives this.
In those last 7 playoff game, he has been outscored in the 1st quarter by a combined 73-3.
SEVENTY-THREE TO THREE
3 points in the first quarter.. all 7 games.
Checkmate. Poorly prepared teams.
7 straight playoff loses in which they started 6 of those games down 21-0, 21-0, 35-7, 28-0, 21-0, 10-0.
The 7th would have started just as bad if Houston wasnt fumbling and bumbling the first 2 quarters.
No other coach survives this.
The latest debacle somehow saw their opponent score the last 23 points off the game.
But he has cool aviators on the sidelines and can smugly brush off questions with his wordspeak and well thought out and practiced catchy phrases. As people say..."I love your head coach"
Started those 7 games down by a combined 166-13 before the Steelers abandoned their poor game plan and went into desperation mode or before the opponent took their foot off the gas. It's not until desperation time that he opens up the offense to score or a vet QB throws out his game plans and goes no huddle calling the plays.
Desperation mode for playoff games starts long before the opening kick off.
They have trailed by 21 or more points at some point in all 7 games.
They only had a brief lead twice in those 7 games.
A 3-0 lead for less than a quarter in this last game, while Houston was continually fumbling snaps.
And the only TD in that 166-13 stretch was from a bad snap, where a TJ Watt scoop and return for TD, gave the Steelers a 7-0 second quarter lead... before KC ripped off 35 straight.
No other coach has had an even close to as a horrible, mind-numbing stretch....
No other coach survives this. N.O.C.S.T.
7 games, 420 total minutes of football. The Steelers have had a lead for a total of 17 minutes. Only 17 out of 420 minutes.
The Defense was just as bad
My so-called and heralded defensive minded head coach is a myth... he has given up 266 points in the last 7 playoff games... that's a 38 per game average. With staggering points allowed of; 48, 45, 42, 36, 31, 30, 28.
N.O.C.S.T.
Mike the Myth.
"He will get another job in 3 seconds"
Playoff recency
Only in the last year did the media start looking at his playoff failures.
He is 3 and 11 in his last 14 playoff games!
Yikes.
HOF worthy?
3-11.
Nobody brings up this stat when "Never had a losing season" is the only thing that seems to stick.
He has not won a playoff game in 10 years.
Nobody used to bring this up about Teflon Tom.
More never mentioned facts...
19 years as head coach.
He has won a playoff game in only 4 of those years. 19 years.
9 one and done playoff seasons.
8-12 career playoff record.
He was hired to a team fresh off a SB win. A winning and talent laiden roster with super stars and Hall of Fame players. He won a SB needing two of the greatest individual plays in SB history.
He lost a SB because of his poor game planning and approach to "easing" into games. Nobody plans to ease into a Super Bowl. .. but that's exactly how Tomlin said he planned to.
The Steelers last won a Super Bowl during the 2008 season. We are in the year 2026.
The Steelers are Good.
Tomlin has never had a losing season. Never had a losing season means at least one more win than a loss, or means at least a .500 record. Half the teams every year will not have a losing season. That's good.
The Players
Players come and go, many great ones, Cam Heyward, 15 years and 237 games in Pittsburgh, is 1-8 in the playoffs. TJ watt is in his 9th year in Pittsburgh, and has not won a playoff game.
Tomlin is the constant.
The Draft
The longer Tomlin was around, the more control and more responsible he was over player draft selections, free agents and player development.
This roster is depleted of talent. The skill positions on offense are the bottom of the league.
We saw the recent stat of the failure of so many of our recent 1st round picks to be awarded a contract 2.
Much of it due to Tomlin falling in love with a prospects story, family or friends connections, what school they went to or where they grew up, etc. Rather than actual talent, skill and NFL projections.
A decade of futility can be traced to a decade of missing on your 1s.
Jarvis Jones.
Artie Burns
Terrell Edmunds
Devin Bush
Chase Claypool ( 1st pick that year )
Najee Harris
Kenny Picket
Broderick Jones.
You just can't miss on 8 of 11 first picks over the years and expect to be a legit contender.
Free Agency
Tomlin used free agency to continually bring in safe vet players in order to keep his streak alive.
Russell Wilson, Josh Fields, Aaron Rodgers.
Continued to bring in WRs on the decline of their careers as depth only to find them in the spotlight at the worst times.
Look at last 2 weeks of the season, in which we played 2 WRs who were only added to the team a week before these games.
Adam Thielan and Marcuez Valdez Scantling, were 2 of the top 4 WRS for a playoff game.
The last 3-4-5 years saw the WR room filled with #4's and #5's
Your depth will start in the blink of an eye.
He continually choose safe and familiar.
He continually chose good over the potential of great.
Good is the enemy of Great.
Been saying it awhile...for years.
They would not have won another significant game with him coaching this team.
Last edited by Stosh-67 on Sat Jan 17, 2026 9:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Tomlin has never appreciated the role of scheme and play call in the ability for player's to execute" Kodiak.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23975
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23975
Smugness not earned
Won w Cowher’s team, Arians and LeBeau
Sucked the life out of the fan base after that
Won w Cowher’s team, Arians and LeBeau
Sucked the life out of the fan base after that
Yeah, over the years.over the years
19 years. Never figured out the whole playoff thing. Its bizarre that he has this record of winning seasons but is abysmal in the playoffs, and that last quarter of his career was the worst quarter of football probably ever played.
"I'm institutionalized, man," he joked. "I gotta have it. I just love the challenges week in and week out that this job provides: the growth in it, the collective growth, the individual growth."
-
W&M_Steeler
- Posts: 1829
- Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2019 2:55 am
You forgot the 2018 collapse from 7-2-1 and the #1 seed to 9-6-1 and missing the playoffs thanks to losses against sub .500 AFC West teams.6Trophies wrote: ↑Sat Jan 17, 2026 8:27 pmSean McVay has more playoff wins, and more Super Bowls than Mike Tomlin's entire 19 years in Pittsburgh.
He was hired in 2017.
Tomlin is a good coach, but let's not act like we did anything exceptionally well since 2010.
2011 - lost to Tebow
2012 - missed playoffs
2013 - started 0-4 missed playoffs
2014 - bounced by Baltimore in first round after winning division
2015 - beat a back up QB in Cincinnati by a miracle - blew a lead at Denver
2016 - another blow out by Brady (injuries big factor)
2017 - ass kicked by Jags at home
All of these years with a Hall of Fame QB.
Shanahan and McVey both been head coach since 2017....
Half as long of Tomlins tenure.
Both hired after Tomlins last playoff win.
I'll have to look up their coaching trees.
Half as long of Tomlins tenure.
Both hired after Tomlins last playoff win.
I'll have to look up their coaching trees.
"Tomlin has never appreciated the role of scheme and play call in the ability for player's to execute" Kodiak.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23975
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23975
-
Dan Smith--BYU
- Posts: 2927
- Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2019 12:33 am
What ass kissing. It's obvious to any observer that there are multiple things Tomlin doesn't do well, not just one flaw.
The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.
Nietzsche
Nietzsche
-
SteelerDayTrader
- Posts: 9059
- Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2019 9:12 pm
Tomlin’s biggest flaw goes way back but it’s the root of 95% of his problems
He never laid down the law with Rooney
Holmes
AB
Airians
LeBeau
Butler
Ben
The smallest scouting department in the NFL
Pickett
Haley
The field
The facilities
The scheduling
All of those and many more I’m not remembering
Pretty much all dumbfuck Rooney
Tomlin had plenty of faults and it was beyond time to move on……
Having to deal with Rooney’s constant day in day out year after year after year complete bullshit…
It sure didn’t help and no other HC in the league during Tomlin’s tenure had to deal with anything near as much as Tomlin did
When you factor in the Steelers are the ONLY team in the NFL that has a brand of football they MUST follow
AND that brand has long been outdated……
I’m gonna tell you something
I’m real certain some of these HC candidates are gonna tell the Rooneys to go get fucked when they start putting “offers” on the table
He never laid down the law with Rooney
Holmes
AB
Airians
LeBeau
Butler
Ben
The smallest scouting department in the NFL
Pickett
Haley
The field
The facilities
The scheduling
All of those and many more I’m not remembering
Pretty much all dumbfuck Rooney
Tomlin had plenty of faults and it was beyond time to move on……
Having to deal with Rooney’s constant day in day out year after year after year complete bullshit…
It sure didn’t help and no other HC in the league during Tomlin’s tenure had to deal with anything near as much as Tomlin did
When you factor in the Steelers are the ONLY team in the NFL that has a brand of football they MUST follow
AND that brand has long been outdated……
I’m gonna tell you something
I’m real certain some of these HC candidates are gonna tell the Rooneys to go get fucked when they start putting “offers” on the table
SteelerFury Best Poster Award Winner / All-Time King of Ban / On-call SteelerFury Moderator
Rooting for losses since 2025
Rooting for losses since 2025
That was the year that ended it for me with TomlinW&M_Steeler wrote: ↑Sat Jan 17, 2026 10:17 pmYou forgot the 2018 collapse from 7-2-1 and the #1 seed to 9-6-1 and missing the playoffs thanks to losses against sub .500 AFC West teams.6Trophies wrote: ↑Sat Jan 17, 2026 8:27 pmSean McVay has more playoff wins, and more Super Bowls than Mike Tomlin's entire 19 years in Pittsburgh.
He was hired in 2017.
Tomlin is a good coach, but let's not act like we did anything exceptionally well since 2010.
2011 - lost to Tebow
2012 - missed playoffs
2013 - started 0-4 missed playoffs
2014 - bounced by Baltimore in first round after winning division
2015 - beat a back up QB in Cincinnati by a miracle - blew a lead at Denver
2016 - another blow out by Brady (injuries big factor)
2017 - ass kicked by Jags at home
All of these years with a Hall of Fame QB.
That roster had ZERO business not getting into the playoffs
That offense was stacked and could have led the way to a post season run similar to the Cardinals in 2008. ZERO chance of that happening with that roster as it was constructed with Mike Tomlin at the helm.
Throw. The. Football. On. First. Down.
-
W&M_Steeler
- Posts: 1829
- Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2019 2:55 am
Same with me. Following up the 2017 loss to the Jags with the 2018 collapse to miss the playoffs was the end for me.Havoc wrote: ↑Sun Jan 18, 2026 1:29 pmThat was the year that ended it for me with TomlinW&M_Steeler wrote: ↑Sat Jan 17, 2026 10:17 pmYou forgot the 2018 collapse from 7-2-1 and the #1 seed to 9-6-1 and missing the playoffs thanks to losses against sub .500 AFC West teams.6Trophies wrote: ↑Sat Jan 17, 2026 8:27 pmSean McVay has more playoff wins, and more Super Bowls than Mike Tomlin's entire 19 years in Pittsburgh.
He was hired in 2017.
Tomlin is a good coach, but let's not act like we did anything exceptionally well since 2010.
2011 - lost to Tebow
2012 - missed playoffs
2013 - started 0-4 missed playoffs
2014 - bounced by Baltimore in first round after winning division
2015 - beat a back up QB in Cincinnati by a miracle - blew a lead at Denver
2016 - another blow out by Brady (injuries big factor)
2017 - ass kicked by Jags at home
All of these years with a Hall of Fame QB.
That roster had ZERO business not getting into the playoffs
That offense was stacked and could have led the way to a post season run similar to the Cardinals in 2008. ZERO chance of that happening with that roster as it was constructed with Mike Tomlin at the helm.
-
CoolShades
- Posts: 601
- Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2023 3:45 am
Not as bizarre as you’d think.
The NFL is designed for parity. I once took a look at how many teams were within one game of .500 or better and over the last decade, it was between 70-75% of the league. His NHALS isn’t THAT remarkable in context. He had one of the best 4th quarter QBs of his time during the bulk of that streak. If you shorten the game, grind the clock, get a couple of “splash plays” on defense, you can keep it close. Tomlin almost always kept it close. It didn’t matter the opponent. I can’t remember the last time the Tomlin Steelers came out of the tunnel and blew out a team from opening kickoff to the end game whistle... no, Teflon’s game plan was always to grind out the game, run the ball as much as possible, short passes that are just glorified runs, and if after 15 plays he gets a FG out of it, it’s a win. Even if he doesn’t, if they took 7 minutes off the clock, he’s shortened the game. Woo hoo!
Playoff football is different. It’s one and done. Better coaching, better scheming, better talent wins. You cannot depend on a fumble or INT or pick 6 as part of your game plan. You can’t stick to your stale, 19 year old offense and defense and think other actual NFL coaches don’t have a plan to defeat it. The fact that Tomlin not only lost 7 playoff games in a row but was continuously blown out should tell anyone paying attention that the league had figured him out long ago and he was a joke to them. It turned into a bye week. A tune up. He was the old teacher that never changed his exams and everyone had a copy with the answer key.
8-12 in the playoffs. And he should be 7-13 if not for Burfict’s moron implosion. That’s abysmal and NOT HoF worthy.
I hope the 5 year waiting period takes some of the shine off the polished turd that is Tomlin. His reputation is a product of the NFL agenda machine and nation media spin.
Mike Tomlin and NHALS - The embodiment of the soft bigotry of lowered expectations.
.He was the old teacher that never changed his exams and everyone had a copy with the answer key.
8-12 in the playoffs. And he should be 7-13 if not for Burfict’s moron implosion. That’s abysmal and NOT HoF worthy
That's a great analogy.
How many times post game, did we hear opposing players say we knew the play calls, audibles, knew the formations, that it did not change, etc.
"Tomlin has never appreciated the role of scheme and play call in the ability for player's to execute" Kodiak.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23975
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23975
-
StillerInCT
- Posts: 1597
- Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2019 2:45 pm
That's a crazy stat
"Work harder not smarter" - Mike Tomlin
-
the-other-burg
- Posts: 3017
- Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2019 12:31 pm
1 others liked this
Words and statistics can be so misleading, and Mike Tomlin is a case in point.
Words: Mike Tomlin consistently overachieves and gets the most out of his team.
Reality: Mike Tomlin consistently builds below quality teams and coaches and needs a miracle to win with them.
Words: Mike Tomlin has one of the highest winning percentages and has never had a losing season. Remarkable.
Reality: Mike Tomlin almost always had enough talent to stay above .500, and there have been a few miracles dotted in. However, People only focus on his high floor as a coach, but nobody ever focused on his low ceiling.
Words. Mike Tomlin won a SB in only his second year, and returned again very soon after.
Reality: Mike Tomlin inherited a SB caliber team in its prime, that was coming off one uncharacteristic 'hang over' season, where Cowher was probably checked out. He was new blood and simply needed to recharge his team. Even with that, Tomlin's SB win was dependent on:
- one of the greatest defensive plays in history, and almost certainly the greatest in SB history. Which resulted in a 14 point swing at the end of the first half .
- one of the greatest 2 min drives and arguably the greatest Throw and Catch in SB history - to pull ahead and win the game.
Words: Mike Tomlin consistently overachieves and gets the most out of his team.
Reality: Mike Tomlin consistently builds below quality teams and coaches and needs a miracle to win with them.
Words: Mike Tomlin has one of the highest winning percentages and has never had a losing season. Remarkable.
Reality: Mike Tomlin almost always had enough talent to stay above .500, and there have been a few miracles dotted in. However, People only focus on his high floor as a coach, but nobody ever focused on his low ceiling.
Words. Mike Tomlin won a SB in only his second year, and returned again very soon after.
Reality: Mike Tomlin inherited a SB caliber team in its prime, that was coming off one uncharacteristic 'hang over' season, where Cowher was probably checked out. He was new blood and simply needed to recharge his team. Even with that, Tomlin's SB win was dependent on:
- one of the greatest defensive plays in history, and almost certainly the greatest in SB history. Which resulted in a 14 point swing at the end of the first half .
- one of the greatest 2 min drives and arguably the greatest Throw and Catch in SB history - to pull ahead and win the game.
5 of those wins thanks to Cowher's coaches and players while Tomlin was waiting for his balls to drop.CoolShades wrote: ↑Sun Jan 18, 2026 1:57 pm8-12 in the playoffs. And he should be 7-13 if not for Burfict’s moron implosion. That’s abysmal and NOT HoF worthy.
Really should be TWO playoff wins in 15 seasons....that's something less than "mediocre".
-
AirRescueFF
- Posts: 2239
- Joined: Mon Sep 23, 2019 4:03 am
6Trophies wrote: ↑Sat Jan 17, 2026 8:27 pmSean McVay has more playoff wins, and more Super Bowls than Mike Tomlin's entire 19 years in Pittsburgh.
He was hired in 2017.
Tomlin is a good coach, but let's not act like we did anything exceptionally well since 2010.
2011 - lost to Tebow
2012 - missed playoffs
2013 - started 0-4 missed playoffs
2014 - bounced by Baltimore in first round after winning division
2015 - beat a back up QB in Cincinnati by a miracle - blew a lead at Denver
2016 - another blow out by Brady (injuries big factor)
2017 - ass kicked by Jags at home
All of these years with a Hall of Fame QB.
In addition to his exceptional tree, which will get even larger soon.
Finally retired: 31DEC25
He finally quit: 13JAN26
He finally quit: 13JAN26
-
AirRescueFF
- Posts: 2239
- Joined: Mon Sep 23, 2019 4:03 am
It's in the 90's, if you only factor points by the OFFENSE, which I believe is the truer gist of this stat.
Finally retired: 31DEC25
He finally quit: 13JAN26
He finally quit: 13JAN26
YUP,AirRescueFF wrote: ↑Sun Jan 18, 2026 6:54 pm
It's in the 90's, if you only factor points by the OFFENSE, which I believe is the truer gist of this stat.
96 straight games since the Steelers scored more than 7 in the first quarter on their own offensive merit.
"Tomlin has never appreciated the role of scheme and play call in the ability for player's to execute" Kodiak.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23975
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23975
-
gojira5150
- Posts: 1166
- Joined: Fri Sep 27, 2019 3:42 pm
6Trophies wrote: ↑Sat Jan 17, 2026 8:27 pmSean McVay has more playoff wins, and more Super Bowls than Mike Tomlin's entire 19 years in Pittsburgh.
He was hired in 2017.
Tomlin is a good coach, but let's not act like we did anything exceptionally well since 2010.
2011 - lost to Tebow
2012 - missed playoffs
2013 - started 0-4 missed playoffs
2014 - bounced by Baltimore in first round after winning division
2015 - beat a back up QB in Cincinnati by a miracle - blew a lead at Denver
2016 - another blow out by Brady (injuries big factor)
2017 - ass kicked by Jags at home
All of these years with a Hall of Fame QB.
Obliteration Is Imminent
- Screenshot_20260118_201249_Chrome.jpg (528.46 KiB) Viewed 3057 times
"Tomlin has never appreciated the role of scheme and play call in the ability for player's to execute" Kodiak.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23975
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23975
Basically you're spouting the potted plant theory.SteelerDayTrader wrote: ↑Sat Jan 17, 2026 11:34 pmTomlin’s biggest flaw goes way back but it’s the root of 95% of his problems
He never laid down the law with Rooney
Holmes
AB
Airians
LeBeau
Butler
Ben
The smallest scouting department in the NFL
Pickett
Haley
The field
The facilities
The scheduling
All of those and many more I’m not remembering
Pretty much all dumbfuck Rooney
Tomlin had plenty of faults and it was beyond time to move on……
Having to deal with Rooney’s constant day in day out year after year after year complete bullshit…
It sure didn’t help and no other HC in the league during Tomlin’s tenure had to deal with anything near as much as Tomlin did
When you factor in the Steelers are the ONLY team in the NFL that has a brand of football they MUST follow
AND that brand has long been outdated……
I’m gonna tell you something
I’m real certain some of these HC candidates are gonna tell the Rooneys to go get fucked when they start putting “offers” on the table
You're saying Tomlin swallowed his pride for 19 years and just took it in the ass from Rooney.
You're saying if Tomlin, left to his devices, would have been far more successful, but he was cuckolded into buying into the Rooney "defense and pahnd the rahk" brand of Stone Age football.
You're saying Tomlin didn't have the intestinal fortitude to tell the Rooneys to go get fucked like your hypothetical HC candidates will have.
What a crock of owl shit!
You're not wrong about the Rooneys and the "brand" of football they must play. You're not wrong in saying it's outdated.
Where you're wrong is saying Tomlin was a victim of the edict from the Rooneys.
Here's some news for you: TOMLIN BOUGHT INTO IT FROM THE GET GO!!! That's why they hired him! Do you actually think the Rooneys would hire someone for the head coaching job of their team who didn't? Do you realize how ludicrous that sounds?
Tomlin hasn't been eating shit for 19 seasons, he's been producing it, and you're so in love with the guy for whatever reason that you just can't see it.
#NoMoTomlin
-
SteelerDayTrader
- Posts: 9059
- Joined: Sun Sep 22, 2019 9:12 pm
FalseObviously wrote: ↑Mon Jan 19, 2026 2:06 amBasically you're spouting the potted plant theory.SteelerDayTrader wrote: ↑Sat Jan 17, 2026 11:34 pmTomlin’s biggest flaw goes way back but it’s the root of 95% of his problems
He never laid down the law with Rooney
Holmes
AB
Airians
LeBeau
Butler
Ben
The smallest scouting department in the NFL
Pickett
Haley
The field
The facilities
The scheduling
All of those and many more I’m not remembering
Pretty much all dumbfuck Rooney
Tomlin had plenty of faults and it was beyond time to move on……
Having to deal with Rooney’s constant day in day out year after year after year complete bullshit…
It sure didn’t help and no other HC in the league during Tomlin’s tenure had to deal with anything near as much as Tomlin did
When you factor in the Steelers are the ONLY team in the NFL that has a brand of football they MUST follow
AND that brand has long been outdated……
I’m gonna tell you something
I’m real certain some of these HC candidates are gonna tell the Rooneys to go get fucked when they start putting “offers” on the table
You're saying Tomlin swallowed his pride for 19 years and just took it in the ass from Rooney.
You're saying if Tomlin, left to his devices, would have been far more successful, but he was cuckolded into buying into the Rooney "defense and pahnd the rahk" brand of Stone Age football.
You're saying Tomlin didn't have the intestinal fortitude to tell the Rooneys to go get fucked like your hypothetical HC candidates will have.
What a crock of owl shit!
You're not wrong about the Rooneys and the "brand" of football they must play. You're not wrong in saying it's outdated.
Where you're wrong is saying Tomlin was a victim of the edict from the Rooneys.
Here's some news for you: TOMLIN BOUGHT INTO IT FROM THE GET GO!!! That's why they hired him! Do you actually think the Rooneys would hire someone for the head coaching job of their team who didn't? Do you realize how ludicrous that sounds?
Tomlin hasn't been eating shit for 19 seasons, he's been producing it, and you're so in love with the guy for whatever reason that you just can't see it.
SteelerFury Best Poster Award Winner / All-Time King of Ban / On-call SteelerFury Moderator
Rooting for losses since 2025
Rooting for losses since 2025
TrueSteelerDayTrader wrote: ↑Mon Jan 19, 2026 2:08 amFalseObviously wrote: ↑Mon Jan 19, 2026 2:06 amBasically you're spouting the potted plant theory.SteelerDayTrader wrote: ↑Sat Jan 17, 2026 11:34 pmTomlin’s biggest flaw goes way back but it’s the root of 95% of his problems
He never laid down the law with Rooney
Holmes
AB
Airians
LeBeau
Butler
Ben
The smallest scouting department in the NFL
Pickett
Haley
The field
The facilities
The scheduling
All of those and many more I’m not remembering
Pretty much all dumbfuck Rooney
Tomlin had plenty of faults and it was beyond time to move on……
Having to deal with Rooney’s constant day in day out year after year after year complete bullshit…
It sure didn’t help and no other HC in the league during Tomlin’s tenure had to deal with anything near as much as Tomlin did
When you factor in the Steelers are the ONLY team in the NFL that has a brand of football they MUST follow
AND that brand has long been outdated……
I’m gonna tell you something
I’m real certain some of these HC candidates are gonna tell the Rooneys to go get fucked when they start putting “offers” on the table
You're saying Tomlin swallowed his pride for 19 years and just took it in the ass from Rooney.
You're saying if Tomlin, left to his devices, would have been far more successful, but he was cuckolded into buying into the Rooney "defense and pahnd the rahk" brand of Stone Age football.
You're saying Tomlin didn't have the intestinal fortitude to tell the Rooneys to go get fucked like your hypothetical HC candidates will have.
What a crock of owl shit!
You're not wrong about the Rooneys and the "brand" of football they must play. You're not wrong in saying it's outdated.
Where you're wrong is saying Tomlin was a victim of the edict from the Rooneys.
Here's some news for you: TOMLIN BOUGHT INTO IT FROM THE GET GO!!! That's why they hired him! Do you actually think the Rooneys would hire someone for the head coaching job of their team who didn't? Do you realize how ludicrous that sounds?
Tomlin hasn't been eating shit for 19 seasons, he's been producing it, and you're so in love with the guy for whatever reason that you just can't see it.
#NoMoTomlin
-
DumlinBumlinStumlin
- Posts: 1797
- Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2023 2:36 pm
His greatest strength was hearing us and looking in mirror and getting the fuck out of dodge
Tomlin PC 1/11/25 -“Don't blink. If you're a blinker cut your eyelids off"
-
Old School
- Posts: 70
- Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2019 4:00 am
1 others liked this
I gave mediocre mike that fitting moniker right here several years ago. I also posted a discussion point of Steelers Mt Rushmore that was subsequently borrowed by ESPN and circulated through other fan bases. I also told you guys that COVID was a scam and the vaccine was poison. And I'll repeat another post from several years ago. Tomlin was a DEI hire and was always full of shit. Current Rooney is also a football fraud. He made a deal with Barry Soetero for his father's Irish ambassadorship. That catapulted the DEI fraud further into the deceptions and crimes coming down from DC. Heinz was a signup center for Obamacare.
Chuck wiped away the loser mentality and piece by piece created a culture of superiority that morphed into dominance. Cowher attempted to sustain that culture and did a decent job. Not only was the fraud incapable of perpetuating that culture he didn't understand it, didn't have the skills to bring in the talent and mold it and he or believed his own bullshit and thought he could build his own culture. A true narcissist believes his own bullshit. Tomlin pissed away opportunities to draft Noll type players, players that contributed to the playoff success of other teams.
With that fixed game in Denver & Nix out, NE has a good shot to get back to the SB. And with Buffalo hampered by something the public dismisses as conspiracy, NYJ eternally crap, and Miami a franchise searching for an identity, NE will be competitive for 3-5 years. Unless the Pittsburgh franchise is either sold or a new managing partner who is a real football man comes in, the only high quality Steeler football you'll see are tapes of Chuck's teams or Cowher's with Ben under center and Troy at safety.
Chuck wiped away the loser mentality and piece by piece created a culture of superiority that morphed into dominance. Cowher attempted to sustain that culture and did a decent job. Not only was the fraud incapable of perpetuating that culture he didn't understand it, didn't have the skills to bring in the talent and mold it and he or believed his own bullshit and thought he could build his own culture. A true narcissist believes his own bullshit. Tomlin pissed away opportunities to draft Noll type players, players that contributed to the playoff success of other teams.
With that fixed game in Denver & Nix out, NE has a good shot to get back to the SB. And with Buffalo hampered by something the public dismisses as conspiracy, NYJ eternally crap, and Miami a franchise searching for an identity, NE will be competitive for 3-5 years. Unless the Pittsburgh franchise is either sold or a new managing partner who is a real football man comes in, the only high quality Steeler football you'll see are tapes of Chuck's teams or Cowher's with Ben under center and Troy at safety.
Actually, I think I coined it almost a decade ago. But I'm sure more than a few people came up with it organically.Old School wrote: ↑Mon Jan 19, 2026 2:57 pmI gave mediocre mike that fitting moniker right here several years ago.
But I think someone else came up with Teflon Tomlin
