Madden Monday: Steelers coaches had a 'cowardly, chicken scratch, offensive game plan' vs. Bears

There was plenty to digest from Sunday’s 31-28 Steelers loss in Chicago.

Just make sure you have some Tums handy once you begin digesting.

In this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X says the issues all start with head coach Mike Tomlin and his staff.

“The coaching was incompetent (Sunday). It mostly is incompetent,” Madden said.

“I thought the play calling was conservative to the point of being cowardly. All they did was dink-and-dunk… There was just so much stuff, so many complaints I have about the coaching. I don’t know where to begin.”

One area where Madden did focus was on the game plan for the passing attack, with Mason Rudolph replacing an injured Aaron Rodgers.

“Even though they lost the game, I still think they probably did the right thing (resting Rodgers). The wrong thing they did was the way they deployed Mason Rudolph,” Madden said. “They just made him into — well, you know what? They made Rogers into a dink-and-dunk guy too. It’s a cowardly, chicken scratch, offensive game plan week in and out.”

On the defensive side of the ball, Madden is much more willing to go after the players than the coaches.

Related:

• Airing of Grievances: Passing differential, disastrous 4th-quarter sequence sink Steelers in Chicago
• Steelers' ineptitude in Chicago continues with loss to Bears
• Steelers' Mike Tomlin: Aaron Rodgers expected to return next Sunday to face Buffalo Bills

“I think the defense is awful,” Madden added. “I know they got the strip-and-score so T.J. Watt can pretend he’s still good and worth that contract — which he’s not. Not even close. But the defense just isn’t very good.”

Through much of the game, the Steelers managed to contain Chicago’s effective rush attack. It was No. 2 in the NFL at 146.6 yards per contest at the start of the week, but ended with just 95 yards on the ground.

However, quarterback Caleb Williams and his receivers seemed to have plenty of wide-open space to operate over the middle. His final stats were 19 of 35 for 239 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 104.3.

By nightfall Sunday, the Steelers had fallen into a first-place tie atop the AFC North, but behind the Baltimore Ravens with the tiebreaker. Currently at 6-5, the Steelers are out of the AFC playoff picture.

“The team is not very good. When do we just admit, ‘OK. Not no good, no more. Coaches don’t know what they’re doing. Time for a change.’ And the answer is, ‘We don’t ever admit that.’ At least they don’t,” Madden concluded.

Also during the podcast, Madden and I talk about next week’s game against Buffalo, Pitt’s win in Atlanta, the struggles of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and a championship for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.