Even if the Steelers lose out, including a wild-card playoff defeat, they will not make a coaching change. (By the way, if they don’t win Sunday at home vs. Indianapolis, they won’t win again.)
Mike Tomlin is immune to unemployment. That’s because he never has had a losing season and because the Steelers have only had three head coaches since 1969.
Those aren’t bad reasons.
Tomlin’s regular-season record speaks for itself. Stability at head coach is a big factor behind the Steelers’ consistency and success over the last half-century.
But if the Steelers don’t win a playoff game, it closes out a rotten 10 years.
The Steelers will have had three playoff victories in 10 seasons and zero Super Bowl appearances. That’s despite a Hall of Fame quarterback for that entire span and arguably football’s best wide receiver and running back for the best part of it. This year marks their third consecutive late-season collapse.
The Steelers have underachieved since 2010, and not because they weren’t talented enough.
Among the Steelers’ five playoff defeats over the past 10 years are losses to opponents quarterbacked by Tim Tebow and Blake Bortles. Their three postseason victories are against equally nondescript QBs: A.J. McCarron, Matt Moore and Alex Smith.
The failures can’t be blamed on playing in the AFC during New England’s dynasty era. The Steelers only lost a playoff game to the Patriots once in the time frame referenced.
The locker room has had more dopes than leaders during those 10 years, and more turmoil than calm. The aforementioned best receiver culminated his nonstop circus act by walking out before his final campaign in Pittsburgh had finished. The best running back tanked an AFC championship game because of a minor injury and sat out an entire season. The residue of the Toxic Twins still lingers. The brands of individual players have compromised the franchise’s brand.
It’s been a disappointing 10 years. Tomlin oversaw all that. If he’s not at fault, who is?
The offensive coordinator is, of course.
Randy Fichtner will get fired. That’s how the Steelers placate the marks. It’s tried and true.
Tomlin will be back. Ben Roethlisberger will be back. Albert Einstein will be proven right. This franchise isn’t what it was, or what you think it still is.
