Tim Benz: ESPN crew misses the mark on Steelers analysis

For an outlet that spends as much time talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers as ESPN does, they sure don’t seem to have a firm handle on where the franchise really is.

Whether it was trying to manufacture a quarterback debate that didn’t exist last year until Russell Wilson got hurt, ginning up the team’s interest in this quarterback draft class, or perpetually misevaluating the franchise’s level of accomplishment since it last made a Super Bowl 15 years ago, the four-letter network fills a lot of air time discussing Western Pennsylvania’s local NFL team.

But it rarely paints a precise picture of it.

Take, for instance, “Get Up” on Wednesday morning. That crew of Louis Riddick, Mike Greenberg, Mike Tannenbaum and Dan Graziano discussed what former Steeler (turned ESPN analyst) Ryan Clark said about Aaron Rodgers and head coach Mike Tomlin the previous day.

“After this season, we’re going to have sort of a referendum on what Aaron Rodgers’ career is and what Mike Tomlin’s career is,” Clark said on “Get Up” on Tuesday. “Both of them have such a high floor of talent, of ability, of potential to be the greatest that’s ever done it, in my opinion, at their individual positions and places on their team. And they’ve both underachieved.”

Many on the set seemed to have a problem with Clark’s characterization of Rodgers and Tomlin as “underachievers.” I actually didn’t. I may have said “peaked early” instead of “underachieve” in both cases, but I can at least see where Clark is coming from.

Where I disagree with Clark a bit is his suggestion that this season will be a referendum for both men now that they are joined at the hip. What referendum is really going to be held? What else is really going to be said, and what opinions are going to be reshaped?

Unless the Steelers improve on last year’s 10-win total and finally snag a playoff victory for the first time since 2016 under this duo, I’m not sure how either Rodgers or Tomlin would be in line for much more praise.

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Similarly, unless the Steelers bottom out and finally finish below .500 for the first time since 2003, what negative will we really learn about either person? It’ll just be more of the same as what we’ve seen since Super Bowl XLV when Rodgers’ Packers beat Tomlin’s Steelers.

Again, though, at least I don’t have to squint hard to see Clark’s point.

However, I started to pull my hair out Wednesday morning when the “Get Up” folks built an entire segment around Clark’s comments, as they were simultaneously asking the question of if this could be Tomlin’s last season in Pittsburgh, while also arguing that he is one of the best coaches in football.

I don’t think I agreed with a single point they made.

• The group largely dismissed, ignored or misunderstood Clark’s overarching premise that the talent Rodgers and Tomlin illustrated 15 years ago suggested that they should win multiple titles over the next decade and a half. Yet neither one has gotten back to a Super Bowl.

I’m sorry, but Clark’s opinion on that front is valid.

That’s especially true when you consider that Tomlin has failed to win a playoff game in 12 of the 14 years since then. Eight of those empty postseasons occurred with Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback.

• I don’t know how many times ESPN’s shows have to talk about Tomlin’s future in Pittsburgh before they realize he’s going to have the head coaching job as long as he wants it. The job won’t change hands unless he wants to leave. He could go 4-13 this year, but he’s still not getting fired. It’s not even worth discussing.

Art Rooney II has stuck with him through eight years of playoff-win famine because the team has never slipped below .500. He’s not going to bounce Tomlin after his first losing season.

• Finally, Tannenbaum advanced a tried-and-true Tomlin-related trope. “If you want to talk about value, and if he was a free agent next year, there would be a line around the corner for him,” the former GM insisted.

“If we put 32 coaches up on the board — say we own an NFL team — and we could draft any coach, he’s in the top three.”

Really? Are you sure about that? Andy Reid, Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, Sean McDermott, both Harbaugh brothers, Nick Sirianni, Dan Campbell, Kevin O’Connell and Sean Payton. Just to name a few.

Tannenbaum is saying that — at most — only two members of that group would go before Tomlin. He’s a 53-year-old coach with three playoff victories over the past 14 seasons, and he has a blind spot for hiring offensive coordinators and acquiring quarterbacks.

But he’s a lock as a top-three coach? I don’t get it.

Or maybe ESPN just doesn’t get it.

Based on their coverage of this franchise over the past few seasons, I know which way I’m leaning.

Listen: Tim Benz and Chris Adamski talk about the Steelers in their latest offseason podcast.