Tim Benz: When does 'steady, stable' become 'stubborn' for Steelers coach Mike Tomlin?

The big story in the world — actually, in the universe — this week is that NASA has figured out a way to fly a projectile into an asteroid with the intent of rerouting it.

That’s right. NASA actually flew something the size of a “vending machine” into a harmless asteroid as somewhat of a test. The goal was to learn if (should such a threat occur) scientists could successfully redirect an asteroid from hitting our planet.

Essentially, NASA recreated the movie “Armageddon” without Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler and Aerosmith’s worst song ever.

IMPACT SUCCESS! Watch from #DARTMIssion’s DRACO Camera, as the vending machine-sized spacecraft successfully collides with asteroid Dimorphos, which is the size of a football stadium and poses no threat to Earth. pic.twitter.com/7bXipPkjWD

— NASA (@NASA) September 26, 2022

In other words, NASA has literally figured out a way to prevent the sky from falling.

That’s great news. Now get those space geeks to Western Pa., because — given the start of the Steelers offense in Year 1 post-Ben Roethlisberger — the sky is definitely falling on all of us here in Pittsburgh.

And all head coach Mike Tomlin is doing about it is saying, “Hey, don’t look up!”

Here is a quote from Tomlin during his Tuesday press conference about the state of the Steelers offense.

“We’ve been better with every outing,” Tomlin said. “It’s reasonable to expect those improvements to continue. We haven’t done enough to win the past two games, so there is reason for alarm as it pertains to that. But largely I’ve seen improvements in all areas, whether it’s individual or the collective. “

That may have been true if the Steelers-Browns game ended at halftime Thursday night. But it didn’t. That night an asteroid did hit Cleveland, and it landed on the Steelers offense.

• The Steelers offense was 1 of 9 on third downs.

• The Steelers offense only put up 17 points on a team the New York Jets dissected in the second half.

• The Steelers offense had three straight three-and-outs in the second half against the Browns.

• The Steelers offense is now last in the NFL in time of possession and 31st in total yards (272.7) per game after the first three weeks of the season.

If that’s improving, I can’t imagine what Tomlin was thinking after the loss to New England in Week 2.

Of quarterback Mitch Trubisky, Tomlin said he has seen improvement “in all areas. … Decision making and where he is going with the ball, the time with which he’s making decisions. The prudent use of mobility, whether it’s by schematics or by ad-lib.”

Frankly, I’m not seeing Trubisky run nearly enough for my taste. And if Trubisky is going to the right places with the ball, then he might want to try some new places. His passer rating of 77.7 is 29th. His yards per pass attempt of 5.5 is 32nd.

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However, after loss on Sept. 22, Tomlin insisted he was “definitively” against considering changes at quarterback or offensive coordinator.

I’m sure just about every one of you heard those quotes from Tomlin and immediately, viscerally disagreed.

If that’s what constitutes an improving offense, given the increasingly difficult schedule they are about to face, the Steelers are going to be 2-6 after eight games. And that’s only if they beat the Jets on Sunday.

Something I’m not willing to assume.

Tomlin was asked Tuesday why he was so unwilling to consider significant changes to the quarterback and offensive coordinator jobs.

“We’re not going to blow in the wind,” Tomlin said. “That’s the sentiment that I want to relay to you guys. The last couple of games hadn’t unfolded the way that we would like, but we’re in the no-blink business. Particularly, if we believe in what it is that we do and the people that we’re doing it with. Sometimes, you’ve just got to show steely resolve and smile in the face of adversity.”

Steely resolve. Blowing in the wind. Don’t blink. Believe in what we do. Smile in the face of adversity.

I heard all that and initially thought, “Well, Tomlin is just being stubborn.” But then I thought about it, and I wondered, “Is he being stubborn? Or stable?”

It’s clear he thinks he is being stable and steady. It’s obvious he thinks that scrapping plans to go with the recently signed free-agent quarterback after three games would look wishy-washy.

I bet he thinks firing the offensive coordinator Matt Canada this early in the season would come off as panic and create chaos.

But either move could also make the Steelers better. Of course, I’m universally renowned for being a cockeyed optimist.

I think Tomlin is trying to do what a lot of the Trubisky backers would have been doing if Pickett was never drafted and Mason Rudolph was the next option as the backup QB. He is letting the signing of Trubisky play out.

Tomlin is preaching calm. He is giving Canada’s offense time to develop.

Those are things more easily said than done, given how Steelers brass (including Tomlin) selected Pickett in the first round knowing that his Pitt alumni clout would make an already combustible situation all the more incendiary.

Both outside of his locker room and in it.

Personally, I wouldn’t have retained Canada or signed Trubisky after 2021 ended. But since the team did both, I understand Tomlin’s decision to stick with that plan.

For now.

But let’s see how patient the coach is once his team gets through the looming four-game gauntlet (at Buffalo, home for Tampa Bay, at Miami and at Philadelphia) after Sunday’s visit from the Jets.

Come to think of it, I may start rooting for the asteroid.