Last season for the Pittsburgh Steelers was about as tumultuous as it gets for the typically stable franchise. From the effort issues in the wide receiver room to the three-game losing streak and quarterback controversy late in the season, it was a rough ride. And it was all capped off by yet another first-round loss in the playoffs, extending their playoff loss streak to five.
“I love Mike Tomlin, but I have to officially say he’s on the hot seat, right?” Colon said via FS1’s The Carton Show on Tuesday. “The issue with Mike Tomlin right now is he wins games he’s supposed to win, he loses games he shouldn’t lose. Go back to this year. He lost to the Patriots, Cardinals.
“He had no business losing those games, and now Steelers Nation is frustrated, right? They’re looking at an organization right now who is well above average. They have everything that can go right with them, and then they lose bonehead games. And I’m saying to myself, well, who are the Pittsburgh Steelers? Are they the bullies, or are they the dweebs?”
There was a lot of smoke towards the end of the season when everything was going poorly that Tomlin was either contemplating moving on from the Steelers or the Steelers were contemplating moving on from him. Team president Art Rooney II and Tomlin put all that to rest immediately following the season. Tomlin said he is staying and Rooney said they plan on extending his contract.
Within that, Rooney also said they are collectively growing impatient with the lack of playoff success. This sparked an offseason full of urgency for the team. They started with the signing of veteran Super Bowl-winning QB Russell Wilson. They then cut ties with all three of last year’s quarterbacks and traded for Justin Fields. Then they made the largest free agency signing in team history with ILB Patrick Queen and addressed some other needs with P Cameron Johnston and S DeShon Elliott.
Then you go to the draft, and they beef up the offensive line and, by all accounts, knocked it out of the park with their draft haul. They have set themselves up very well to have a big year in 2024, but that brings even more pressure to Tomlin as the head coach. If they don’t live up to expectations, which at the very least should be a playoff win, then things could heat back up with the notion that it could be the end of Tomlin’s tenure.
And improving on last year’s 10-7 record with a playoff loss will not be easy. They went from one of the easiest schedules in the league, aided by several injuries to opposing quarterbacks, to one of the hardest in the league this season.
“It’s one thing to get to the table, but once you get there, I agree that’s always gonna hang over his head until he gets there,” Colon said. “Personally, I just want the stank to get off him. You talk about all the people that say he’s a mediocre head coach. I hate that. He’s a damn good head coach.”
Tomlin still hasn’t received his contract extension, but that should happen over the summer at some point. The pressure is on for success in 2024.
