Whereas Mike Tomlin is likely one of the NFL’s finest head coaches, his lack of latest playoff success has precipitated folks to query whether or not the Pittsburgh Steelers ought to stick to him. Not many individuals even anticipated the Steelers to make the playoffs this yr, which could be some extent in Tomlin’s favor. Nevertheless, the way in which the season ended made it really feel like extra of the identical. Regardless of that, analyst Pete Prisco believes Tomlin criticism is unwarranted as a result of the Steelers have exceeded expectations.
“This group is an overachieving group; there’s no query about that,” Prisco stated Tuesday on CBS Sports activities HQ. “We speak about it on a regular basis. What do they do nicely? They rush the passer nicely. That’s about it.
“They don’t throw it nicely, they don’t run it nicely, they don’t cease the run nicely. This isn’t an amazing Steelers protection. We anticipate, in the event that they’re not nice on offense, their protection is gonna carry them. It’s not an amazing Steelers protection.”
Prisco is appropriate that the Steelers surpassed expectations set for them. Actually, they’ve been doing that since Ben Roethlisberger retired. Most groups hit all-time low after they lose their franchise quarterback. Not the Steelers. They’ve continued to compete, regardless of not having a lot stability at quarterback.
That doesn’t excuse their shortcomings. The Steelers’ customary is championships, and so they haven’t competed for a kind of shortly. Hovering across the center of the pack shouldn’t be ok.
That’s a part of what makes evaluating Tomlin so tough. Whereas the Steelers don’t need to simply make the playoffs, they’ve been working behind the 8-ball in the case of their offense. They’ve principally gotten subpar quarterback play. They have been really at their finest when Russell Wilson appeared at the very least common. If they will lastly determine that place out, perhaps they’ll lastly be a risk within the playoffs.
Tomlin clearly raises the Steelers’ ground, getting one of the best out of them. Nevertheless, in recent times, the Steelers have pale when video games matter most. Tomlin probably does deserve some blame for that. Nevertheless, he additionally deserves some credit score for getting them into the playoffs within the first place.
The Steelers may nonetheless win a playoff sport this season. They’re huge underdogs towards the Baltimore Ravens, however that’s a rivalry they’ve dominated for probably the most half not too long ago. They may pull off an upset. In that case, the criticism of Tomlin may actually not be warranted. First, they should win the sport.
