It was just a year ago that the Pittsburgh Steelers remained in the middle of a three-week freefall from 7-4 to 7-7. The Steelers seemed completely in control of their playoff fate at 7-4 with matches versus two-win groups in the New England Patriots and the Arizona Cardinals. They dropped both and a video game versus the Indianapolis Colts to boot. The calls for head coach Mike Tomlin to be run out of town were thunderous.
When the Steelers’ schedule came out this year, it wasn’t rosy. There was lots of speculation that 2024 would be Tomlin’s last in Pittsburgh. It would be completion of his non-losing season streak, anyhow.
What a distinction a year makes. Now the Steelers are 8-2, fresh off a win over the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers have a possibility to protect another non-losing season for Tomlin tonight, and they’re in the motorist’s seat for the AFC North title.
“Most of the media, the football world, all that has actually understood, Mike Tomlin’s an unique coach,” stated Chris Simms on Thursday’s episode of Chris Simms Unbuttoned“I seem like it turned, like late in 2015 and now into this year, where there was the haters of Mike Tomlin and how attempt they do not do much better and all that, to where I believe like clever minds have actually lastly understood, wait, they weren’t all that great a few of these years, and he was dragging them to the goal to look great. And I feel like he’s getting a bit more regard. And it’s long past due.”
Tomlin’s critics (and just annoyed Steelers fans) indicate his absence of playoff success. What Simms is stating is that Tomlin has actually taken bad Steelers groups and won. The absence of playoff success isn’t a Tomlin issue, he’s raising bad groups.
Now you can argue that Tomlin contributed to producing those less-than-ideal groups. And you can definitely argue that Tomlin needs to have done more with the Killer B’s.
What you can’t argue is that the Steelers are 8-2 and are amongst the finest groups in the AFC. Experts anticipated the Steelers to be at the bottom of the AFC North, not the top. That’s why previous NFL lineman Damien Woody states Tomlin is his choice for the Coach of the Year.
Even present Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby believes Tomlin is the Coach of the Year if the Steelers keep getting outcomes. It isn’t simply the media offering Tomlin regard, it’s the existing gamers, too.
It actually is insane how huge of a distinction a year can be. Mike Tomlin isn’t focused on that. He’s simply concentrated on the next video game.