What is up with Tomlin?

The orange part in your post is incorrect. Both sides of the ball were horrible that day, so this is in no way a defense of the defense. But the D did not allow 48 points. Anyone who watched the back half of that season wasn't surprised that we lost. But I didn't think it would be nearly as ugly as it was. Just a total **** show. Turning it over 5 times (once for a DTD) tends to lead to high scores for the other team.

I understand trying to repress memories of that game though.

I think KC was mostly Ben trying to not go out having the worst game of his career (which I'd guess is the reason he didn't retire with Pouncey the year before). It's crazy to get blown out in a game where you defense scores. I don't think anyone reasonable expected that we'd beat KC.

 

Hmm. Maybe, but since they are my favorite muscle cars I thought everyone knew.

 

The Steelers’ offense scored enough points against the Browns. The defense, however, gave up 40+. We were supposed to beat Cleveland, but we didn’t. Then we went to Kansas City as underdogs and got blown out. That game wasn’t even close.Either way, the Steelers have consistently underperformed in the playoffs for years now. That’s my point — and it’s not incorrect.

 

You seem to be arguing that the offense played well against CLE.

I'd imagine that you've heard of the idea of "points of turnovers" and how the more of those the other team gets, the lower your chances of winning is? This is the reason that turnovers are bad (well, one of the main ones anyway).

And how many points off turnovers did the Browns score? How much responsibility should the offense take for those? Here's the play-by-play: https://www.espn.com/nfl/playbyplay/_/gameId/401220394

Browns TDs

1st Quarter

• Fumble DTD [7 points off turnovers]
• TD after an INT (put them at the 46) [14 points off turnovers]
• TD (our first possession without a turnover...but we went 3 and out)
• TD after an INT (put them on the 15) [21 points off turnovers]

2nd Quarter

• TD (we had a TD on the play before! and between this Browns TD and the last one, we had a pick and the D held...shocking in this game!)

3rd Quarter

• 3 browns possessions, no Browns points

4th Quarter

• TD (after a 3 and out 4 yards)
• FG (after a good guy TD!)
• FG (off an INT that put them on our 25) [24 points off turnovers]

If I counted right, they had 24 points off of our 5 turnovers. The "drives" they had for their POTOs started at (0 DTD, 46 yard line, 15 yard line, 24 yard line). We did have another INT they got at their 47 (i.e., 53 yards away), but the D actually made a stop on one of these (small victories I guess).

The argument that the offense set us up to win this game is hard to make if you remember the game (I imagine many were drunk off their asses after what must be the worst 1st Q in playoff history) or look at the play-by-play.

In the 1st Q, the offense had 4 full possessions. They had 13 net yards, -7 points (directly), and had one first down.

What do you think the win% in the NFL is when your team turns it over 5 times? I'm guessing that's it's very close to 0%.

Again, not an excuse for the defense. Which was also terrible in that game. Maybe it would have been a different game if the D could have got a stop on the first INT or forced a FG on one of the first two. But arguing that the offense doesn't have any responsibility for those points against just on the D is wild. Especially the turnovers inside the 25. Which pretty much guarantees 3 points against.

How do you define under performance? They were certainly ****ty in this game. But again...anyone who watched the back half of that season knew that the team was **** and the early record was smoke and mirrors.

I would very obviously prefer that we won more playoff games with Tomlin. Especially when we still had Ben.

But I also don't think any team we took to the playoffs since Ben was injured was really a playoff worthy team.

I think the problem on this issue is that many people start from their conclusion and then work their way backward. I think that's how you get silly mistakes like saying that our defense gave up 28 points to the Browns (when I'm sure the horrible snap / DTD is the first play anyone thinks about when that game is mentioned).

And we didn't just go to KC as underdogs. We went as the biggest underdogs in the history of the NFL Wild Card round (-12, KC -800 Steelers +550).

Our QB even joked about how we had no chance to win so we should just play to have fun. Although no one told Harris it was a joke based on his public response. We'll never know, but I wonder if his response to Ben's comments here was part of the reason he wasn't a captain again after his rookie year.

I'm not sure that being blown out when you're the biggest underdog ever is really under performing. I think it's more of a sign that the odds makers think that you got a team to the playoffs that really shouldn't have been there.

 

I am hard on Tomlin but this is impossible to blame him for the loss vs chiefs in 2021.The chiefs were a powerhouse and the 2021 steelers are the worst steelers playoffs team of all-time,just look at their stats,it was ugly

-55 in points differencial,they had a Matt Canada offense with a limited QB and their defense,they had the worst rushing defense in the NFL.If Carson Wentz would not have his massive choke against the 2-14 jaguars in week 18,the steelers would not been in the playoffs.

Without Watt,they would also drafted in the top 5 that year but with no franchise QB in that draft

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/pit/2021.htm

 

Stop with the Mike Tomlin b@ll-washing. He hasn’t won a single playoff game in 8 years. Trying to deflect from that fact doesn’t change it — and pointing to Ben being old is a weak excuse. My point is we were a solid favorite in that game. Yes, the team came out flat and unmotivated against the Browns. The offense put up 40+ points but had far too many turnovers. The defense didn’t step up and help win it either. Bottom line: the results speak for themselves.

You could say when Dick LeBeau left and Ben got old Tomlin was exposed for what he is. I think he ran Bruce Arians out of town too -- the last OC we had that was a decent at his job.

 

I found it. Going to call on it Monday

 

Fantastic n’ at

 

Turnovers have hurt us in the past few playoff games. In Buffalo a few years back they cost us 14 points. I think Pickens and Warren each fumbled.

Just last year (late in the game) Rodger’s had a fumble for DTD and a pick 6 on his last pass. The scoreboard is not always indicative on how the points were scored.

 

Not just the last few years either.

With Tomlin we had a ton of DTDs for and against in playoff games.

I don't think there's any way to find out for real, but my guess is that Tomlin's rate of DTDs (for and against) in playoff games is the highest in history.

It was one of two plays that won us the SB against the Cards. And they probably cost us games in the SB against GB and the game against the Jags. There are lots of others (like the one against CLE, and the two against HOU), but I'm not sure those were as decisive as the GB and JAX games. Although the one in CLE was super deflating...and I think caused Ben to get into a tailspin in the 1st Q (which he pulled out of by the 2nd half). And if we could have scored on the drive where we had the 1st DTD against HOU maybe we could have even won that game...but their D just owned us and I don't think we score even if we didn't give up the DTD.

 

I do our annual summer family picnic. My barn has a back side.