Adding Fuel to the Fire

Here’s a look back at the long list of games that help define (as much as his Super Bowl games) Mike Tomlin’s coaching tenure. Drums, please…

2007
at Arizona (finished 8-8). Matt Leinart comes in for an injured Kurt Warner and leads to Cards to victory. Todd Haley was the OC, btw.
at Denver (7-9). Steelers come out of the bye, having two weeks to prepare, and look lost against a bad Bronco team, lose 31-28.
at NY Jets (4-12). Kellen Clemens matches Ben’s numbers and leads the lowly Jets to a come-from-behind win. Yes, Kellen Clemens.

2008
vs San Diego (8-8). At home, in freezing conditions against a west coast team, the Steelers fail to score a TD against a D that gave up over 21 ppg. They pull out a lucky 11-10 win (that really should have been 18-10).
at Tennessee (13-3). With the #1 seed in the AFC on the line, the Steelers commit 4 turnovers and get blasted, 31-14. Fortunately for Tomlin, he ends up not having to face Tennesee again in the playoffs.

2009
vs Tennessee (8-8). Opening night, the Steelers look flat and uninspired and hang on to win.
at Chicago (7-9). Jay Cutler torches the Steelers for 236 yards and 2 TDs. Steelers lose 17-14. Only three teams will put up fewer points against the Bears all season.
at Detroit (2-14). The Lions are one score away from tying this one late. Steelers eeck out a 28-20 win.
at KC (4-12). Matt Cassel throws for 248 yards and 2 TDs and the Chiefs win in OT. Yes, Matt Cassel. Haley was the HC, btw.
vs Oakland (5-11). Bruce Gradkowski throws for 308 yards and 2 TDs and beats the Steelers with a late TD pass, despite Tomlin’s insistence he’ll unleash hell.
at Cleveland (5-11). The Steelers fail to score a TD against the 21st-ranked scoring D, lose 13-7 to Brady Quinn, who doesn’t throw a single pick.

2010
at Miami (7-9) Steelers need a bad call on a Ben fumble in the EZ to beat the Dolphins 23-22
at Buffalo (4-12). Stevie Johnson drops the GW-TD pass and the Steelers win in OT.

2011
at Indy (2-4). Steelers need a Troy strip and TD return to beat Lance Painter and the Colts.
vs Jax (5-11) Steelers take a 17-0 lead but fail to close the deal and have to hang on for a 17-13 win.
at KC (7-9). The Steelers struggle against the Tyler Palko-led Chiefs, win 13-9.
vs Cleveland (4-12). Another Thursday night debacle. An injured Ben needs to throw a late TD pass to seal an uninspired 14-3 win.
at Denver (8-8) AFC Wild Card. Tim Tebow’s stat line says it all.

2012
at Oakland (4-12). The Raiders put up what turns out to be their highest point total of the season and win 34-31. Steelers blow a 24-14 lead in the second half.
at Tennessee (6-10). Matt Hasselbeck throws for 290 yards, by far his highest output of the 2012 season! Steelers lose.
at Cleveland (5-11). Steelers commit 8 turnovers and lose.
vs San Diego (7-9). Rivers leads the 4-8 Chargers with 200 yards and 2 TDs in a 34-24 win.

I'm not sure if this season's loss to Tennessee will eventually join this list. In all likelihood, it will. So...Seen enough yet?

I think I have.

 

Unfortunately, Tomlin's legacy is becoming tarnished with too many uninspired performances in which the team comes out flat and unprepared. We've always preferred to believe that we've played down to the competition but the reality may be that we just aren't that good. I don't believe we're a well coached football team and Tomlin, being the HEAD COACH, deserves most of the blame.

 

There are more wins during that span than losses. Even the Pats proved you can't win them all 18-1

 

But there are enough CRAPPY PERFORMANCES interspersed throughout the wins to indicate that it's more than just an anomoly now and then. I think you could argue that it's become a pattern and Brad2Swann makes a good case above.

 

it sucks for sure but you could make a list similar for alot of coaches. the great belicheat and harbaugh have bad loses. maybe not as many i dont know for sure. i do know that cowher had just as many if not more. i wont give tomlin a complete pass but i would like to see what he could do with a healthy roster for 16 games. i do know he hasnt had that. i aint talking about scrubs getting hurt. i am talking about troy, heath, ben, any running back. players like that

 

These aren’t just bad losses. Some are “bad wins.”

So to be fair, in his first six seasons, here are Cowher’s IMHO:

1992
@Cle (finished 7-9), loss 17-9
@Chi (5-11) U-G-L-Y…30-6 loss
1993
@LA Rams (5-11) This was bad, 27-0 loss
NE (5-11), rookie QB Bledsoe comes within inches of scoring a game-winning TD, Steelers hold on against a bad pats team
at Mia (9-7) With Marino out, ageless Steve DeBerg nearly beats the Steelers.
@Cle (7-9)…ugh (Terry Metcalf runs back two punts for TDs)
@Sea (7-9), a loss that nearly knocked them out of the playoffs
vs Cle (7-9), offense looks terrible in a 16-9 win
1994
@Sea (6-10), Steelers get drilled in Seattle, 30-13
@Arizona (8-8), Steelers lose in OT
vs SD AFC Champ game…don’t get me started here
1995
vs Min (8-8), Steelers give up 44 pts in a rout
@Jax, Steelers lose to an expansion team
vs Cin (7-9) Bengals put a whooping on Steelers on Thirsday night
1996
@Balt (4-12), former Steeler Bam Morris runs wild in Ravens upset
1997
Ind (3-13) Steelers pull out lucky 24-22 win over bad Colts team. Colts are so bad, they end up with the #1 pick and get themselves Peyton Manning
@Ari (4-12) Rookie Jake Plummer throws for 270 yards and 2 TDs, but Steelers prevail in OT because Joe Nedney misses GW FG.

You'll notice here that a lot of these games were against 7-9 and 8-8 teams, not REALLY bad teams. And I'd argue that Cowher was always playing uphill: he had no franchise QB. Tomlin was blessed with one.

 

i will agree that cowher never had a franchise qb until late when he won his super bowl. but is he not to blame for that as well. i mean he had input in the groceries as well. i wasnt sure about the numbers so thanks for looking it up. cowher,imo, never had to deal with the injuries tomlin has had to. that doesnt give him a pass but as i said he has been unfortunate

 

The ones that stick out to me are the just the BAD decisions like the 49ers game where he left Ben in the game even though he clearly hurt the team and the Ravens last year (I think) when it was pretty clear that Byron had broken ribs, yet remained in the game.

I still think that Haley is the issue. I think that, not only does his offensive scheme not work for us, but just his being here is a cancer to this team. Our QB is unhappy, and while I dont want to spoon feed Ben, we kind of need him to win.

 

It is very difficult to compare the two, because the game has changed a lot in the past 15-20 years. The salary cap has had a lot to do with this. Had the Steelers been in a better position to compete financially, back in the early to mid-90s, I think they'd have had a better shot to win titles. But there's another difference, and I don't mean to keep piling on: Cowher had a philosophy. Cowher knew what type of team he wanted and thus knew what type of players he wanted. The same can be said of almost any good head coach. It was how Noll built the 70s Steelers. It's how Johnson built the 90s Cowboys.

I have never believed that Tomlin knows what he wants the team's identity and philosophy to be. It's like he's just blowing with the wind. There is no mindset about the team's approach. And thus, the team seems so lost a lot of the time.

 

I dont think cowher picked the team as much as the franchise did. I think that the pittsburgh steelers dictate the kind of players and philosophy they have. I dont care who the coach is. Look tomlin comes across as kinda laid back but if u pay attention to players they talk about how intense he is at practice and in meetings. He dont spit and cuss like cowher but i think he can be every bit as intense. He seems to me not to show it on camera as much. Back to the players tomlin has drafted. I think decastro pouncey antonio and especially timmons are steelers type players. Wallace gilbert mendy those are players even when drafted i didnt think fit the steeler way. I dont know what the problem is. We have high picks on the line so they try to fix the problem. Example of bad luck, did anyone watch jets and pats game the other night? Colon was pancaking people. He couldnt even stay on the field here.lol

 

I have a "gut feeling" that if Haley is axed either during or after the season, that the Rooneys will also axe Tomlin once the season is over. I don't have any "gut feelings" on Colbert at the moment.

 

No way tomlin is fired barring a 2 or 3 win season. Colbert is safer than tomlin