The Mike Tomlin (and general coaching) Complaint Thread

https://www.steelernation.com/2025/11/14/steelers-exposed-playing-time

We are so rigid in our ways as an organization we completely lack practicality and common sense. Why is Warren not in the game on third downs and passing situations? I understand he needs a breather now and then but to configure it on certain packages is baffling. Warren is a better back than Gainwell in all phases and his blitz pickup is one of the best in league. Spencer was clearly struggling at guard but we don’t make adjustments we just stick with the gameplan.

 

If you compare the current coaching staff to the one from 20 years ago when they won the Super Bowl, the difference is night and day!

Bruce Arians was our WR coach that year!

It's always important for a head coach to surround himself with the right people, but since the Steelers lost Haley after 2017 and Munchak the following year, our coaching staff is hot garbage. Austin was a good position coach, but he's not NFL caliber as DC.

 

And for your post,here why this coaching staff make no sense

 

‘Why do you think our coaching has gotten so bad? Also why do we continue to hold onto these coaches for so long.

 

‘Exactly make it make sense? Why aren’t the media asking Tomlin the tough questions?

 

Tomlin sucks.

 

Well said and spot on.

 

Yes, Bruce was a good coach. Cowher hired him.

Tomlin picks for OC and DC sucks. He had a good OL coach in Munchak, but he left us for Denver to be thier OL coach.

 

Yeah, leave our best skill player on the bench, and play Wilson more. Wilson can get open and should be our #2 WR. DUH.

Tomlin is a f()(k^#@ moron.

 

Because they will get the following answer:

"I'm not going to get into the specifics of playcalling in this forum. There are legitimate reasons for the personnel groupings we have and I am comfortable with those reasons."

 

‘Exactly. Then there is never a follow up to press him on it. I love when he just says “we need to execute better” always putting the blame on the players or expresses he is open to change and yet we always see the same thing week after week. When he does except blame it is always half hearted and a very open blanket statement of “They beat us in all phases. We need to do a better job coaching, executing and communicating” so it looks like he is taking accountability but is he? How about when they zoom the cameras in on Tomlin when we are getting trounced? It is always that same look like he is pondering what went wrong but yet has no answers to address it. I feel like he is in quicksand with no life rope but it’s his own doing, he hired a bunch of yes men and his authority won’t be questioned, so there is nobody there to give him the answers because there voices have been squelched.

 

I never said it would WORK, at least not with our current idled-brained DC and HC. I did say I want to see it tried, and that means a handful of plays a game, not every play. STD, you simply want to argue and take indefensible postions. I am glad you respond, but come on man, yes, I watched the game, so? So it didn't work...news flash, not much is, is it?

It's ALL on the shotty coaching and it starts with our horrible HC, and aided by below-average OC stuck in 1965 and our DC that should be coaching in high school, next to his no-accountability-buddy Tomlin.

 

Russell was done at 33, only the Seahawks knew it and conned the Broncos.

Some QBs were never as good as their reputation either, sometimes great coaching (wonder what that's like?) or just superior OL and skill players carrying them. Wilson feels like that to a small degree.

 

Rodgers wasn't good, but I watched the game and prior games, this offensive planning and play-calling is MOSTLY bad. Too conservative.

Also, our WRs and TEs could spend about 10 hours each day the next few weeks catching passes. Obvious that one interception through Austin's hands was a perfect pass and a big gain waiting to happen, instead it goes down as a Rodgers interception. That Rodgers kept from openly getting pissed off is amazing. I'd have ripped Austin, maybe quietly on the sideline, but I'd have given him an earful "Do your damn job!"

We have a mediocre OL that struggles to pass-protect and it wouldn't matter if Mahomes was there. We need a Jackson or Allen to make it work and they'd be scrambling every other play due to pass protection breakdowns. I'ts rare to see the RDE from the other team not be in on Rodgers in under 2 seconds due to the turnstile that STILL is Broderick Jones. I kept reading he was improving. He looked more bad than good.

 

Yeah, just look at Kenny Pickett, Tim Tebow, Tua, JaMarcus Russell and, of course, Ryan Leaf!

 

I watched, Rodgers wasn't good, but he was aided by (shocking) bad pass-protection and Austin whiffing on a PERFECT pass that hit him in stride for a huge gain (catch n run) that become an interception. Yes, Rodgers was more bad than good, he looked spooked, scared, and wasn't decisive enough throwing the ball away when PP broke down (every other play). The OL was more bad than good. Rodgers had a handful of WTF throws for sure, I am not sugar coating that, but he was just trying to fit in with the rest of the hot-garbage from his teammates.

The plays that were there that he failed on, were countable on one hand. For the most part, plays WEREN'T there, you should try watching the game again.

 

I wouldn't want "coaching" on my alma mater. He is below-average at X and O's, planning, scouting, adapting, discipline.

 

That is partly true. Spencer Anderson and Broderick Jones were not -ass protecting all that well. Fautanu who has been good gave up the safety but part of that was on Rodgers. He doesn’t have the mobility and he for sure doesn’t like getting hit.

 

‘I agree with this. So how do you scheme him open? Run more stunts? I am disappointed in the other rushers. The pundits have been propping up Highsmith over what I think he is. There is a lot of opportunity there for him and he isn’t taking advantage of it the way I would like to see. Heyward has taken a step back still good but not has dominate. He doesn’t demand double teams like he used too and he gets neutralized in one on ones that’s why you see him batting a lot more balls down because he isn’t getting there like he used too.

I think a bigger issue is we don’t do a good job of disguising our blitzes and the ILB’s are meh at getting there. You combine the poor blitzing with soft off coverage in particular by Slay and the receiver just runs a hot read inside slant for a decent chunk of-lay every time. We really struggled with safeties missing tackles at the beginning of the year and I do think moving Ramsey back and adding Digger will help that. The defense is all about keeping the guy in front of you and tackling the catch and making a few splash turnovers a game. That’s great when our pass rush is producing but when it is neutralized I feel like we are helpless.

The other issue is we can’t seem to -lay both the run and pass well in the same game. I don’t know how you fix it but it’s been an ongoing problem for years with this defense.

 

I strongly disagree. No matter where he moves he still receives the same attention, I've posted pictures to prove this before......So if this is true why rush him from a weaker spot for him. The only problem is the others not taking advantage of it.
We never moved our OLB around before, with Cowher, or Tomlin, the difference was, we had others to take advantage when one would receive double, chip, and sometimes double, and a chip. We didn't have Lloyd, Green, Harrison, Woodley, Porter, Gildon, or any of the others have to do it, they either rushed from their side , or played in coverage, because when they doubled one, the others took advantage. Now they aren't, and because they aren't people's magic solution is to move TJ around.

 

Again, Do You actually watch, because when they do it, most of the people on here don't even notice when they do, and he still receives double teams