BALTIMORE –The Pittsburgh Steelers’ loss to the Baltimore Ravens was similar to too many of their prior playoff losses during their nearly ten-year playoff absence.
They fell behind 21-0 very fast, and despite some offensive hiccups in the third quarter, the Steelers team was finally able to overcome the gap. The Steelers understood their fate as soon as they lost, and they are a club that was never designed for a spectacular return.
However, why does this continue to occur? Why does this team’s coaching continue to be a problem year after year? Whether it’s the hiring of coordinators or assistants, this Steelers team lacks the gameplan expertise and detail to support this as anything other than coaching.
The Steelers rank second in the NFL this season for both offensive and defense in the first quarter. That statistic is real. They score slightly more than three points in the first quarter this season and give up more than six points each game in the first quarter every week. To put it bluntly, coaching and a lack of weekly game planning are to fault for that.
And it rests at the feet of head coach Mike Tomlin when it continues for as long as this one. Good people management is missing. Why did it take so long to find a target for George Pickens? When the team had a fourth-and-15 heavy and pray toward the conclusion of the game, why wasn’t Mike Williams on the field? Is it really that difficult to avoid offensively wasting an assignment in the run game?
With Tomlin, there are a lot of things to consider. In actuality, though, this franchise is experiencing a severe postseason drought. Although they do have gaps in their staff, they are not large enough to regularly deflate a team. These playoff games are not even close. They are being blasted out on a regular basis, but it’s not like they are missing it by three points or a score.
Once more, how can you blame anyone but Tomlin when the team’s personnel and schematic management has changed over a long period of time, and the coordinators, coaches, players, quarterbacks, and even general managers have changed?
I admire Tomlin for raising the bar. In recent seasons, he has coached a few teams who shouldn’t have even sniffed where they got, but sometimes it can work against them. It feels like they are driving their tires in the dirt, and his ceiling is capped in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers are not a well-coached squad when playing down to earth. When his hires are so unsatisfactory, Tomlin deals with that. Disappointment is the only thing to say after another defeat.
Fans had seen this movie a lot, and going into this game, they knew it was coming because they had lost four straight games. The Steelers must change at some point or they will keep swimming in the same waters as they have for the past ten years.
Tomlin is the common denominator. Throughout the game and their season, this club has made several perplexing coaching errors, and Tomlin should be held accountable for them all.
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