DK’s Daily Shot of Steelers: This Tomlin thing

This isn’t going well. I don’t have to tell anybody who just pressed play on this particular podcast. And it might be as bad as it’s been for Mike Tomlin in particular. Good morning to you. Good Tuesday morning. I’m Dan Kvach of DK Pittsburgh Sports. This is Daily Shot of Steelers presented by FanDuel. It comes your way bright and early every weekday. If you’re into hockey and/or baseball, I also offer daily shots of Penguins and Pirates the same place that you found this. If I wanted to, I could make every single episode of this program about this subject. In fact, I could make every headline, title, description identical to the dot matrixes and it would still be the biggest winner that this daily show could ever produce when it comes to numbers. I don’t do that. I hope you’ll agree. I don’t go chasing those figures, though. I’m grateful for everybody who does come regardless of the topic at hand. This topic is timely. It’s relevant and it’s real. I’m going to try to put Tomlin’s status into a bit of a different frame than others might see. He doesn’t like, in fact, he goes out of his way to avoid carrying one season over to the next or going backward or anything. Everything is about Sunday’s game. He has one media session all year long where he’ll even entertain questions that have to do with anything that might represent some sort of season to season trend. Well, I don’t have to check with him for the contents of this show, to say the least. In his past 17 games, Tomlin is six and 11. Those were 17 real NFL games. That’s a real thing. That’s a real trend. regardless of where he elects to draw the line. Tomlin’s current defense. And even if you happen to not believe when people like me report to you that it is actually a Terrell Austin/tomlin defense, he’s just as responsible for it, just as involved in it, at least in terms of setting it up as Austin is. You have to recognize that the head coach is at the top of that structure. And I would think you’d be moved by a genuine awareness that this might be the worst defense he’s had as a head coach. I don’t need to express that as an opinion. There is voluminous data to support it. And really, if you think about it, it doesn’t even involve research. Just use your own head. When have you ever seen the Steelers at 28th in total defense under Tomlin or for that matter under either of his two predecessors? When have you ever seen the Steelers defense ranked next to last in passing yards? When have you ever seen the Steelers be completely petrified as they’ve been for a half a decade now on offense to operate in the middle of the field. I’m going to have a lot more to say on that subject over the course of the coming week because it’s not just Mason Rudolph who wasn’t allowed to throw over the middle. Aaron Rogers hasn’t been doing it. Justin Fields didn’t do it. Russell Wilson didn’t do it. Mitch Trabiscy didn’t do it. Kenny Picket didn’t do it. Everybody in the post Ben Rothllessberger era of Pittsburgh football has not been permitted on any regular basis to throw over the middle of the field. You know where all of the offense originates in the year of our Lord 2025. There have been too many quarterbacks, too many coordinators for that not to point to the head coach. clock management, game awareness, like for example, not even apparently contemplating having Chris Boswell try for a tying field goal in Chicago. Weektoe adjustments, schematics on his preferred side of the football that are now being publicly criticized, publicly not just by former players. That’s been going on for a while. But now by current players, Patrick Queen, who wears the green dot on this unit, spoke into microphones in front of cameras in Chicago as follows. Quote, I think sometimes it was schematic issues that we had. It’s kind of hard for two guys that are underneath defenders to try to guard two routes. that’s overhanging off the hashes and stuff. As much as you know it, you’re trying to play the run. You try to get back to a bang or whatever it is, it’s hard to do that. It’s kind of a bad spot to be in, but at the end of the day, we just need to be better. Several other players have been far more pointed than that away from those same microphones and cameras. Austin knows it. You’d better believe Tomlin knows it. And you want to know one that kind of jumps out at me, although I don’t hear many people speaking of this? Remember what you saw of the Steelers in the opening few minutes of that game against the Colts? That wonderful, uplifting home game in which the Steelers took out the number one team in the NFL. Remember how they looked to you? Do you remember how they felt to you if you were in that stadium? You knew they’d win. They were out for blood. They didn’t want to tackle people. They wanted to dismember them. They didn’t want to cover people. They wanted to assault them. That’s been in play by my accounting for two whole games all season long. That would be the Indianapolis game and the one in Dublin. So tell me again how this isn’t different than all those times that Art Rooney could conveniently say afterward, “It’s not the head coach.” When we come back, J1Q. This segment of Daily Shot is brought to you by our good friends at Mike’s Beer Bar. They’re located on Federal Street, directly across from PNC Park. Mike has more than 500 beers on tap, including from more than 50 local breweries. Stop in and say hello. Tell Mike we sent you Mike’s beer bar. Football season’s finally here. Time to check out the latest odds, futures, and win totals on the FanDuel sports book. Think the Steelers are headed to the Super Bowl? Lock in your bets today. Whatever your game, FanDuel Sportsbook delivers the latest lines, futures, and specials so you can join in on all the action. Today’s J1 Q comes from Greg who asks, “DK, could you please explain why you feel Arthur Smith such a good coordinator? Please don’t tell me what he did in Nashville. He’s been here 2 years and he’s consistent in being inconsistent with his play calling. He may be a nice guy, but he’s not a very good coach, just better than Matt Canada.” This question or this family of questioning has been a common one in this direction because I do say good things about Arthur and I fully expect to continue saying good things about Arthur because I believe not only that he’s a good coordinator, I also believe he’s just a good overall coach. Now, I say that on this occasion immediately following what was for me one of the more disappointing Arthur outputs in Chicago. I did not like the game he had against the Bears. I have not liked throughout the season the reluctance to stick with the run when it’s clear that the run is working. I have not liked the offense not just taking what’s there and instead trying to expand into something that they’re not. And you know what I’m talking about. Second and one, third and one, heaving the ball downfield. Just move the sticks. Don’t pretend that you’re getting yards in bunches when you’re not. The entire month of November will have passed without the Steelers recording a single completion with 20 or more air yards under that ball. Not one all month. Now, you can either fight that or you can just accept it. You can wish you had such and such roster or you can deal with what you actually got. I’m convinced that those calls are on Arthur and I am therefore convinced that he deserves criticism for those calls. All right, we you good so far? All right, cuz these things don’t always have to be all black and all white. I also happen to feel that Arthur has showed more ingenuity than we’ve seen from anybody at the coordinator’s helmet in quite some time. I loved the fake tush push that resulted in the 50 plus yard run for Kenny Gainwell. That one was just drawn up. That was recent. That was not a training camp thing. Mason Rudolph confirmed that. Hats off. That’s really thinking outside the box when the tush push itself remains kind of outside the box for this team, too. But here’s where I separate Arthur from his boss. If you take an oval and drop it around the giant empty space in the middle of the field, the vertical middle. There are no footballs being thrown there. And that has nothing at all in common with what Arthur has done anywhere else he’s been, whether it’s Atlanta, Nashville, his entire football life. Who he actually is is the guy who collects tight ends. And he collects tight ends for the purpose of utilizing them where? On sideline routes? Sideways? No. Over the middle of the field, but I’m going to say this again only to buttress the point. Several coordinators, several quarterbacks have come and gone and that has remained true under Tomlin because of Tomlin and in particular because Tomlin lives in his figurative fears, especially doubly so when it comes to offense. All he wants the offense to do is to go out there and not screw up. Don’t give the ball away. And based on some sort of 1930s era observation of football, the middle of the field is bad. So stay away from there. When the other team has a good safety or two that he can drop their names in the Tuesday press conference that week, don’t ever go there. Remember the game in Atlanta? I’m talking about a year ago. And that, my friends, is playing for survival. And that’s why these stories all keep having the same ending because the team doesn’t get better over the course of a regular season schedule. It just doesn’t. I mentioned earlier about the offense just taking what’s there. Well, you know what’s there all the time and doesn’t get taken? The middle of the field. It’s there for everybody. Not just against the Steelers. It’s easier against the Steelers, but it’s there every Sunday. There just aren’t any routes being run there. There aren’t any tight ends being sent there. My god, this roster has a tight end who’s larger than life who can mow down humans after the catch. He was targeted twice Sunday in Chicago. Twice. You think that was Mason Rudolph staying away from Washington? You think that was Arthur staying away from Washington? No. And it actually wasn’t even Tomlin staying away from Washington. It was Tomlin staying away from the middle of the field because ooh, big bad scary bears who lead the NFL in takeaways. So, he elects to handcuff his own offense. This one’s different. That’s all I’m saying. This whole scene right now, this is different. Oh, and by the way, before I sign off for the day, you asked what it is that I like about Arthur. The Steelers are 11th in the NFL in scoring points. And I don’t mean scoring points as a team. I mean scoring points as an offense. So like the Nick Herbicking touchdown doesn’t count. They’re 11th despite being handcuffed. I appreciate the question. I appreciate everybody who listens to Daily Shot of Steelers. Don’t forget that we have a double shot coming your way today at 400 p.m. Eastern. Hope to have you on board for that one as well.

This Mike Tomlin thing’s about to really, really get real.

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45 comments

  1. It’s a broken record at this point..wasted talent wasted potential wasted opportunities..complete collapses with no answers and ONE common denominator through it all..I’m done til he’s gone

  3. When the steelers do their "exotic " blitzes, they aren't actually "blitzes" because the offensive blockers are not "outnumbered", so everyone is picked up by the online, that is the read qb's and wr's see and then run those simple slants across the middle that are wide open in the part of the field the "exotic blitzers" came from, and if it's a running play on these "exotic" blitzes, a defensive lineman or 2 will "drop" back into "coverage" instead of being on the line of scrimmage holding the line, the "exotic" secondary blitzers are the players defending the l.o.s. and the running plays, while the big d linemen are dropping back into pass coverage, the NFL has figured this out, teams hope for the exotic blitz packages so they can take advantage of the steelers defense and these no rhyme or reason exotic blitz schemes the steelers have been using a decade or longer

  6. I don’t like Arthur smith and for many reasons other have said but I have a specific reason that I don’t see many fans criticizing smith for: The way we run the tush push play.

    The first time we ran the tush push this season with Rodgers I let it slide because it was kinda funny the way Rodgers posed, and it was kinda unpredictable IMO the way we were lined up with Rodgers in the backfield and Connor Heyward under center.

    But then we did it again 2-3 games later, can’t remember if it worked or not, but I was pissed because I thought why did we keep Rodgers in again? Why are we making it predictable that this is how we run the tush push, with our QB1 in the backfield posing, why not take QB out and bring in a linemen or RB to be an additional blocker. THEN WE DO IT AGAIN AGAINST THE BEARS, with a younger, supposedly tougher, supposedly sturdier, Mason Rudolph who is also just in the backfield standing posing for a picture. WTF Mason you’re big bro get in there and push.

    Most other teams use their QB1 to run the tush push, they use all 11 men on the field to get the yards needed. Why tf do we design our rush push to allow our QB to be in the backfield posing for a picture? wtf is going on with that? Why are we only using 10 men to do the tush push I genuinely feel like I’m going insane watching this offense be so nonsensical.

    Also I never understood why we use the relatively shorter Connor Heyward to take the direct snap for the tush push, why are we not using our 6’5 backup QB’s in Mason or Howard to muscle their way forward?

  7. I’m a Tomlin guy. For years I thought if they fired him, he would be hard to replace. But Steelers can’t live in their fears. They gotta fire him. We are having the same issues we have always had but with different characters. I don’t think they renew his contract but I don’t think they will fire him. They will have a different DC and OC next year but we will have the same issues as long as Tomlin is the coach. Nothing will change.

  9. Tomlin is no longer the problem. It's Rooney. We can only hope that Rooney can someday remove his head from his _ _ _ long enough to see that Tomlin is the remaining constant that makes us fall short every year. But it's Rooney. Every year he believes the snake oil salesman HC when he says all we need to do is buy more defensive players and very old quarterbacks to win. We don't need a real plan, coaches or scheme to win. 9-8 is a winning season.

  13. It’s sad Tomlin needs fired not because of ability or talent but because of arrogance and ego. A frequent unwillingness to adapt or admit mistakes.

    And isn’t that even worse than not even possessing the right stuff in the first place?

  15. 11:30 lmao this is all hilarious because nobody on offense is asked to do what would make them good.. imagine Austin and Wilson on deep overs or even crossers.. Washington on a 5 yard hitch should be a staple.. throw it atleast 5 times a game.. Muth could actually make his money.. even DK that’s literally his game he’s not good at contested catches.. well not exceptional I should say the way we ask him.. WHAT ARE WE DOING!!! Lol

  16. I’m sure this same video was uploaded originally in 2018/2019. Nothing has changed for the better. Culture is wrong, staff isn’t developing or game planning at a championship level. We waste talent constantly. Don’t utilize players to their strengths. We move on from players (Minka/GP/Harris) but not coaches who under perform. We hire cheap coordinators and staff (OC/DC/OL etc.) Same play calling, same 3-4 defense that can’t stop the run. Just bad move after bad move, throwing band aids on everything. Just tired.

  17. I'm very ok with bringing CHUCKIE in to be the Steelers new head coach…Then the discipline will return to my hometown team…let me give you some history on Jon Gruden…Everywhere he has been the team got better fast… Who was on Gruden's staff when Tampa Bay finally reached the Superbowl…??? Mike Tomlin… Also Jon Gruden is apart of the Bill Walsh family tree so he understands offense although he is a defensive kinda guy….The steel city will go nuts with Chuckie dolls in black gold .. He would bring the tuffness back to the Burgh…Now as a Black man a African American we gave the chance for Flores as he fought his case and won…Las Vegas court has sited with Gruden on most thing regarding his suit against the NFL…. So why can't we give him the chance at redemption…He is still very active…Gruden has a YouTube channel where the QBs show up from college to breakdown plays like he did on ESPN, in fact Will Howard was one of a few that came on his YouTube channel to breakdown plays while awaiting the draft…Also he said recently that the Steelers should give Will Howard a chance….Chuckle still breaks down games every week which shows he still love the game…All I'm saying is we gave the black man a shot when Nobody else did…Do the same for a proven coach that wins and shows discipline in every area of his team's…Gruden is the only coach to have built 2 NFL teams that played each other in a Superbowl…He built the Raiders up and Tampa paid he to fix their issues and he did that and both teams met in the Superbowl in ONE SEASON…He brought Tampa a Superbowl 37 win while it took Tony Dungy 4 season of disappointing losses in the playoffs with Tampa and Gruden took his team changed 4 players on offense especially the QB and won against he Raider team again in ONE SEASON….I like Gruden as Steelers new head coach..

  18. Tomlin and the Steelers should've divorced 5 years ago. Both sides need this. This team has been stuck in neutral and is now in a slow reverse. On top of that, I firmly believe coaching is hurting player development. It can't be everyone else. It just can't. Time for a real change. The only question is will Rooney do anything?

  21. It’s completely lunacy. Its the same song and dance every year expecting a different result with different people. But…. Nothing will change until mike decides he’s had enough

  22. Mike wants to win his way and his way only, rather than what works in modern day football. The guy has been given too much control .the organization has created this monster.

  25. Watch all the players faces during interviews. They are done because they are smarter than the coaching staff. They know what’s wrong and throw out hints but the Never had a Losing Season bandwagon still shout his name! So tired of it! Tired of watching it! Tired of listening to it!

  26. I have always thought Coach T is an above average to good coach. He's just become too comfortable with his process that he's become complacent. I think the best for both the Steelers and Coach T is an amicable divorce.

  28. He's afraid of the MOF. He evaluates talent very poorly (Might even say "historically"). He builds a roster of special teamers who are getting way too many offensive and defensive snaps. He plays favorites. I mean, he literally had to be dragged kicking and screaming to play Mason two years ago when he was the only competent QB on the roster. His defensive scheme is so archaic and outdated it is openly mocked by opponents. We run the same dozen plays on offense over and over out of essentially the same formations, also frequently called out by opponents. Predictable, boring, hope the other guy loses the game and/or we get 12 turnovers strategy week after week. Punt when you should go for it, go for it when you should kick the field goal, and almost always call a play that leaves the fans in stunned disbelief. Like the time on the last chance in a game vs Cinci he dumped it off to Najee on the 10 on 4th and goal behind 4, because "he was out of bullets". If bullets=brains, I concur. He hires a coach to run a TE-centric offense but only because that in his mind equates to power football, not a creative use of the dreaded MOF. And in between his on field buffoonery, we're treated to dismissive word salads. My question is how did he con AR into coming to this?

  31. Remember when everyone wanted Bill Cower fired for not winning a playoff 3 years in a row? The Steelers been waiting a nearly a decade for Tomlin to win one (8 years now). I think there's enough data showing it's time to move on. Especially when ex-players that now do media work keep saying how Tomlin hasn't changed a thing since they were playing over a decade ago.

  33. Not the worst defense he's HAD, worst defense he's CREATED. Plus 60 straight games with 7 or less points in the first quarter!!! HOW does he keep his job. EVERY HC has their time- Belichick, Cowher, Carroll, Landry- every single one

  34. DK ! We have an old team compared to other Teams do a comparison with other Teams you will see there are a lot of younger players especially defensive players we need to take our loses and rebuild every one is wishing upon a Star !

  36. The fact that we keep acting like this roster is good is crazy to me. I said this before the season. This roster is GARBAGE. DB’s old as hell, our 1st round pick can’t stay on the field, We bet our whole season on a 42 year old quarterback with zero backup plan, we have ONE WIDE RECEIVER in 2025, like this season was over before it started. Why we expect anything else is beyond me. This is an Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints type roster….

  38. I’m gonna be honest. It might be time to root against them. They won’t fire Tomlin, but maybe a guy like Mendoza or sellers would at least give us hope in the long run.. I mean he can’t keep being coach another 10 years… can he??

  41. DK, in my opinion:
    1- Tomlin coaches not to lose, instead of coaching to win;
    2- Tomlin (and ownership?) is stuck in the past. The old ways to win football games. Cannot, or will not adapt to today's football.
    3- And, often enough, Tomlin puts square pegs in round holes…, if you know what I mean.
    And that's all I have to say.

  43. First of all, if you think 17 games is a suitable sample size to make an accurate assessment of the defense or offense, you're crazy! Secondly, if you don't factor in player availability or the skill level of players that consistently played during your 17-game sample size, you have no business commenting on football because you clearly don't understand what you're talking about.

    In those 17 games you mentioned, just off the top of my head, the Steelers have started 5 different QBs, 9 different OL, 5 different RBs, 8 different WRs, and 4 different TEs on offense!!! On defense, they've had 7 different DLs, 5 different OLBs, 7 different ILBs, and I don't have an accurate total of players in the secondary! Shit, they've even had 3 different punters during that stretch!

    My point is, most people, with any football knowledge, would tell you that having consistency and availability of TALENT is extremely important to winning NFL games. This organization hasn't had any of that since Roethlisberger retired!!! By the way, the organization allowed Ben to stay at least 3 years longer than he should've in my opinion! They've been winning (just barely) with bubble gum, rubber bands, paper clips, and railroad ties the last 3 seasons for sure. All playoff teams, might I add! In my opinion, the Steelers have been rebuilding since Ben left, and they are STILL rebuilding! Yet here they are sitting at 6-5 with 6 games left, and they're in the playoff hunt! That's a tremendous coaching job, if you ask me!

    I have 1 suggestion for you and people of your ilk…STOP LIVING IN THE PAST!!!! That's what's wrong with you journalists and this fan base! Tomlin doesn't answer questions about previous years' teams because, as he has so eloquently stated so many times in the past, each team is different every year!!!!! I am elated that Tomlin continues winning every season because it proves you and people of your ilk have no f@cking clue what you're talking about!!!!

    BTW, Matt Williamson is doing an outstanding job!!! You should step down and let Matt take your place!!! There's a hot take for you!!!!!

  44. This offensive roster was absolutely BUILT to operate in the middle of the field period. We got 3 NFL starting tight ends which we should be using double tight sets you know how the Pats did with Gronk and Aaron. And the defense just never plays schematically sound EVER!

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