Rich Eisen the Possible Beginning of the End of Mike Tomlin’s Pittsburgh Steelers Tenure

The Pittsburgh Steelers are at a crossroads right now, just like the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, uh, having lost the Dallas Cowboys in the middle game of Thanksgiving weekend, sitting at 6 and six. Unfortunately, the Chiefs are not in the AFC North, where six and six is good enough to have a piece of first place. So, we should once again, as always, I always like to counsel how not everything happens in a week- toeek vacuum in the National Football League, but the way that teams play, you can take a look at how things might play out down the road over the final five games of the NFL campaign. Everybody has five games to go with the exception of the four teams on a week 14 buy, and that includes the Patriots. Um, but the Steelers at six and six right now don’t look like they have anything in the tank, which is not the way I’m sure Aaron Rodgers thought his season would go in Pittsburgh. But right now, I I think his body is the embodiment of the Steelers to this point and their chances of moving forward. Rogers emerging from this 26-7 home beatdown at the hands of a Bills team that one week looks great and the next week does not. Um, kind of like Brett Saberhagen Sai Young seasons back in the 80s. Um, you know, one week looking great, next week looking not, and they looked like a 26-7 victor on Sunday. Rogers with a cast on his left hand and a band-aid across the bridge of his nose, looking like he’s trying to break into Kevin’s home for Home Alone 3. Um, and him getting knocked out of the game by Joey Bosa for a series in a sack force fumble return for a touchdown that completely flipped this game from a tight one-sore contest into a wash out. Wondering if the Steelers season is anything but that. He’s the embodiment of it. And that’s the issue here. is what do the Steelers have if not a stout defense that can stop the run and instead they gave up the most runs anybody who’s been in that stadium Hinesfield turned into Akasher have ever seen an opponent get ever 249 rush yards were most by a road team at Pittsburgh since week two of 1975 when the Bills came and whoa with OJ and everybody else in the old stadium at the confluence and right now there’s a confluence of the Steelers and it does not look like they are ready to even beat a Ravens team that hasn’t gotten a touchdown pass from their quarterback in a month. Certainly when Tony Romo was talking about the Steelers best offensive weapon being a 310lb tight end, that’s also a problem. So if you can’t stop the run, you can’t run it, and you also aren’t threatening down the field, and you’re Hall of Fame, future Hall of Fame quarterback in his early 40s has a cast on his hand and a band-aid across his nose. How are you going to go anywhere from here? And Rogers was asked about the um the offense not clicking again and the instance being the moment that CBS’s cameras caught him being distressed with tight end John Smith. One of the acquisitions that the Steelers made that was supposed to give another weapon to Aaron Rodgers to be better than six and six entering December. He goes one way. I mean, it’s like that painting from Good Fellas. One one receiver goes one way, the quarterback goes the other way, and the fans are saying, “What do you want from me? We’re booing.” And uh Rogers had this to say about that moment. When there’s film sessions, everybody shows up. And when I check to a route, you do the right route, you know, like uh John and I just weren’t on the same page. I checked to his inbreaker and he ran outbreaker. Um you know, I’m John is a true professional, so I’m sure he’s you know, he’s sick sick about that. But um you know, I threw a ball I thought was gonna get hit by the wind and it was four yards over Roman. So that’s a throw. I got to make that throw. Um, but you know, we have our meetings every week. We have other opportunities outside of the facility and look forward to seeing all the boys there. So that’s, you know, a somewhat cryptic response there is he’s calling out John Smith, but then he doesn’t call out John Smith. And if it’s not Janu, then who else is it there? And then he raises his hand saying, “I’m not perfect either. which does push back on the narrative that he’s a selfish guy and throws people under the bus after throwing someone under the bus. Well, and again, it’s it’s it’s it’s always somebody else’s fault, except he did say, “I overshot Roman Wilson.” If you recall, Roman Wilson, the receiver, was open on the right side and he airma mailed it. And then that’s the issue here is there’s if if the quarterback and the receivers they do have are not on the same page and DK medave is on the side of a football milk carton right now and that isn’t working out and George Pickkins who they sent away because they couldn’t countenance whatever he was meaning for the team in the locker room is now one of the best receivers in the NFL showing how it can be done with him successfully. This is definitely not the way the Steelers thought they’d be entering December. And then of course there’s that now third rail subject matter about the coach. Fire Tomlin Chance all over the place and um Tomlin was asked about that after the game. What goes through your mind when the when there when the crowd there’s a crowd chaining to chaining to fire you in your home stadium man I share their frustration tonight man we didn’t do enough um that’s just the reality of it that is the reality of it Rogers was even asked a question that he knew where the answer would go um or at least where he thought the media was trying to get him hit it. Do you see the flatness within the game and in practice as something that’s not being done right from a coaching aspect or preparation aspect that’s kind of bringing you guys in the wrong way? I know what you’re trying to ask and I’m not going to go down that road at all. Um, I believe in the coaching staff. I believe in Mike Tomlin. That’s why I came here. And players need to take accountability, myself included, and I will and I will continue to. I got to play better. But there’s 11 stars on offense, 11 on defense, plus with the personnel groupings that we run, and we got to have a Monday to Saturday that we can be really proud of our best Monday to Saturday and go out and play our best game and take control of the division. Great answer, by the way. I have to give it up there. Problem is is the Wilson that he’s got is not named Garrett. He’s not walking through the door and Devonte Adams is catching touchdown passes for Matthew Stafford. We’ll talk about the Rams losing in Carolina later on. That’s the problem is who’s walking through the door. Honestly, if I told you before the season, Steelers would be six and six going into December and Tony Romo would be talking about their difference maker is Darnell Washington and they need to work him in more. And the defense would be giving up the most yards a Steelers team has given up to an opponent since Gerald Ford was president. Uh, I I I’m telling you and I hear from Steelers fans. I hear it. And And they have five games to turn it around. That’s the problem. Who’s going to help turn it around? They do have both games against the Ravens left. If they can steal themselves, pun intended, and win those games and sweep them. They can win the division and go in with some momentum. But then what happens? Chargers come into town. Colts come into town. Texans coming to town. Can you win that? Can you go on a run? And that’s what the Steelers want to see. They the fans want to see from the Steelers. I don’t want to care about 500 anymore. We want to go in the playoffs. We want to win. And this doesn’t look like a team that that that can do that right now. I I’m I got to shoot you straight up. I always do. And and I if it doesn’t happen over the next 5 weeks, I am wondering if everybody goes back to their separate corners and decides that’s where we’re going to stay in separate corners and that the Steelers and the Tom U Tomlin administration are over. And I’m not laying this on the coach cuz I think the coach is as dynamite as they come. And I’m just wondering if he’s sitting around thinking this isn’t working anymore for me and who’s going to be the quarterback here moving forward. And I saw what my counterpart across the state in Philadelphia, once upon a time synonymous with that team from Pennsylvania, what he’s done in his 2.0, let me go somewhere else and find me another quarterback and another situation and prove my worth and self and and I don’t need to be here anymore either. You got to wonder if that’s creeping into his head with a a loss like this where they can’t stop the run. They can’t run it. They can’t throw it. Their coldblooded serial killer kicker doesn’t even get a shot to do anything either. Nothing’s working. And that’s the way it was been looking on the road. Like in Sofi against the Chargers a couple of Sunday nights ago after they beat the Colts at home is where they’ve been supposedly, not supposedly, you just look at the stats doing better. You got to wonder if this is in fact the end of the road, but there’s five games left. There are some winnable games left. The Ravens aren’t beating the world. Problem is Joe Burus back. Good news for them though is the Joe that they took on was Flaco. Unfortunately for them is they split against him. So they couldn’t even make hay against a Bengals team that didn’t have Burrow. And the good news for the Steelers is is the the Joe they face that they couldn’t beat with Flaco, the Joe that the Ravens have to face twice, including on Thanksgiving night, is Burrow. So, they don’t have the Bengals, you know. They do have the the the uh Browns again, you know. So, that there’s that there’s some winnable games. They can turn it around. Just doesn’t look like they have the uh the arsenal for it. Hey, you made it all the way to the end. Thanks for that. Check us out every single day streaming live on Disney Plus and the ESPN app.

Rich Eisen weighs in on the Steelers dropping to 6-6 on the season after falling 26-7 to the Buffalo Bills in a game that featured frustrated Pittsburgh fans chanting “Fire Tomlin.”

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36 comments

  2. This is how the Steelers enter every December. They win early season games, then drop off the map as the season goes on. The good teams know the Steelers weaknesses. It's the same weaknesses year after year. Automatic 9-8 record, then nothing to show for. Twenty years is a long time to be an NFL Head coach for one organization. They need new eyes and new blood, and fresh ideas. The game has passed them by.

  3. Not a take in the steelers but because they mentioned it, it seems pretty crazy that a better team can be prevented from the playoffs because of their division. The converse can happen as well. But like Mike said, that’s just the reality of it.

    And if Tomlin was on the market I’d be shocked if there weren’t a dozen teams intersted.

  4. The beginning of end in my mind started 7 or 8 years ago. HE'S PREDICTABLE, CANT MAKE ADJUSTMENTS AND DOESN'T PREPARE THE TEAM. Halfway through every season they quit playing . HE'S DONE . PLEASE ROONEY FANS DESERVE BETTER

  7. Rich is finally coming around. He called Steelers fans dumb for wanting Tomlin gone in January 2023, was later told they haven’t won a playoff game in 6 years (Now it’s 8) He had to look it up. When he did, the look on his face said it all. So many seem to think this team is in the mix every year, winning playoff games. They’re not.
    If they miss the playoffs, that marks missing 4 of the last 8 seasons. 1 Division Title last 8 years, no playoff wins in 9 years. Tomlin has to go.

  8. It wouldn't have mattered if Pickens had stayed – you have an OC who runs it up the gut twice and then throws a short 3 to 5 yard perimeter pass, so No, keeping Pickens wouldn't have made a difference – so instead of having one disgruntled receiver, you would have had 2!

  9. It's time for Tomlin to move on – Tomlin isn't an offensive minded coach and the game has passed him by in that regard and being a defensive coach his defence is pitiful! Minimally, it's time to gut the coaching staff on both sides of the ball

  10. Is also worth mentioning that even if they “turn it around”, how far can we go? We don’t have a team that can get to the Super Bowl, so it will only give us a lower pick in the draft. I think the best scenario for the Steelers is to NOT turn it around.

  11. Tomlin isn't the Steeler's problem. The problem is that the Steeler's OWNERS and FRONT OFFICE have put their faith in INCREDIBLY AWFUL QUARTERBACKS these passed 3 to 4 years. Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and now Aaron Rodgers. And ESPECIALLY Aaron Rodgers after his fiasco with the Jets!!! What did Steelers fans EXPECT would happen with these guys as your starters??? Shame too, because those teams were pretty good EXCEPT for the quarterback position.

  13. As a packer fan I love Aaron. I just think with a guy as fast and strong as DK it’s a fireable offense not to get him at least 10 actual touches a game. I don’t care if you have to hand it off to him out of the backfield. I felt the same way that last deep playoff run with Aaron against the 49ers. Devante went MIA in the snow. No excuses for it.

  15. If the Pats can move on from Belichick the Steelers can easily move on from Tomlin. I swear the way the media talk about him you’d think he had Belichick’s CV. He’s been playing out the string for nearly a decade at this point. It’s over.

  20. tomlin could have prevented all this by just hiring a oline coach that can teach all these early round picks how to actually pass protect or even just run block… They can't do either, and having a old aging qb who's made of glass and doesn't wanna take a hit doesn't help. Not like there's ever anyone open past 5 yards anyhow, so I don't know where he would even throw it if he did have time. Waste of a season, play howard and find out if you need to draft a QB or not because as a fan this seasons washed.

  25. Rich acting like he knows anything about the Steelers is comical. No fan is surprised by what’s happening. This is a Mike Tomlin team, just with the most window dressing in recent memory.

  26. The Steelers haven’t had a contending type roster since the Big Ben, Bell & Brown era. Ever since then, they’ve had an average roster that Tomlin coached up to overachieve and go 11-5 or 10-6. Then lose in the playoffs in round 1 – as they should. Every year, the same average roster. Solid D, lackluster talent on offense.

    Since that era, they have one # 1 WR and then a bunch of 4s & 5s. Last year Pickens was the #1 guy… then a bunch of 4s & 5s. This year they let him go and signed Metcalf. Now he’s the #1 WR… then you have then rest 4s & 5s.

    Bottom line, the team has been devoid of contending talent since the Big Ben, Bell & Brown era! What the heck do their fans expect???? Blame OWNERSHIP!!!!

  32. Steelers with nothing remaining in their tank??? This is exactly what AaRohd is, nothing left in their bite tank!
    For years now, that is description of AaRod!!!

  36. Either the players are tuning Tomlin out or they really are as bad as they looked against the Bills, either way t hey need to blow this up and start over because even if they do make rhe playoffs they are one and done.

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