You could feel it coming.
And when the final whistle blew in Seattle it came fast. Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers were quicker than a Jaylen Warren jump step to address Mike Tomlin’s streak of non-losing seasons.
The posts on ‘X’ or Twitter or whatever the Hell we call it now we’re as predictable as me going back for seconds at a buffet. It’s the topic that people can’t resist talking about despite this overwhelming fact; Mike Tomlin is the one who discusses it the least. But let’s talk about the fans first.
The very fact that Tomlin has now coached 17 straight seasons without a losing season grinds many fans. They see it not as anything to be proud of but instead they view it as a sign of mediocrity. They see the losses to Arizona and New England and Indianapolis as key pieces of evidence that Tomlin really is what his record says he is. He’s a barely above .500 coach who hasn’t won a playoff game in six seasons and things just don’t seem to be improving.
The other side flying their fingers across social media sings the praises of Tomlin’s accomplishments. They cite the number of head coaches who have come and gone, the great coaches like Bill Belichick who has a few losing seasons during his time in New England and they recognize the overall difficulty in being so competitive for so long. The Tomlin supporters also will point to injuries he’s had to deal with at key moments that led to playoff failures and losing stretches that were difficult to overcome.
Is it fair to say both sides have fair arguments? It’s like any other argument in this country, neither side will back down regardless of what facts are presented. I have and will always say that Mike Tomlin is a good football coach. To me however is what the coach himself thinks about all of this and while I don’t have Tomlin’s ear this is what I can tell you.
Mike Tomlin hates talking about it. In fact, he doesn’t talk about it. It’s the national media and the talking heads and the fans who are obsessed with it. Tomlin knows damn well that the only thing that matters in Pittsburgh is Super Bowls and he’s falling short. That would likely irritate the heck out of me too having to hear about this “non-losing seasons” thing without having anything to show for it going back more than a decade.
Regardless of what happens Saturday in Baltimore, Tomlin fans and detractors have the whole offseason to bat this back and forth which of course accomplishes nothing.
You can already feel it coming.
