They’re tired of watching their team show potential to chase a title, then fizzle in the postseason. Tomlin delivered some encouraging news to them Tuesday: He’s tired of it too.
“I have a cliché that the guys oftentimes throwback at me in jest: Two is a pattern. I say that because there’s an expiration date on adjusting and adapting,” Tomlin said. “I use that phrase to reflect urgency. To reflect how quickly we need to adjust and adapt and move. … Although we’ve had similar results, rest assured that we’re not doing the same things and hoping for a different result. We have adapted. We have altered our approach and we will continue because we’re not getting what we seek — and that’s the confetti game, is to be world champs.
“Our goals are really clear. It’s also really clear that we’re falling short of it, and we’re falling short of it in a consistent way. We’re still going to be open to adapting.”
Such adaptation will first require Tomlin to unpack why his team lost five straight games to end the season. Fingers can point in a number of directions. Quaterback Russell Wilson failed to elevate the offense in the final month of the season. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s play-calling deserved to be criticized. Their once-feared defense collapsed in epic fashion, allowing the Ravens to rush for 299 yards as a team in their Wild Card Round win over the Steelers on Saturday.
Tomlin said he’s “unearthing” why the Steelers’ entire operation eroded into an uncompetitive state by the end of the season. He also stressed he’s been making changes in an effort to produce a better final result and remains open to further adjustments.
Just don’t suggest the adjustment needs to include his job. If anything, the Steelers could benefit from taking a look around the NFL and reviewing the tenures of most coaches in this league. Tomlin is an elder statesman because he’s proven his skill as a coach, including piloting lesser Steelers teams to the postseason amid significant adversity.
Sure, he hasn’t won in the playoffs in recent years, but he also led a team that tried to solve its quarterback situation with the combination of Wilson and Justin Fields to a 10-win season. If anything, Tomlin’s track record would suggest he needs more time for GM Omar Khan to supply him with some personnel upgrades.
That is, as long as Tomlin still captures the attention of the locker room.
“I don’t worry about messaging resonating,” Tomlin said. “I speak with great clarity and transparency. I’ve learned that over a long time at this level. I know what works and what doesn’t. That component of it is probably less of a concern. More strategic things and other discussions that dictate outcome. Messaging is such a small component of it, what it is that we do.”
Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North gave the football world a great look at how Tomlin runs his team and the quality and content of the messages he delivers. Motivation shouldn’t be an issue for the Steelers.
Nonetheless, Tomlin was asked if the culture in Pittsburgh has shifted given how the past few seasons have ended.
“That fact that we’re communicating today in that manner in which we’re communicating is bothersome to me,” Tomlin said on Tuesday. “I’m open to addressing any component of it.”
Tomlin will be forced to answer these questions for the foreseeable future. The only way to properly respond is by winning in 2025.