This time last year the Pittsburgh Steelers were in the same spot they are right now.
Headed into the offseason after a 10-7 season and Wild Card round exit, owner Art Rooney vowed that things had to change in Pittsburgh and he was tired of no playoff wins.
But according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Rooney's quest to get his team back to winning in the playoffs may be nothing more than a facade...
Mike Tomlin expected back as Steelers HC in 2025
Despite a widespread public outcry and another embarrassing early exit from the postseason, the Steelers are not planning to make any move involving coach Mike Tomlin, according to team sources.
- Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post Gazette
No one is suggesting that Mike Tomlin should be fired. You don't let a coach with his resume walk out of the building, or at least not for free. Tomlin may have a no trade clause, but there was talk of him entertaining a change of scenery last year, and after six straight playoff losses, if not now then when for the Steelers to make such a call?
"I think I said before, I think all of us that have been around for a little while are anxious to take this next step -- and getting a little impatient -- and we need to see the kind of improvement we all want to see," said owner Art Rooney last year. "Mike [Tomlin] believes that as firmly as anybody else in the building...
"We've had enough of this. It's time to get some wins; it's time to take these next steps. The players still respond to Mike, and that's No. 1. He still has the key characteristics that we saw when we hired him. He can keep the attention of a group of 20-year-olds for a whole season and keep them in the fight for the whole way."
Yet here we are a year later, after another 10-7 and first-round exit, and it seems nothing will change in Pittsburgh, or nothing of actual substance.
There was a time when the standard in Pittsburgh was competing for Super Bowls.
But for the last six playoff appearances, the standard has been allowing teams to score 28 points or more and losing in embarrassing fashion.
At some point that has to change, and it might mean starting from scratch.
