Steelers HC Mike Tomlinw watches from the sideline.
We’ve heard it over and over (and over): Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season in his 15 years as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s also the third-longest streak in the history of the NFL behind only Harold Landry and the Dallas Cowboys (21 years, 1965 to 1985) and Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots (19 years, 2001-2019). It’s an accomplishment that should be celebrated. And as relentlessly as it’s reported, it should be. It’s a tremendous feat that few coaches and teams can lay claim to.
The streak of non-losing seasons dates back to the days of Bill Cowher. Though his final season teetered on losing, the 2006 Steelers managed to finish the season at 8-8. The previous season was the Super Bowl-winning team with an 11-5 record. In 2004, Pittsburgh’s only loss came in Week 2 to the rival Baltimore Ravens, with that season ending with a 15-1 record.
The Steelers look to add a 19th consecutive notch to their belt, but a few factors could get in the way.
years since posting a losing record
18 – PIT
17
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
9 – KC
8
7
6 – TEN
5 – LAR
3 – BUF, GB
2 – TB, ARI, IND
1 – LAC, DAL, SF, PHI, NE, CIN, LV
0 – DEN, ATL, NYG, JAX, NYJ, DET, CAR, HOU, MIN, WAS, SEA, CHI, CLE
TBD – NO, BAL, MIA
Exit Ben Roethlisberger, Enter Mitch Trubisky
Gone is Ben Roethlisberger, the franchise quarterback who led them to many winning seasons. He, coupled with top-tier defenses, was a significant reason Tomlin’s teams were winning. Can Mike Tomlin pull off a 16th-consecutive winning season without Roethlisberger?
Incoming quarterback Mitch Trubisky has to believe he can lead the Steelers and Tomlin to a winning record. If Trubisky isn’t confident he can help his team achieve north of .500, what’s the point of having him back there?
One of the reasons Tomlin chose Trubisky is experience.
“He’s a guy that came to us with franchise quarterback experience, if you will,” Tomlin explained in a September 9 press conference. “He’s comfortable in those shoes. He’s been the focal point of a football team and an organization before, and he’s had success in doing so. Like I mentioned when we acquired him, he took the Bears to the playoffs two out of four years, and he has a winning record as a starting quarterback. Those things were attractive to us. His athleticism and mobility were attractive to us. He took care of the football in-stadium.”
Though Roethlisberger was never as mobile as Trubisky — size being the main reason — that trait is a large part of what made him so successful early in his career. Trubisky will need to know when to use mobility to his advantage and when not to risk bodily harm.
The Steelers’ offensive line will have Trubisky running for his life until (hopefully) the unit begins to gel.
Steelers’ Offensive Line Woes
The Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 offensive line is, well… offensive. If you thought it couldn’t get any worse than the 26th-ranked unit from 2021, you might be wrong.
In February, the Steelers brought in a new offensive line coach in Pat Meyer. His first shot as OL coach came with the Chicago Bears in 2014 and he spent the last two seasons with the Carolina Panthers. Meyer did find success with the Los Angeles Chargers, who rushed for 1,873 yards in 2018 and a 2017 unit that allowed an NFL-low 18 sacks.
The center and tackle positions are arguably the most difficult to learn along the offensive line, and their personnel must grasp an entirely new technique. It also doesn’t help that that technique has been changing almost annually, as Pittsburgh hasn’t had consistency at line coach since Mike Munchak left for the comforts of family and the Denver Broncos.
#Steelers fans will need to be patient with the OL. It should get better as the season regresses. With 3 new starters since the last game last year and a new QB, it’s just going to take some time.
Tomlin did attempt to upgrade at the center and guard positions with the free agent signings of Mason Cole and James Daniels. The latter, who inked a three-year, $26.5 million deal, has been a disappointment in exhibition games.
“I want to believe Tomlin and Omar Khan, who are preaching patience and insisting the line will keep getting better and better,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ron Cook wrote.
“But I just can’t. I see the line totally sabotaging the season.”
Devin Bush Struggles
A third factor that could play into Mike Tomlin’s first losing season is the regression of Devin Bush. The linebacker struggled mightily in the preseason, and he could be a liability if that trend trickles into the regular season.
The ACL injury can no longer be used as an excuse. Bush is nearly two years removed from surgery, and a return to 100 percent typically takes one full year. It was expected that Bush would take some time to re-acclimate to the game upon his return, but he never did.
“I thought Devin Bush would be much better this season, now 22 months removed from his ACL surgery,” Cook wrote. “He hasn’t been and is looking like a first-round bust, especially because the Steelers traded a second-round pick to move up 10 spots to grab him at No. 10 in 2019. Unless Bush becomes suddenly productive, the team will have a sizable hole at inside linebacker next to Jack. That is problematic for a defense — the highest paid in the NFL — that needs to carry the team and win a lot of 17-14 games.”
Pittsburgh is in trouble if Bush’s preseason performance indicates what’s to come. Behind Bush on the depth chart is Robert Spillane, and while he’s shown flashes in limited action, he’s not ideal as a full-time starter.