07-29-2018, 07:11 AM
(07-28-2018, 09:16 PM)BFritz21 Wrote: I didn't know three seasons at .500 were considered acceptable to Steelers fans these days.
Beat the Cardinals in the Super Bowl because Warner committed a HUGE QB sin and threw to the middle of the field at the goal line (on first down, no-less). The Cardinals still almost won that game. They were the better team and the Steelers got lucky, just like they did in the '05 playoffs, but that was before Tomlin.
Always a threat to make a deep playoff run? Even in those seasons that they didn't make the playoffs? Explain that one to me if you get a chance.
Fact of the matter is that Tomlin has been an average coach, at best, and has underachieved with rosters stacked with talent.
Three seasons at .500 isn't great, but Cowher actually had three losing years, while Tomlin has never finished below .500. Here's the thing: In the cap era, no team (save for maybe the Patriots) has been immune to slumps. It's kind of built into the system. I don't know how the Pats do it, but they are definitely the exception to the norm. In comparison to every other coach who's been in the game a while (again, except for Belichick), Tomlin's three .500 records in 11 years stacks up pretty well. Among active coaches, only Belichick and Sean McVay have a better career winning percentage, and McVay hasn't really been around long enough for his sample size to be reliable.
As for discrediting the Super Bowl win, you are incredibly myopic. You see everything that could be argued against the Steelers, but you ignore everything in their favor. For example, Warner may have made a bad decision, but you ignore the possibility that he was lured into it. And you also ignore the incredible team effort at blocking that made it possible for Harrison to score. Not to mention the drive at the end of the game, Holmes' amazing catch, and the sack/fumble to seal the deal at the end, among other things. You can't just point to one play and say "they were outplayed and didn't deserve to win". They absolutely played well enough to win, and most of your fellow Bengal fans would agree on that point. You're just too blind to see it.
You're technically right that they don't 'always' threaten to go deep in the playoffs, but 1) I think that was hyperbole, and 2) they're closer to it than every other team but the Patriots …
Tomlin won't go down as one of the greatest of all time, I'll grant you that. He has clearly been outclassed by Belicheck and maybe a few others. But he is definitely above average.
