The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a very rough stretch of games as of late. Even though the end of the team's schedule was projected to be brutal, they seemingly have not responded well. They lost by 14 and 17 points in Weeks 15 and 16. To make matters worse, they have to play the Kansas City Chiefs on a short week in a seemingly must-win game. They still have control over the AFC North, but a loss and a Baltimore Ravens win would change that around with just one week left to go.
During his weekly Q&A chat, insider Brian Batko was asked about the potential of change in the organization if the Steelers blow another season and lose in the first round of the playoffs. He seems to believe that something major could happen in that scenario.
"Change is inevitable in this business, but given the stated goal of postseason success dating to last January sitting down with Art Rooney II, something substantial wouldn't surprise me," Batko wrote.
Art Rooney II previously stated that he and the team are getting very impatient about the lack of playoff success. They can't just keep rolling with the standard, because it's not good enough anymore. The Steelers have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season.
One of Mike Tomlin's iconic quotes is "raise hell in December." Since 2018, he and his team have done the exact opposite of that. Ever since the Steelers' 13-3 season in 2017, there has been some form of late season collapse in all but two years. Pittsburgh usually makes it to December, and then they shut down entirely.
The Steelers have been known as a model organization for decades now. It has always been seen as team that does everything the right way. Lately, the only thing they have done is have decent seasons with nothing meaningful to show for it. They can't keep rolling with the Steeler Way if they ever want to win a Super Bowl again, let alone a Wild Card game.
Steelers Will Not Change Their Head Coach...Yet
Whatever the "something substantial" move is by Rooney, he will not move on from Tomlin. Even for his greatness and for his flaws, he signed a three-year extension before training camp in 2024. He is reportedly the second-highest paid head coach in the NFL now, and that number will run through the 2027 season.
It is very rare that the Steelers fire any coach, and they have never fired a coach since 1969. That won't change anytime soon, whether it's the right move or the wrong move. There should definitely be some changes made to the organization, but it will be a long time before the 18th-year head coach is even considered to be moved.
One possible change would be to give Tomlin a better budget for his coaching staff. Rooney has been considered to be a very cheap owner, and that has a negative affect on the team. No matter how good or bad of a coach Tomlin is, he can't do everything alone. He needs the proper assistants to help him develop the players and build a quality scheme.
No matter what, the standard can't be just shutting down at the end of decent seasons. No team should be content with winning 9-10 games per year with no playoff success over the course of multiple years. Hard decisions will have to be made.
