Tomlin should be placed on hot seat


By Dutch Wydo


When they say an NFL team is well coached, what does that mean?


A well coached team is one that gets the most out of the talent that it has. The head coach does this by putting a team on the field that doesn’t beat themselves. They minimize mistakes and force the opposition into their fair share of them. They also capitalize on their opponents blunders. A well coached team is one that often wins the battle of field position. For example, knowing when to kick a field goal, punt the ball, or go for a 4th down conversion goes a long way in winning the battle of field position.


Most would agree that Bill Belichick’s Patriots are well coached. It doesn’t seem to matter who they have playing Wide receiver or Running back; they still perform at a very high level week after week. So let’s take the time and do a little comparison between Belichick and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin since 2007.


TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL SINCE 2007


Belichicks team = +92


Tomlin’s team = -2


Belichicks teams since 2007 have forced 92 more takeaways than they have committed. That is an astonishing figure. Belichicks team rarely coughs up the football, and their defense has continued to give their offense short fields to work with due to their ability to take the football away.


Meanwhile Tomlin’s team is in the hole at -2.





TEAM PENALTIES SINCE 2007


Tomlin’s team has been penalized 82 more times since 2007!





NET AVERAGE STARTING FIELD POSTION RANKINGS


2012 Belichicks team = Ranked #1
2012 Tomlin’s team = Ranked 28th worst

2011 Belichicks team = ranked #1
2011 Tomlin’s team = ranked #22


2010 Belichicks team = ranked #3
2010 Tomlin’s team = ranked #19

2009 Belichicks team = ranked #3
2009 Tomlin’s team = ranked #14


2008 Belichicks team = ranked #1
2008 Tomlin’s team = ranked #18th

2008 Belichicks team = ranked #3
2007 Tomlin’s team = ranked #7

Just take a look at the above statistics at how superior and consistent Belichick is when it comes to managing a game.

OFFENSIVE REDZONE PRODUCTION (TD) RANKINGS

Belichicks’s team ranking

2012 Ranked #2
2011 Ranked #4
2010 Ranked #6

Tomlin’s team ranking

2012 Ranked #21
2011 Ranked #17
2010 Ranked #15

One could even take a look at special team’s rankings.

2012 SPECIAL TEAMS RANKINGS

Ravens #1
Patriots #2
Steelers #20

Some might say that Tomlin has a Super Bowl ring since 2007, while Belichick does not. But if your criteria for a well coached team is that simple, then perhaps the Cowboys should have kept Barry Switzer.

Some will point to a survey that shows Tomlin is the coach most players want to play for. But that survey doesn’t mean much. After all, Belichick and Coughlin were two of the most hated coaches to play for not long ago.

The evidence above isn’t a one game sample size. It’s mostly 5 years of work that shows that Mike Tomlin will struggle mightily as head coach just as soon as some of the talent begins to leave. That talent comes in two words.
Ben Roethlisberger.

Belichick’s team went 11-5 without Brady. This Steelers team under Tomlin might not go 5-11 if Roethlisberger missed the entire season.

In fact Steelers fans might as well face the facts. This Steelers team that you have watched the past 2 weeks is the one you will start to see on a regular basis under Tomlin, once Big Ben retires. Sure, they might not turn the ball over 8 times a game. But the evidence doesn’t forecast much hope.

The Steelers do not take care of the football. They do not force the opposition into mistakes on a regular basis. They shoot themselves in the foot with penalties. They lose the battle of field position and often settle for field goals in the red zone.

When it comes to coaching, Belichick takes Tomlin out to the woodshed and just beats the hell out of him.

The Steelers are not a well coached team. They haven’t been a well coached team under Tomlin. The time has come to place Tomlin firmly on the hot seat.

Dutch Wydo
Wmbs 590 radio