Main Reason for disappointing season - Mike Tomlin

[feltdizz]

Ridiculous premise. Did Tomlin teach the players how to get injured? Did he teach them to turn over the ball? Does he need to remind them weekly not to get hurt or commit turnovers? Is that part of his failure.

Just change the topic of future threads to "I Don't Like Tomlin So Let Me Invent Something To Criticize Him For"

I'm a Tomlin fan but if I was in his shoes I would change a few things.

Mendenhall wouldn't see the field until he held the ball high and tight.

The strength coach would be fired.

The OL coach would be fired as well.

I would also make an example out of Gilbert by cutting him... the guy never finishes a game and he is hurting other players as well.

[feltdizz]

The job of the HC is to put the team in position to win games. If five of the losses were by 3 points or less, I argue that the team was in a position to win those games and didn't get it done....

The job of a HC is to WIN games... not put them in a "position to win" vs sub-par opponents.

The Pats aren't in a position to win vs scrub teams... 99% of the time it's over by halftime. We struggle vs bad teams and whatever horrible stat streak they have going is always broken when they play us.

[MCHammer]

I don't blame Tomlin for the TO's but he has to bear some responsibility for not having these guys prepared to beat bad teams. Too many mental mistakes and our fundamentals are horrible....

Our offense is so sloppy, ST's as well...

This is correct. The article was completely accurate and did not attempt to blame Tomlin for everything. To the contrary, it assigned him blame for his failures, which were obvious this year:

"Tomlin’s failures are essentially a very damning part of the failures for the 2012 Steelers and is the most disappointing one for me. It’s the head coach’s responsibility to get a team prepared each week no matter who the opponent is or how strong or weak a schedule you have. Poor game management once the clock starts ticking makes it even worse. Tomlin has lots to prove over the next few seasons – player development, preparedness, and game management."

I understand that there is an irrational "fire Tomlin" response out there, but it is equally irrational to interpret all criticism of Tomlin as illegitimate and to make excuses for him constantly. Mike Tomlin did not perform well this year as the Steelers head coach. That is just a fact. This team played sloppy undisciplined football for about 2 straight months. If that is not on the head coach, I don't know what is.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

This is correct. The article was completely accurate and did not attempt to blame Tomlin for everything. To the contrary, it assigned him blame for his failures, which were obvious this year:

"Tomlin’s failures are essentially a very damning part of the failures for the 2012 Steelers and is the most disappointing one for me. It’s the head coach’s responsibility to get a team prepared each week no matter who the opponent is or how strong or weak a schedule you have. Poor game management once the clock starts ticking makes it even worse. Tomlin has lots to prove over the next few seasons – player development, preparedness, and game management."

I understand that there is an irrational "fire Tomlin" response out there, but it is equally irrational to interpret all criticism of Tomlin as illegitimate and to make excuses for him constantly. Mike Tomlin did not perform well this year as the Steelers head coach. That is just a fact. This team played sloppy undisciplined football for about 2 straight months. If that is not on the head coach, I don't know what is.

$$$$

This season was Tomlin's worst performance as Steelers' head coach. Don't see why pointing that out raises such ire...I think it was fairly obvious. I'm pulling for him to turn it around next season.

[MCHammer]

I'm pulling for him to turn it around next season.

As am I and the vast majority of fans. Despite some of Tomlin's weaknesses, he is still young and I assume capable of learning from mistakes. Moreover, there really aren't that many great coaches out there. Tomlin is a known quantity anddespite his faults he is a Super Bowl winner. It is not easy to win a championship under any circumstances. So calls for Tomlin's head are premature. I would reconsider if the sloppy play continues long enough, but Tomlin has more than earned the chance to show he can lead a championship caliber team once again.

[Slapstick]

The job of a HC is to WIN games...

No. Head coaches don't win games. Players do. If head coaches won games, "genius" Belichick would have had SB rings in Cleveland....

[Oviedo]

No. Head coaches don't win games. Players do. If head coaches won games, "genius" Belichick would have had SB rings in Cleveland....

$$$$$

Fans just like to blame coaches because it is an easy target versus a real analysis of how multiple players screwed the pooch. Plus fans haven't invested emotionally and economically (Jerseys) in coaches.

Belichek is now a "genius" because he has one of the greatest QBs every to play the game. When Brady retires we could see a wholly different Belichek again.

There are many things a coach can't control.

[Slapstick]

I believe Tomlin can and will adjust. After the disappointing 1 and done 2007 playoffs, the Steelers won the SB in 2008....

After the disappointing non-playoff season in 2009, the Steelers went back to the SB in 2010....

If Tomlin is as huge a factor as some of you believe, he can and will make the proper changes....

[JUST-PLAIN-NASTY]

1. Lack of Discipline
2. Lack of Accountablity
3. Lack of Focus
4. Lack of a better back-up QB
5. Lack a "Nookie"


I will leave the last one to interpretation. I'm sure some of you will get it.

[MCHammer]

No. Head coaches don't win games. Players do. If head coaches won games, "genius" Belichick would have had SB rings in Cleveland....

Isn't this just a matter of semantics? Coaches, like a CEO or other top manager, are responsible for the overall performance of the organization. The coach is therefore held accountable for and by his win-loss record. It's the best ultimate measuring stick available for the coach's performance.

It may not be the best or only measure, but it is a measure. So this focus on whether a coach can win or lose a game strikes me as silly. Bottom line this year was underperformance. Players like Miller stood out as exceptions on a team that overall played sloppy and lacked focus for much of the year. A well coached team does put in a sloppy and unfocused effort for several months and miss the playoffs in a year when the playoffs were easily attainable.