U mad, bro?: Readers want more rah, rah, rah for Steelers, their defense, Mike Tomlin
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According to Steelers fans in my email, I completely messed up by forgetting to wish for something I sorely needed at Christmas: a pair of Black and Gold pom-poms.
Because based on the tone of some of the interactions I got this week, you’d prefer I cheerlead instead of giving opinions and presenting stat-based analysis.
So, for my New Year’s resolution, that’s what I promise to do. I’ll do nothing but “root, root, root” for the home teams and tell you everything is going great even when it’s not.
Given that it’s entirely possible the Steelers may finish with a winning record yet again but fail to win a playoff game once more (or even qualify for the postseason), I’ll certainly be able to put that resolution to the test immediately within the span of a few weeks.
Frankly, I give myself a better chance of making it through “Dry January” than I do making that happen.
Here’s “U mad bro?” for the final week of 2023. Cheers!
I get the impression Charles thinks that I’m being too hard on the Steelers. Here’s an exchange I had with him.
“Dude, are you a fan of the Steelers?”
Yes. I grew up a fan of the Steelers. But … dude … you do understand I cover them professionally now, though, right?
“Make sure your (sic) critical of other teams this week.”
OK, dude. Expect a scathing column from me on how bad the Commanders are tomorrow. I’m sure it’ll get tons of reads on a Pittsburgh-based website.
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Here’s an email from somebody named Jock about how Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has handled the quarterback situation the last two weeks.
“I thought the idea for Tomlin was to win games, get in the playoffs, maybe get to the SB. Instead ‘we’re’ discussing his political savvy and pretending that there is any earthly reason to start Pickett this week (or any week); the same (BS) politics that have him starting and favoring Najee Harris over a proven home run hitter who runs, catches and blocks at a much higher level. 1st round picks trump sanity. Forget OC’s and look to the true source of Steeler mediocrity: Rooney III and Mike Tomlin.”
OK. Tomlin criticism is nothing new. But Rooney “III”??? Now we’re blaming a future generation Rooney who isn’t even in charge yet?
Oh, and Jaylen Warren has had a nice year. But I’m not sure that I’d qualify him as a “proven home run hitter” just because of that one-toss play in Cleveland last month.
He’s averaging 3.36 yards per carry in his last four games. I mean, Cole Tucker hit a home run in his first game for the Pirates. Did that make him “proven”?
“MD” thinks I’m too critical of Mike Tomlin and the national media’s praise of him.
“Doesn’t the whole organization’s front office collaborate on draft picks? Is it not true that there are draft scouts? Is it not also true of the Steelers and many other NFL franchises that the owners have major input in the process of drafting and letting go of players? In my humble opinion, Tomlin was handed a team from a franchise that doesn’t have an effective front office. This coach is making the best of the talent he has. This is the reason he gets national notorary (sic) because those analysts understand the makeup of an organization. This franchise should have done better in free agency. That is the real problem that needs to be addressed….Once again, this coach put his team in the position to compete in the playoffs. From my recollection of the losses, it was poor play and decision making on the field. I’m guessing Tomlin needs to suit up and excute (sic) the plays and coach the team before he is considered a great coach. Winning percentage is the job of a coach, and this coach will be in the Hall of Fame.”
Ah! So every time they lost in the playoffs, none of it was due to his game-planning or preparation of the team. It’s all the players’ fault. But any victories that built up his winning percentage he is to get full credit.
Gotcha. I see how it works now.
Don’t you see that your email is kinda proving my point about Tomlin? Anything wrong with the team, Tomlin is absolved from blame. Anything right with the team, it’s all because of him.
I mean, did you really write “Tomlin was handed a team from a franchise that doesn’t have an effective front office”?
C’mon. He was “handed a team” that won the Super Bowl two years earlier when he accepted the job in 2007. It had a franchise quarterback and a defense with multiple All-Pros. What are you talking about?
And the teams he was “handed” in the 2010s (by his own front office that you seem to think stunk and that he had no connection with) had the likes of Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, LaMarr Woodley, Lawrence Timmons and others … and yet 10 of the last 12 years have ended without a playoff win.
Oh, wait, that’s right. I forgot. The playoff results are never the fault of the coach. All he needs to do is get them to at least nine wins and the last wild-card slot. Then it’s a successful year for him.
My bad.
Ken seems to think I spent too much time focusing on the offense in my “Feats of Strength” post after the 34-11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals Saturday.
Defense was the key still though. Cincy scores first and who knows….
— Ken Mathias (@KenMathias6) December 24, 2023
Look, I can tell you are a good ole fashioned, yinztastic “defense wins championships, n’at” kind of guy.
I hear ya! The defense was good against the Bengals for sure. Three turnovers is nothing to sneeze at.
But, Ken, bubbe, let Mason be your white knight. The offense scored 30 points in a win for the first time since 2020. A third-string quarterback came off the bench to play the best game at the position since Ben Roethlisberger retired.
Plus, his name is Rudolph, and it was two days before Christmas. Sorry, Ken, but I gotta lean toward the offense as the big story in this one.
Also on that topic, during the game I suggested the Steelers break format and bust out an all-Rudolph “Renegade” before the defense took the field in the fourth quarter.
You mean highlights of this game?
— Dave Horn (@Action937) December 23, 2023
Yes. Yes, I did. And that would’ve been just fine.
Finally, David has a criticism of my recently posted “Steelers Winter of Discontent” column.
“I have to say you really missed the boat with the Winter of Discontent. Before the column even got there I was thinking ‘Groundhog Day’ reference… ‘Groundhog Day’ was filmed in Punxsutawney. Steelers territory. It has a great Winter of Discontent speech at the end by Bill Murray, and then ends up with things being better.”
David, Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day” speech was Chekhov. Not Shakespeare from “Richard III,” or a passage from the John Steinbeck novel.
That being said, in terms of Groundhog Day? Well, “never had a losing season,” plus “never doing anything in the playoffs.” It’s clear no one does Groundhog Day better than the Pittsburgh Steelers.
David, standing here among the people of Pittsburgh and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn’t imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter.