As head coach of Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin had one of the least cushiest jobs in the NFL. He hasn’t been able to turn his fortunes around this season at all. The Steelers currently stand last in the AFC North, but remain in qualifying contention behind Cincinnati, Baltimore and Cleveland. However, Tomlin does not deserve the disrespect he gets over his job security.

Mike Tomlin explodes during Pittsburgh Steelers press conference

In professional football, the role of the head coach is of crucial importance. He’s more than just a leader figure for the team, but even a motivator; a morale booster of sorts. When a head coach receives unbiased criticism, he trusts his skills to turn it around into opportunities for success.

In the case of Mike Tomlin, the Steelers head coach has received unabashed criticism for his leadership. Despite talks of his connection with Aaron Rodgers, talks of him accepting college football offers have sprung up. For a coach to hear about demotions to college football from division one football, there’s no remedy in the world for that insult. We learnt about this during the recent Steelers press conference, where Tomlin angrily shut down a reporter’s question about college football.

“Hey guys, I don’t have time for that speculation. I mean, that’s a joke to me. I’ve got one of the best jobs in all of professional sport. Why would I have any interest in coaching college football? That’ll be the last time that I address it. And not only today, but moving forward. Never say never; but never. Okay? Anyone else got any questions about college jobs. There’s not a booster with a big enough blank cheque.” He continued, “Anybody asking Sean Payton about that? Anybody asking Andy Reid about stuff like that?” 

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How can the Steelers reverse their fortunes?

With a 3-3 record in the 2021 NFL season, Pittsburgh Steelers have a better record than several qualification favorites. Teams like Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco have worse records than the Steelers. Most recently, the Steelers put away a strong Seattle outfit, beating them in overtime.

But to qualify, Mike Tomlin’s outfit needs to put on even more convincing performances. Coming up next is a trip to Cleveland Browns, who are merely a skeleton of their former selves. This fixture is particularly interesting as the Browns lay one spot above the Steelers. With a win, Steelers can leapfrog them into third place in the AFC North.

The Browns are also ravaged with injuries; Baker Mayfield, OBJ, Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb all questionable ahead of week nine. Pittsburgh would ordinarily capitalise on this and go all guns blazing against their division rivals. When you come at the Browns you better not miss, but do the Steelers have what it takes?

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