Steelers Team Headlines: Mike Tomlin Under Fire Again
By Danny Cox
The Pittsburgh Steelers surprised a lot of people this past weekend when they pulled to within four points of the New England Patriots by getting the score to 20-16 in the fourth quarter. Even without Ben Roethlisberger, the team was playing well and containing Tom Brady, but then things went a bit haywire. Now there have been accusations that the defense actually gave up and quit late in the game.
After getting close to the Patriots, Brady and company strolled back onto the field and drove for a touchdown in just six plays, taking a mere three minutes off the clock. It's obvious that the Steelers have missed their big defensive end in Cam Heyward, who has been out the last two weeks due to injury. Many realize that he makes the defense stronger, but he believes his teammates just gave up.
"It was like we just quit," Heyward said. "I don't mean to say that lightly, but I feel like we had so many opportunities out there. I felt like after that, it was almost like the wind got pushed out of us."
Maybe he was speaking in anger or frustration, but those comments did not sit well with some other members of the defensive squad. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler doesn't believe the team quit at all, but he does think that the team has been frustrated and needs to play harder and more physical.
Linebacker Lawrence Timmons agrees that giving up almost 400 rushing yards in the past two weeks is totally unacceptable and that no team can win when they do that. Timmons said that the way the defense played against the Pats was "not our best performance" and was "not a display of who we are."
Mike Tomlin Still Coming Under Fire From Media And Critics
A lot of fire has come upon Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin this season, especially after the loss to the Patriots. When speaking at the postgame press conference, it appeared as if he was placing the blame everywhere but on himself, even though many think a number of coaching mistakes were made.
A number of people would fail to agree with that sentiment as it's well known that if you're the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, you're expected to win. If you don't, you're going to be under fire from the organization and management, which is much more important than the media raining down on you.
While it's true that a lot of people think Tomlin's record doesn't quite live up to that of Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll, he still has done well and has a Super Bowl championship to his record. Depending on how long Roethlisberger is out, though, could say a lot about how this season may go. If the losses continue to pile up, Tomlin may find himself without a job at year's end.
