IT’S OVER

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Steelers’ fans were loud and clear during their team’s 26-7 loss to the Bills on Sunday and the message was to fire coach Mike Tomlin. But the Steelers issues go deeper than Tomlin in my opinion and it is time for one of the most prominent organizations in the NFL to start rebuilding. 

The Steelers have had three coaches over the last 40 years including Tomlin the last 18 seasons. The Steelers have not won a playoff game in nine seasons, but Tomlin like his predecessors Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll does have a Super Bowl ring, which he won in 2009. 

But here is where Tomlin and the Steelers failed over the last two seasons and that was taking chances on aging quarterbacks, who wouldn’t put them over the edge. Last season it was Russell Wilson and this season it’s Aaron Rodgers, now while they’re not exempt from blame, the fact of the matter is the Steelers were trying to bandage up their flaws with potential future hall of famers. 

With their loss on Sunday the Steelers sit at a record of 6-6, while they started the season 4-1. 6-6 is good enough right now to be tied for the AFC North lead with the Baltimore Ravens, but if you’re a Steeler fan it’s not good. The Ravens started the season 1-5 and even lost Quarterback Lamar Jackson for a three plus game stretch. The Steelers left the door open for the Ravens and even the Bengals, who just got Quarterback Joe Burrow back from injury. 

Here is the thing about the Steelers, they are very good at beating up on bad teams, but when they play the elite teams they struggle. Now, whether you want to blame the players or coaching I don’t care, but to quote Ric Flair “To be the man, you have to beat the man.” 

This season was supposed to be different for the Steelers. After they signed Rodgers, they acquired DK Metcalf, Jonnu Smith and Jalen Ramsey. They re-signed TJ Watt and Cam Heyward and they’re in the same spot they’re always in. Look, if Bill Belichick and the Patriots can part ways, the Steelers can do the same with Tomlin. And right now might be the perfect time to do something like a rebuild or a retool, you probably won’t have a Quarterback as good as Jackson or Burrow and that’s just your division, in the AFC as a whole you have to compete with the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen as well.