As I said in my article published on Wednesday for the Pittsburgh Steelers Round Table channel over at Round Table Sports, the Steelers can continue to make comments about not listening to the media, but when multiple players and Mike Tomlin himself come out and say otherwise, it doesn’t feel like there’s any truth behind it.
Tomlin’s latest comments might be even crazier than the ones he made earlier in the week, suggesting that he’s been on the hot seat for 19 years.
“I always feel like I got something to prove, not necessarily to anyone in particular, but that’s just the spirit in which I go about what I do professionally,” said Tomlin during his weekly address on Tuesday via the Pittsburgh Steelers YouTube channel. “I’ve been in the hot seat for 19 years.”
While I understand what Tomlin is trying to say, I think it’s unfair to come out and frame it that way.
At the end of the day, Tomlin has not been on the hot seat for 19 years. Maybe a year and a half, at most.
The harsh reality of coaching in Pittsburgh is that this organization expects to win. While Tomlin continues to finish over .500, if he doesn’t deliver playoff success, fans are going to be fed up, and rightfully so.
I just have a tough time agreeing with some of the comments being made by Tomlin and players on the roster, including DK Metcalf, who said they’re not paying attention to any outside noise.
If that’s really the case, why did Tomlin make it a priority to come out and address his job security again?
"We knew not to pay attention to any outside noise," Metcalf said after a season-high 148 receiving-yard day. "Coach T is a great leader for us, and he's done nothing but take the bullets for us. Even when we're high and when we're low, he's always come in every day, has been steady and stayed the same, always motivated us to always play our best ball, and that's what he did last week.”
Enough is enough at some point.