Steelers: Bill Cowher calls out Mike Tomlin for awful clock management

Former Steelers coach and current CBS analyst Bill Cowher couldn’t believe Mike Tomlin’s awful clock management to close out the first half.

The Steelers haven’t played well in weeks, but Tomlin isn’t exactly helping their chances. Pittsburgh has a very slim chance at making the playoffs at this juncture, sitting at 6-6-1 and losing to the Tennessee Titans in Week 15. Another defeat could effectively eliminate Pittsburgh.

Yet, despite knowing the severity of the situation, Tomlin willingly let critical seconds come off the clock when every point from the Steelers’ poor offense is vital.

“Poor clock management for the Steelers at the end of the first half,” Cowher said.

While he didn’t call out Tomlin by name, that’s a very clear shot at Cowher’s replacement as head coach all those years ago.

Steelers: Bill Cowher expects better from Mike Tomlin

Tomlin has always struggled with in-game situational awareness. Moments like challenges, timeouts and clock management aren’t his strong suit, especially in recent years as the Steelers slowly but surely regress to the norm with Ben Roethlisberger under center.

While Tomlin has yet to experience a losing season in the Steel City, this could very well be his first, with Pittsburgh trending in the wrong direction and a very tough schedule down the stretch. It says a lot that a home game against the Titans may be their most winnable game remaining on the schedule.

The Steelers head to Kansas City, then host the Browns and play their final game on the road against Baltimore. None of those games suggest an easy victory.

Tomlin’s Steelers don’t have any margin for error at this juncture. They’re just not talented enough. Mistakes by the head coach, for one, cannot and should not be tolerated.