The cat is out of the bag. Even though the Pittsburgh Steelers still win more games than they lose, the franchise has rapidly declined from an overall culture standpoint under long-time head coach Mike Tomlin. I was not the first person to catch onto this, but I have been blaming him for years when it comes to their gradual regression to the middle of the AFC. He is holding this franchise hostage!
I may have a platform, but not to the degree that former Baltimore Ravens player and television personality Chris Canty has. He hit the nail right on the head that the so-called Steelers culture under Tomlin is beholden to the past and largely fabricated. It is not exactly The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but I do not know how much longer lifelong Steelers fan Jeff Goldblum can support what is going on.
Here is what Canty had to say about the state of the Steelers while on ESPN's Unsportsmanlike.
"The last decade and a half they have exactly one more playoff win than the New York Jets, so this whole culture around the Pittsburgh Steelers, it's been methodically deteriorating before our eyes. Mike Tomlin has been putting lipstick on a pig in terms of making them seem more credible than they actually are. Mike Tomlin has been the ultimate deodorant for the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise."
Canty put the bulk of the blame on Tomlin, but he also said that owner Art Rooney II needs some, too.
"Let's be clear about another thing. Art Rooney II, Dan Rooney he is not. The proof is in the record. You aren't what we grew up on. You are no longer that. And the proof is waiting days before minicamp for a quarterback that may or may not wanna be part of your program."
Steelers fans are often quick to put blame on former general manager Kevin Colbert, but he is gone.
Why Chris Canty is absolutely right in his takedown of Mike Tomlin
Several years ago, I spoke with Steelers legend Troy Polamalu about the state of the franchise. He may be too busy doing dad things to watch football in retirement, but he did provide me a common thread that ties Tomlin to other iconic Steelers coaches before him in Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll. Polamalu said it is how the franchise chooses to handle adversity is what has made them so great.
In the years since that interview, the Steelers have won precisely zero playoff games. T.J. Watt, who has been in the league almost a decade, has yet to win a playoff game in Pittsburgh. He is quickly becoming the Tony Gonzalez of the other side of the ball in the NFL. His older brother J.J., who played for a franchise who has still never been to an AFC Championship game before, won more than him.
Over time, I have found the way Tomlin-led teams handle adversity is that of their own creation. It is mostly self-inflicted nonsense. When Noll coached, rival teams like the Miami Dolphins and the then-Oakland Raiders were out to get them. During Cowher's run, the rivalry with the Ravens began to take flight. Pittsburgh has rivals, but why do I feel they beat themselves more than the Cincinnati Bengals?
I think what we are seeing is a significantly better version of what ruined the New York Giants for years. They were beholden to two great playoff runs out of Eli Manning and maybe one great season sprinkled in between. It is no coincidence that the Rooneys and Maras are distantly related. They may be football ownership loyalty, but John Mara is not Wellington, just as Art Rooney II is not Dan either.
Rather than sit here and wait to see if Aaron Rodgers wants to play, if Kirk Cousins wants to waive his no-trade clause, or even dip one's toes into the deep free agent market where Carson Wentz is the best bet at the bottom of the barrel, let's get back to winning Super Bowls. Enough is enough is enough is enough! Like Jerry Jones owning the Dallas Cowboys, Tomlin is the problem in Pittsburgh.
Ownership needs to be better too, but the Steelers have succumbed to the antiquated Braves Way.