Mike Tomlin is a convenient scapegoat for the Steelers’ real problem

The Pittsburgh Steelers have gone to the playoffs in five of the last eight seasons under Mike Tomlin. That's an objectively strong run. However, they haven't won a playoff game in that span. Worse still, they've trailed by double digits at halftime of each of them. Patience is running thin.

Chatter about teams looking to trade for Tomlin started even before the playoffs began. A sizable deficit against the Ravens sparked even more conversation about Tomlin's job security in Pittsburgh.

Sure, the Steelers have consistently made the playoffs, but they haven't looked like an actual contender for the better part of a decade. After a while, making the playoffs isn't enough. Fans expect to win. Even the most respected coaches in the NFL aren't immune from criticism when they've gone so long without playoff success.

All that is to say, I get it. Tomlin's teams have lacked that certain something that contenders have. They certainly haven't had the right quarterback, even in the waning years of Ben Rothlisberger's career. The rest of the team hasn't done enough to make up for that.

But let's be honest here. What would a replacement level coach have achieved with this roster? Would Mike McCarthy have won 10 games? Would Nick Sirianni or Dan Quinn have made the playoffs? I don't think so.

Mike Tomlin knows how to win games but Omar Khan hasn't given him the roster he needs to win playoff games

Tomlin is a victim of his own success at this point. He has worked miracles wringing 10 wins out of his 2023 and 2024 roster. If Art Rooney wanted to make a coaching change, whether via firing or trade, there is an infinitesimal chance he'd end up with a coach who could do more.

General manager Omar Khan built this roster...or he let Tomlin have too significant a hand in building it. Either way, it's as much his failure as the head coach's. It's his job to plug holes where they exist and he hasn't done that in some of the most obvious areas.

Khan traded Diontae Johnson away and didn't sufficiently replace him. He brought in Cordarrelle Patterson and Van Jefferson, seemingly to appease new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Those moves were pointless.

The GM hasn't solved Pittsburgh's quarterback problem either. He's done a good job drafting so far but the Kenny Pickett pick obviously didn't pan out. He declined to pick up a QB in either of the last two drafts or go after a high-value free agent, instead turning to castoffs like Justin Fields and Russell Wilson.

Tomlin has proven he can coach at a high level. The Steelers need to give him a better roster to contend.