Prior to Monday night, the last time the Pittsburgh Steelers had hosted a home playoff game was the 2020 season (played in January 2021) against the Cleveland Browns, a contest with limited fans in the stands due to COVID-19. Prior to that their last full-stadium home playoff game came during the 2017 season (played in January 2018) against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Pittsburgh and surrounding communities were prepared for this year’s event, as hotels and Airbnbs near and far were booked to the hilt. Restaurants and bar stockrooms, shelves and coolers were packed solid with plenty of food and libations for what would be a seemingly endless flow of patrons filling stools, booths and tables.
Festivities kicked off on Friday with events including a family friendly tailgate party on Western Avenue, a pep rally at the City-County building downtown, countdown parties at local watering holes, pub crawls, store and shop discounts on black and gold merchandise, former Steeler player appearances around the North Shore and prize giveaways, including tickets to the MNF playoff matchup.
Our fair city won’t see the likes of last weekend’s events until it hosts the upcoming NFL Draft and its own weeklong schedule of events. It was a four-day event that boosted the local economy, putting a smile on the faces of fans of all ages culminating with the playoff game Monday at Acrisure Stadium.
On paper this seemed like the prototypical no-brainer, as in the minds of many a fan, all the planets and stars were aligned. A Pittsburgh victory over Houston in a Monday Night Football AFC Wild Card contest appeared to be a foregone conclusion. Acrisure would be rockin’, sellout crowd, insanely loud and Renegade. What could possibly go wrong?
Unfortunately the Texans didn’t get the email informing them of their impending doom and early exit from the NFL playoffs. In the event they did, they failed to adhere to the instructions and promptly took the belt to the backside of the Steelers both offensively and defensively.
Three days removed from that abysmal performance by the Steelers, you are well aware of all the concluded storylines, statistics, notes, quotes and of course, the final score. We can all draw our own conclusions as to who is to blame, what the obstacles were that couldn’t be overcome, why a future Hall of Fame quarterback couldn’t start us on the road to the promised land in search of football’s “Holy Grail” (aka the Lombardi Trophy) signifying a Super Bowl championship.
Not saying I told you so, however, I told you so in one of my columns months ago — Aaron Rodgers was not the answer. I now, as they say, rest my case, your honor.
Armchair quarterback (as it’s known) away — you have until the NFL Draft in April to dissect all the who, what, when, where and why. Was it this coach or that coach? This player or that player? This call or that call? Let the battle cry begin of, “Wait until next year, things will be different.”
In the Steel City next season, things will certainly be different. The Steelers, it seems to the dismay of some and the delight of many, lost much more than a football game in the last few days. The playoff loss Monday was the first of two the franchise would suffer in less than 24 hours.
Steelers President Art Rooney II issued a statement Tuesday afternoon saying that during a meeting earlier in the day, Tomlin informed him that he was stepping down as head coach. Rooney said he was extremely grateful to Tomlin for all the hard work, dedication and success the two had shared over the last 19 years.
Tomlin issued a statement of his own, which in part read that after much thought and reflection, he had decided to step down as head coach. He went on to thank the Rooney family, coaches, staff and players for their commitment and dedication. He also thanked Steelers Nation for their passion, loyalty and high expectations.
In closing, Tomlin said that while that chapter of his life had come to a close, his respect and love for the Pittsburgh Steelers would never change. He said he is excited for what the future holds for the organization, and he would forever be grateful for his time coaching in Pittsburgh.
The rumor mill had been abuzz prior to the team’s formal announcement, as many NFL insiders took to social media outlets to speculate that Tomlin would be leaving the team. It’s very important to remember that Tomlin’s decision to leave the organization, rather than being fired, means the Steelers will retain his rights. One of the possible scenarios circulating is that Tomlin will take a year off and do some TV work and become a trade candidate next year, similar to Sean Payton when the Saints held his rights then later traded him to Denver.
With Tomlin’s departure following his 19 seasons at the helm, the search begins for his replacement, marking only the fourth time since 1969 the Steelers have had to do as such. Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher were Tomlin’s two most recent predecessors. Looking back on his career of almost two decades, Tomlin certainly received his just reward.
A coaching career that began in 2007 boasts a regular season record of 193-114-2 while never having a losing season, with a win percentage of 62.8% , the best in franchise history. During his reign, he guided the Steelers to 13 playoff appearances. His postseason record yielded 8 wins against 12 defeats, and Tomlin collected his only Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl XLIII, becoming the youngest coach to capture the championship at age 36. That record would later be broken.
Tomlin may be best noted for his, “Tomlinisms,” which was his way of metaphorically speaking to the media. My all-time favorite being, “The standard is the standard.”
The reason for Tomlin’s abrupt departure from the coaching ranks remains a mystery at least for now. Perhaps one day we will all be privy to that information.
For now, the haters can stop hating, the doubters can stop doubting and the whiners can stop whining as the “Fire Tomlin” chants that echoed through Acrisure more often than not are now silenced.
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