microphone Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Pittsburgh Steelers fans questioned why Mike Tomlin would start in the preseason finale.
While the preseason was in the books, Pittsburgh Steelers fans woke up Monday morning wondering why head coach Mike Tomlin decided to honor the Playing his starter in the exhibition.
This may be a home game against the Detroit Lions, but with injuries to the team’s most important outside linebacker TJ Watt and wide receiver Deontay Johnson . While football is an injury game, Steelers fans should thank their lucky stars that none of their injuries were considered serious. Can you imagine if any of them were season terminators?
While it was commonplace not long ago to use the penultimate preseason game as a rehearsal, Tomlin may have to treat any Treat the third and final preseason game like any other.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans question Mike Tomlin’s preseason finale plans
Look. If any head coach can get his players to play in a pointless preseason game (like the one on Sunday night), Tomlin has to be on the short list. He has to realize, however, that this year’s Steelers have little room for error. They play in the same division as the defending Super Bowl champions and the Baltimore Ravens.
Even if the Cleveland Browns are still a mess and Baltimore has an aggressive Lamar Jackson as their quarterback, the Cincinnati Bengals won’t drop Cliffs, mostly because Joe Burrow is the damn man, man. Frankly, Pittsburgh has too much uncertainty at quarterback to even consider going without a star like Johnson or Watt for a long time.
What it boils down to is two things about Tomlin and the Steelers: First, how many coaches in the NFL are better than him job security? That allows him to do things that might make fans uncomfortable, like exposing key players like Johnson and Watt to possible injuries in a pointless preseason game while the Lions are all biting Knees, man.
Another thing to remember is that Tomlin is a Steelers culture: Thrive in adversity. Chuck Noll started it and Bill Cowher continued it throughout their Hall of Fame careers. Tomlin knows better than most of his how to handle a crisis. However, you don’t want your team to be understaffed by your actions, especially in a campaign with zero turnovers ahead of the preseason.
Tomlin’s season at the helm never fails, but there’s always a first time…
