The Steelers came out unprepared to play Thursday and sacrificed valuable time during their game-deciding final drive, because Chase Claypool thought it was appropriate to taunt instead of getting the ball back to the line of scrimmage. The ultimate fault lies with the players, but accountability starts at the top.
Yet, Mike Tomlin is unwilling to take any. That's shameful.
The Steelers' head coach addressed reporters following the Vikings' 36-28 win over Pittsburgh, and was asked whether any coaching jobs should be in jeopardy. He shot down the question more quickly than Dalvin Cook was able to burst through the open field.
"A coach hasn't sustained a play, sustained a block, made a tackle," Tomlin said. "I know I haven't in a long time."
While Tomlin obviously wasn't going to threaten the jobs of his coaches at the podium, there were better ways to the answer the question than deflecting all of the blame onto his players. For example, Bill Belichick repeats the mantra about how the Patriots have to "play better and coach better" after every loss. The platitude sends the message that they're all on the ride together.
Tomlin isn't the reason Devin Bush can't tackle anybody, nor is he responsible for Ben Roethlisberger's apparent inability to move the ball in the first half. But Tomlin is responsible for the image his team projects on the field. Too often, the Steelers have played like pushovers.
It was just two weeks ago when a litany of ex-Steelers ripped their old team for its soft defense and apparent lack of passion. Pittsburgh allowed 198 yards on the ground against the Bengals in its crushing 41-10 loss to the Bengals, with Joe Mixon scoring two touchdowns.
Cook, who's dealing with a dislocated left shoulder and played with a shoulder harness, ran for 205 yards and two scores Thursday. The Steelers didn't offer any resistance at all.
Tomlin is supposed to be a defensive coach. Unfortunately, his defense wasn't anywhere near the ball for the first 42 minutes of play.
But his defense's putrid performance didn't prevent players from celebrating an interception when they were down 22 points. I mean, what are we doing here?
That's a good question to ask Claypool, who unveiled a first down celebration with under 40 seconds and the Steelers down 36-28 with no timeouts remaining. The episode knocked roughly 12 valuable seconds off the clock.
Earlier in the game, Tomlin benched Claypool after he was flagged for unnecessary roughness. It doesn't seem like the message was received.
Coaches may not sustain blocks and or make tackles, but they're supposed to put their players in the best position to succeed. That's not happening here anymore. Tomlin must answer for it.
