Unfortunately the issues start at the very top with the owner who has accepted the belief that his team is in it until the end. The problem is what is your definition of in it? Sure, they can be mathematically alive for a wild card spot with 4 or 5 other teams but they have to be lucky. And if they slide in, chances are great they get blown away in the first round. So you have a team that ends up 9-7 like in past years or now 9-8 with the 17 game schedule and that seems to be good enough for this owner.
The organization especially the owner has gotten enamored with non losing seasons over actually competing for championships. That’s seems to be the new norm here now. Doing enough to be in it until the end gives some fans false hope, puts ***** in the seats and keeps this worthless non losing season streak alive.
When Tomlin finally leaves I for one will judge him on number of SB wins and AFC Championship games he at least got his team to play in. It sure as hell won’t be how many non losing seasons.
The organization would have been much better off with a David Tepper and his hunger to win championships and sparing no expense to get there. Instead, we are stuck with Rooney who seems to be more in step with equity than quality like so much of today. No trying to make this political and certainly don’t dislike Tomlin a man I’ve never met, but he’s merely an average coach in the league and doesn’t do anything extremely well. He’s supposed to be a players coach whatever that’s even suppose to mean but the guy is the epitome of average. The owner is to stuck on forcing Tomlin down everyone’s throat making sure he makes it to Canton which I’m sure he will do in part to early success but Art has lost sight of the ultimate goal this organization prided itself with, winning SBs.
Tomlin now has been created into this egotistical coach who thinks in his mind he’s the smartest guy in the room. He has garnered an enormous amount of control and seems to have great input on player personnel. From the 2011 season forward these are his teams with inherited players long gone with Ben being the last. I see no more than average coaching from him, a lot of cheerleading, extreme stubbornness, unwillingness to change and bring in young innovators as coaches and assistants instead bringing in retread unsuccessful Tyrell Austin and under qualified never proven Matt Canada. You see these coordinators don’t pose any threat and are basically yes coaches. And sadly the owner had bought into all this nonsense.
