OK, so, “The standard is the standard”, right? Well, let’s talk about that for a moment.
Sure, we loved it when you first said it, and we repeated it over and over and over because, Mike, it seemed true at the time. Your teams registered three 12-4 records in your first five years, and you won one Super Bowl and went back to another (and lost) during that timeframe.
Hell yeah, Mike, the “standard” was the freakin’ “standard”. High expectations? Yup! No excuses? Damn straight. Like Al Davis used to say, “Just win, baby!”
And, baby, we sure were winning.
But then, Mike, during your last 14 seasons, you’ve recorded only seven double-digit-win seasons and three years with .500 records, and the “always-feared” Pittsburgh Steelers have won only three playoff games since 2012. Only three, Mike, and your teams have not registered a single postseason victory since 2016.
Nine years. That’s a long time, Mike.
Sure, JOY TO THE WORLD that you’ll record your 19th consecutive NON-LOSING season no matter whether you win or lose Sunday night against Baltimore, but that’s not supposed to be the “standard,” now, is it? No, Mike, it’s not, and that’s why you’re hearing as many “FIRE MIKE TOMLIIN!” chants as Bob Nutting hears, “SELL THE TEAM!“
The fans of Pittsburgh’s sports teams are an impatient people, Mike. We like to win. A lot. And right now, Mike, we don’t feel like winners. And that’s a problem.
And listen, Mike, when Chuck Noll’s teams sank into consistent mediocrity in the 1980s, we welcomed Bill Cowher in 1992 with wide open arms. And listen, Mike, Noll won four Super Bowls in six seasons back in the ‘70s, but after seven straight single-digit-win seasons, it was time.
See, Mike, there’s what we call a “winning streak,” and then there’s a long series of non-losing seasons. And we don’t have parades for that, Mike. We celebrate Super Bowls, AFC Champions, and playoff wins, and we sure would like to start holding those kinds of parties once again.
So, Mike, good luck tomorrow evening against the Ravens, and please realize the NFL and the network flexed you into the national spotlight because your team will do one of two things – explode offensively to lead the team into the postseason, or a prime time audience will witness an implosion that will toss us all into an offseason full of frustration and uncertainty.
Again, Mike.
But hey, congrats on your thing, man. That’s real nice.
Sincerely,
HERE WE GO!!
