The vibes around the Pittsburgh Steelers right now are not particularly strong following a 31-28 loss to the Chicago Bears. It is their fourth loss in the past six games and has dropped them out of the AFC playoff field for the first time all season. When combined with the fact that the Steelers have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season and have settled into a level of sustained mediocrity, winning nine or 10 games every season before losing in the first-round of the playoffs.
That seems to be the ceiling again this season.
Not only is it getting old for fans, but former players are also starting to sound off as well.
James Harrison, Trai Essex have harsh criticisms for coaching staff
The harshest of the criticism came from Harrison, a Super Bowl champion under Tomlin during the 2008 season (and a member of their 2010 team that lost the Super Bowl), as he sounded off on both the offensive and defensive coaching staffs for not only Sunday’s performance, but also the season as a whole.
He was especially critical of the defensive strategy and system, which he boldly called “trash” on his podcast.
“Defense, [chuckles] soft,” said Harrison. “I’m tired of seeing the offensive lineman pushing our d-line two, three yards deep. We’re undisciplined, or poorly coached, or both. We have a horrible defensive scheme; it’s trash, it’s garbage. We can’t adjust at halftime; it’s nonexistent, or we’re just being out-coached, or both.”
Tomlin’s reputation is as a defensive coach, and they have built their team primarily around the defense, investing more cap space and money into that side of the ball than any other team in the league.
It has not produced results this season.
After Sunday’s game, the Steelers rank 28th in the NFL in yards allowed per game and 20th in points allowed per game. Given their financial investment and Tomlin’s background, that is simply not good enough.
They have already allowed 30 points five times this season, and if they are not generating takeaways they struggle to consistently stop teams from moving the ball.
Essex, a former offensive lineman in Pittsburgh with two Super Bowl rings, echoed a lot of Harrison’s comments and focused more on scheme than player personnel.