[quote=waiting for bottom]First off, it was never Cowher’s talent. It’s Colbert’s talent.
Tomlin completely changed the program. In 2008 they didn’t have a 1000 yard rusher. They began to transition to a passing team. No fullback.
Tomlin was smart to keep Lebeau and let him do his thing, even though Tomlin prefers a 4-3. How many coaches are smart enough to check their ego like that?
There is clearly something terribly wrong this year and Tomlin deserves a large chunk of the blame. Arians will take the fall. The Rooney’s will not fire a coach for one (or more) bad seasons. Go look at Cowher from 98-00, and again in 2003.[/quote]
If you look at the Cleveland game only, Pittsburgh’s passing game was virtually worthless in those weather conditions. The “old” Steelers would have gone to the power running game and controlled the clock and momentum. Instead the offense sputtered all game long and Big Ben was under constant pressure as the Browns defense simply pinned their ears back and rushed the QB, knowing they didn’t have to fear the run.
This is the time of year that you find your “playoff gear” and anchor your run on a tough defense and a power running game. Pittsburgh has neither and they are surrendering games where they’d held leads going into, or during, the 4th quarter. This is a clear sign of a team without an identity and a team that is flat and uninspired. Like I said, look no further than the head coach.
Tomlin is a micro-manager and his disputes with LeBeau are well documented. Far from checking his ego at the door, he has driven LeBeau crazy with incessant tinkering. He’s a Rooney Rule baby, pure and simple. I agree that the Rooneys are patient, but at least Cowher had talent, and was worth being patient for.
