PITTSBURGH — They call it Black Monday, the day after the NFL season ends and coaches are fired. Four went down this week: Denver's Vic Fangio, Minnesota's Mike Zimmer, Chicago's Matt Nagy and Miami's Brian Flores. They joined Las Vegas' Jon Gruden, who resigned under pressure in October, and Jacksonville's Urban Meyer, who was fired in mid-December. The next day, the Giants let go of Joe Judge.
Black Monday always is a reminder to me that Steelers fans are lucky their team believes in consistency and stability with its head coach.
It's a reminder to me those fans are lucky to have Mike Tomlin.
I'm not saying Tomlin is perfect. He is far from it, just as every other NFL coach is. He has won just three playoff games since the 2010 season, none since 2016. His clock-management skills often have been lacking. He has let too many players talk or act their way off the team, most recently Melvin Ingram, who moved on to the Kansas City Chiefs and could torture the Steelers in the playoff game Sunday night.
I get all of that.
But I still would offer that Tomlin is underappreciated. It's a shame his reputation is so much better nationally than it is here.
It's well-known that Tomlin has won more regular season games (154) since he took the Steelers job in 2007 than any NFL coach but Bill Belichick. What isn't so well-known is that Tomlin has a 38-37 record when the Steelers are underdogs, according to Fansided.com. He is the only coach since 2007 who can say that.
That obscure stat adds a little interest to the game in Kansas City. The Steelers are 12 1/2 -point underdogs. That spread is the biggest in history for an NFL wild card game, according to Clay Analytics. It is the product of the Chiefs' 36-10 home win against the Steelers on Dec. 26.
"They smashed us definitively," Tomlin said Tuesday. "We understand that, but, at the same time, we're not paralyzed by that. We accept that we didn't play well enough last time. We accept that we didn't plan well enough last time. But that's last time ...
"We're collectively getting comfortable in many circumstances where most are uncomfortable. I think we've been hardened by the process. It hasn't been an easy journey for us."
Tomlin said it is easy for him to believe in his team:
"I can't say enough about the group. Their buy-in. Their fight. Their selflessness. You're not in this tournament if you're not all of those things and then some."
I'm not sure this has been Tomlin's best coaching job. He has won seven division titles as well as the Super Bowl after the 2008 season. He took the Steelers to the Super Bowl in 2010 and the AFC championship game in 2016.
But it is remarkable the team is back in the playoffs even as the No. 7 AFC seed. It got off to a rotten start after its surprising win in Buffalo in the opening game and had to beat No. 1 AFC seed Tennessee and division rivals Cleveland and Baltimore in the final four games. Its offense has struggled with an inexperienced, often struggling offensive line. It failed to score a first-half touchdown in six of the final seven games. Ben Roethlisberger, though he has had several great moments, isn't the quarterback he once was. The defense without Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu has been frighteningly ineffective against the run.
I'm still not sure how this team went 9-7-1.
"You guys buried us when we were 1-3," Tomlin said after the win in Baltimore on Sunday. "We've got a lot of warts, but we're here."
The players give credit to Tomlin.
"His consistency never wavered," Cam Heyward said. "He kept challenging us. He kept telling us we had a shot. A lot of coaches can't get the best out of their players. He does."
Tomlin deflects that credit right back.
"That is my job," he said Tuesday. "Football is an emotional game played by high-energy men who are really emotional. They need to hear a steady voice. They need to hear consistency in messaging and belief. It's my job to exemplify that."
A lot of Steelers fans love to minimize the fact Tomlin has never had a losing season. I think it's more significant than they realize. It means the Steelers are in the playoff chase every year. Their season is never over by October or November, as it is with so many other franchises.
I know, that's not the same as winning Super Bowls. That's the expectation here every year, right? I'm just not sure people realize how difficult it is to win. Hall of Famers Bill Cowher and Tony Dungy won just one Super Bowl. Dick Vermeil, who is expected to be voted into the Hall of Fame next month, won one. Tomlin contemporaries Andy Reid, Pete Carroll, John Harbaugh, Mike McCarthy and Sean Payton won one.
And my favorite example?
Don Shula failed to win a Super Bowl in Miami with the great Dan Marino as his quarterback.
It is damn hard to make a long playoff run, let alone win a Super Bowl.
It's easy to imagine the Steelers' postseason ending Sunday with another loss in the first game. It happened when they lost at home to Cleveland last season and to Jacksonville in 2017. But I know this: Tomlin and the Steelers will show up at Arrowhead Stadium. They're not just going to concede the game to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
"We're going to be challenged in totality," Tomlin acknowledged. "But it's January ball, man. That's what we signed up for. I'm looking forward to living it out with the group."
