Fire Tomlin!
Fire Colbert!
Would you agree those are the popular sentiments around town?
For the first time, I understand it. I don't agree with it just yet. But I get it.
It's not so much that the Steelers lost to the Dallas Cowboys Sunday night, their fourth consecutive loss. An alleged Super Bowl contender, they are 4-5 with four of the next five games on the road, where they are 1-3 and have played their worst football.
More troubling was Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's first comments after the loss:
"For us, just not enough discipline and detail in our play to be victorious."
Who is responsible for that if not Tomlin?
Then, there was Cam Heyward's assessment after the defense blew two late leads by allowing two long touchdown runs by the Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott:
"I don't know if it's a lack of understanding. Everybody's got to do their job. Giving up runs for the last two scores when we're in a good defensive call ...
"Lack of execution. We didn't get off blocks. We didn't close the gap. Guys weren't in the gap. When you do that versus good teams, that's what happens."
Who is responsible for making that right if not Tomlin, defensive coordinator Keith Butler and the other defensive coaches?
Maybe most telling was Ben Roethlisberger's observation:
"We are undisciplined and not accountable."
Who is responsible for that if not Tomlin?
Tomlin knows the answers to the questions. I've never seen him as down after a regular-season loss as he was Sunday night. Not angry. Not so much frustrated. Just down, seemingly beaten, a man without answers.
Tomlin has only himself to blame. He has created a monster of an undisciplined team, in large part, with the way he has treated, arguably, his best player, Antonio Brown. He has allowed Brown to take silly, unnecessary celebration penalties even if he knows they hurt the team. He has turned defiant when asked about it, citing Brown's fabulous ability and amazing work ethic. "What do you want me to do? Not play him?"
Brown has gotten away with more than just celebration penalties this season. He often runs the wrong patterns. He jogged back to the line of scrimmage in the Miami game when the offense was trying to run its 2-minute offense, presumably because he wasn't happy with the number of throws coming his way. He gave up at the end of the Dallas game, running out of bounds at the Cowboys' 20 as time ran out instead of getting to the middle of the field and trying to find a miracle with a series of laterals, presumably to keep his stats padded.
And Tomlin wonders why discipline is a problem?
It's easy to blame the defense's struggles on a lack of detail, but it surely didn't look as if the coaching staff was on its details Sunday night. Too often, packages were sent in late from the sideline, forcing the defense to rush to get settled. It might not have been complete chaos, but it was close at times.
"Is it players? Is it coaches? I don't know, but we need to get there quick," Roethlisberger said when asked specifically about the lack of discipline, accountability and focus.
Better players would help. The Cowboys clearly had better personnel. That's where Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert comes in. He puts together the Steelers with significant input from Tomlin.
The Steelers aren't good enough, at least defensively.
Part of the reason has been injuries. Bud Dupree has missed all of this season, although he could play Sunday at Cleveland. Senquez Golson has missed two consecutive seasons. Now, Heyward has a pectoral muscle injury that limited his effectiveness against the Cowboys is now out for the season. The Steelers can't stop the run without him.
But every team has injuries. Tomlin and Colbert just flat out missed on Jarvis Jones. Ryan Shazier often has been hurt but hasn't done what's expected when he's been on the field. If Dupree can't come back and be an impact player and Artie Burns and Sean Davis don't develop ...
How will the defense get better?
This might be Tomlin's biggest challenge in his 10 seasons as coach. He has never lost a team despite a five-game losing streak in 2009 and a four-game losing streak in 2013. He has never coached a losing team.
But it will be harder to defend Tomlin if this team is the first. The Steelers would have missed the playoffs for the third time in four years last season if not for a little help from the Buffalo Bills against the New York Jets on the final Sunday. They have won just one playoff game since the 2010 season _ in Cincinnati last season when the Bengals self-destructed. It doesn't seem good enough for an organization with a franchise quarterback.
No one disputes that it's hard to win in the NFL. Look at Green Bay. The Packers, who have made the postseason every year since beating the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV after the 2010 season, are 4-5 this season after a blowout loss Sunday to Tennessee and are 9-12 in their past 21 games, including the playoffs. Coach Mike McCarthy has been under such fire that he felt the need to defend himself Monday. "Let's just state the facts: I'm a highly successful NFL coach."
We'll see if Tomlin says something similar when he meets the media today. He might not think it's necessary because he works for the Rooneys, the most patient owners in sports. But Tomlin is a smart man. He has to know the harsh truth: Even the most supportive owners can run out of patience.
