Mark Madden: Mike Tomlin's decision-making again proves costly for Steelers
The national media bleats endlessly about Mike Tomlin's status as one of the NFL's premier coaches. As I write this, he's likely getting credit for the Steelers coming back from a 17-0 deficit to have a chance to beat Indianapolis at the death: "A Tomlin team never quits."
But that 27-24 loss to the Colts featured other things typical of a Tomlin team, too.
The Steelers came out flat against a weak foe, looking unprepared and unmotivated. Like the home losses to Arizona and New England last year. It happens far too often.
Going for it on fourth-and-1 from the Steelers' 39 late in the first quarter and not making it, which conceded the Colts a field goal and a 17-0 lead. It was too early to do that. Bad play call, too: Justin Fields running out of the shotgun instead of handing to Najee Harris after a snap from under center. What happened to the power football that Oppenheimer's offense is supposed to feature?
Mangling clock management at game's end. Tomlin still had a timeout when the game ended, one he should have used before what turned out to be the Steelers' final offensive play, a deep incompletion to Van Jefferson on fourth-and-11 at the Steelers' 41.
You would think that any thought process during a timeout would have yielded a better plan than throwing to Jefferson.
Tomlin, as usual, had all the answers/excuses: He didn't want the Colts' defense "to get specialized people in the game" by way of substitution if he calls that last timeout, for example.
OK, but the Colts weren't going to sub in Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney in their primes. Better to get a grip on what you want your team to do.
He rationalized running out of the shotgun on fourth-and-1 by saying "everybody plays shotgun and pistol football."
OK, but that's not what the Steelers' offense is supposed to be. Again, where's the power? This offense is reminiscent of Matt Canada's, but with more tight ends.
The Steelers got beat by 39-year-old Joe Flacco, who entered the game after Anthony Richardson got hurt. Flacco went 16 for 26 for 168 yards and two touchdowns. His veteran savvy was ideal to manage a 17-0 lead that Richardson helped get. Flacco was 6 for 8 passing on third down, converting on each completion.
Full credit to Flacco, but Tomlin sounded dopey when he said, "When you work all week to defend Richardson and then you get Flacco, it's a little bit different."
OK, but Tomlin had coached against a Flacco quarterbacked-team 22 times prior. So it shouldn't be all that confusing.
Flacco is immobile but nonetheless constantly faced a four-man rush that couldn't get home.
Would Flacco have picked apart a blitz? Well, he did pretty well against seven guys in coverage. It would have been worth testing Flacco against the occasional blitz.
There were other coaching issues, too, like Tomlin's usual bugaboo with replay challenges.
The most glaring occurred in the first quarter when Harris appeared to make the sticks on the play before the Steelers went for it (and failed) on fourth-and-1 at Pittsburgh's 39. Tomlin didn't throw the red flag. Spot challenges are difficult to win. But that one would have been worth trying.
Tomlin also challenged a Colts' reception that was an obvious catch.
Losing at Indianapolis is disappointing but not a disaster. The NFL has featured lots of bad football so far. It's a miracle the whole league isn't 2-2.
But games botched by Tomlin occur more often than his boosters in the media would care to admit.
Tomlin is a decent coach but vastly overrated.
Games like Sunday illuminate that. Maybe even more so than not winning a playoff game in seven years.
