Chuck Noll and Mike Tomlin: Should the Steelers have won more Super Bowls? Could they have won more? Part Two

... a few more "could have" opportunities

This is the second installment on the topic: Should the Steelers have won more Super Bowls? Or could they have won more?

When talking about the Steelers today, the gold standard was set by Chuck Noll. Though the media never gave him the attention that a superstar deserved, Noll was a low-key guy, but one who knew when he was hired in 1969 what he had to do to elevate the program.

Elevate it he did, using some outstanding drafts, and then molding them first into a great defensive unit and then one that provided some tremendous offensive weapons. The result was four Super Bowls in six years, starting in 1975. He built the foundation of Steeler Nation as we know it today, and Cowher and Tomlin have done a respectable job keeping the franchise a contender over the years.

Noll’s teams struggled in the early years, but he drafted the inimitable Mean Joe Greene in his first year and the rifle-armed QB Terry Bradshaw in the second draft. They became the foundation of the eventual success, but the team needed more, which it continued to build on into the mid-70s.

Finally, in 1972, the Steelers made the playoffs with an 11-3 record. In their first game, they needed divine intervention, but Franco Harris provided that with the greatest play in team and NFL history, the Immaculate Reception.

From 1972 through 1979, Noll’s teams compiled a record of 88-27-1, winning almost 76 percent of their game while compiling a 14-4 postseason record. It was a glorious period of time for Steeler fans, providing them with the greatest period in franchise history. They built the foundation using the draft. In fact, they put together the greatest one in history with the 1974 aggregation, four of whom are now in the NFL Hall of Fame.

So, the question is, Could or should Chuck Noll have won any more Super Bowls? My answer to that is “yes,” though the team that

1972 AFC Championship Game

After defeating the Raiders for their first postseason victory ever, the Steelers earned the right to host the undefeated Miami Dolphins at Three Rivers Stadium. In reality, I could easily say that team maybe “could have” advanced to the Super Bowl, but they were still young. Miami had a veteran team led by quarterback Bob Griese and featuring running backs Larry Czonka and Mercury Morris. Their top receiver was speedy Paul Warfield, so they had a potent offense.

However, both teams face the problem of injuries to their quarterbacks. Griese was injured and Coach Don Shula opted to start Earl Morral in his place. Griese was dressed for an emergency, and he eventually was inserted into the game and threw two touchdown passes in the second half as the Dolphins took a third-quarter lead that they would not relinquish in their 21-17 win.

Bradshaw started the game and after the Steelers intercepted a Morral pass, led them down to Miami 3. On the next play, Bradshaw was hit and fumbled into the end zone, but lineman Gerry Mullins recovered the ball for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Bradshaw was hurt on the play and did not play again until the fourth quarter. Terry Hanratty was adequate, but losing Bradshaw hurt their offense.

The Steelers defense was tough in the first half, but a special team gamble paid dividends for Don Shula. Punter Larry Seiple hesitated after taking the snap, and when seeing no one rushing for Pittsburgh, he took off on a 39-yard run that led to Miami’s first score, tying the game. That gave the Dolphins a 7-7 tie at the half.

Second half: More mistakes

The Steelers took a 10-7 lead on Roy Gerela’s field goal early in the third quarter, but then Shula inserted Griese. He completed just 3-of-5 passes for 70 yards, but another Steeler mistake led to a Dolphin touchdown. Steeler LB Jack Ham picked off Griese’s first pass, but Pittsburgh was offsides on the play. Griese then followed that with a 52-yard completion to Warfield, and then finished an 80-yard drive with a Jim Kiick touchdown to take a 14-10 lead.

Then another Steeler miscue led to the final Dolphins TD. Gerela attempted a 48-yard field goal that would have narrowed the lead to one point, but it was blocked. Miami took over at the Steeler 49 and promptly drove for another TD, the one that effectively won the game for them.

Should the Steelers have won? No, they were outplayed, and they made some key mistakes. Could they have won? Absolutely.

Rank this as a “Could have” made the Super Bowl.

One tidbit: Only once, in 1972, was Chuck named Coach of the Year, and it was not by the AP. It was by UPI after the 1972 season. NFL reporters are jerks overall.

Noll’s last years
After the 1979 season, the team started to age. Quickly. Joe Greene and Bradshaw were now in their 30s, and the rest were aging, too. The steelers made the playoffs in 1982, a loss to San Diego in the wild-card game, in 1983, losing to Oakland in the first round AFC game, and in 1984, when they lost to the Dolphins in the AFC Championship Game. That was the last time that they contended, but in none of those seasons — even in 1984 — were they even a “could have.”

The 1980s drafts as a whole were woeful, and Noll’s record in his final eight seasons was 60-67, a far cry from those earlier years. You have to wonder if that might have changed if the Steelers had drafted Dan Marino in 1983 since QB was one of the major problems during those years.

Summary

Only one “Could have”: in 1972, could have advanced to the Super Bowl.

Four Super Bowls, never lost one. Still the greatest coach in Steelers history.

Mike Tomlin

Mike Tomlin has compiled an impressive record in his 11 years. He has won 116 games and lost just 60 for a 65 percent winning percentage since being hired in 2007. That is impressive. He has also never had a losing season, just an 8-8 record in 2012 keeping him from a perfect season of 11 winning seasons.

Tomlin won a Super Bowl in his second season and reached it two years later, losing to the Packers. His reputation was suddenly that of a genius, a young coach who could dethrone Bellichick as king of the NFL hill.

Over the past four years, Tomlin has a 45-19 (.703) regular-season record, which is superb.

However, sometime after that Super Bowl loss in the 2010 season, and as his teams started to age, Tomlin’s reputation began to slide, and it has never reversed itself, at least in terms of postseason production. He is similar to Cowher in that they have great regular-season records, but not in the postseason. He has an 8-7 record in the postseason, and in four of the seasons in which they made the playoffs, they were eliminated in the first round.

In 2011, the Steelers were 12-4 but were eliminated in the first game. In 2014, Tomlin’s team was 11-5 but was eliminated in the first game. In 2017, in an absolutely embarrassing loss, the Steelers were 13-3 and lost to Jacksonville at home in their first game. That also happened in his first season, 2007, but his team was only 10-6. Losing in the first round became the norm for Tomlin.

So, while Tomlin has a tremendous regular season record of winning 65 percent of his games, the postseason has been a real challenge, particularly in the past seven seasons.

Could have won?

The question is whether or not the Steelers could have, or should have, won in the 2010 Super Bowl. It was an outstanding game with the Packers holding on for a 31-25 victory. The Steelers had a shot at a comeback in the fourth quarter, but the Pack forced a fumble from Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall to snuff out a threat. The Steelers had three costly turnovers in the game, two interceptions by Ben Roethlisberger to go along with the fumble.

The Packers were the sixth a final entrant in the NFC, earning a wild-card spot. They then won four consecutive games to win the Super Bowl. The Steelers were the second seed to New England, but the Pats were upset by the New York Jets, and a win over the Jets advanced them to the Super Bowl.

The Packers jumped out to a 21-3 lead before the Steelers narrowed that to 21-10 at the half. They cut into that lead in the third quarter on a Mendenhall TD to narrow it to 21-17. The Pack rallied in the fourth quarter when Aaron Todgers hit Greg Jennings for an 8-yard TD with 12:03 left. The Steelers kept with Close as Roethlisberger hit Mike Wallace with a 25-yard TD pass, and Antwaan Randle El ran in for a two -point conversion to narrow the lead to a field goal, 28-25, with 7:34 left. Mason Crosby ended the scoring with a 23-yard FG with 2:10 left to seal the Steelers’ fate.

Could they have won? Yes. Should they have? I will not say that. Pittsburgh was outplayed and was behind 14-0 in the first quarter. They never led, and so I could not say that they should have won. Rodgers outplayed Roethlisberger, hitting on 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns. Most important, no interceptions. Roethlisberger hit 25 of 40 for 263 yards, two touchdowns, but also two INTs, one of which was returned for 37 yards. Jordy Nelson had a great game for GB, pulling in nine passes for 140 yards and one touchdown.

So, rank this as a “Could have” won.

Tomlin in subsequent years

While Tomlin has a very good record in that past four years, they have not been close to a Super Bowl. In 2016, the Steelers advanced to the AFC title game, only to be embarrassed by losing to the Patriots by three touchdowns. As long as Brady and Bellichick continue their reign, I see no way the Steelers win or even advance to another Super Bowl. I think that they have been overrated, primarily because of their defensive woes. They simply could not stop Brady two years ago, and gave up 45 points to Craig Bortles of Jacksonville last year.






So, Tomlin’s record was great early, could have won the second SB but were outplayed. Still, he has given the Steelers great continuity, but is not a great postseason coach overall. Great early, not in the past seven years.