We will still be complaining about the Steelers next year at this time, but in 2019 may not even come close to the playoffs

… leadership vacuum will allow problems to fester 

Pittsburgh Steeler fans are concerned about missing the playoffs in 2018, but what they should be worried about is that the problems may exacerbate — increase significantly — in 2019 unless changes are made.

And those changes are unlikely to occur. Some minor ones like the firing of coaches or coordinators may happen, but the problems at the core of their franchise performance right now will be present a year from now.

That is because a thorough house-cleaning is in order, but it is unlikely to happen because of problems at the top of the organization.

Many fans complain about Coach Mike Tomlin — and even national media are criticizing him. However, most agree that the Steelers are unlikely to make changes with him because it is not “the Steelers way.”

Since Chuck Noll was hired by Dan Rooney in 1969, the Steelers have had just three coaches — Noll, Bill Cowher hired in 1992, and now Tomlin. That has a tremendous advantage: Continuity is vital in sports.

Tomlin situation a result of lack of discipline

However, neither Noll nor Cowher had the same kinds of problems that Tomlin has. Both of the two earlier coaches went through some tough seasons. Noll won four Super Bowls in six years in the 1970s, building the Steeler dynasty and what is now known as Steeler Nation.

Noll accomplished that because of success with the draft, along with great coaching on the field. On that team were nine players who are now in the NFL Hall of Fame. That is incredible. Four players from the 1974 draft, Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, and Mike Webster, are all enshrined at Canton. That success was due to the personnel department led by Art Rooney, Jr., son of the founder of the Steelers and brother of Dan.

Then, in the 1980s, actually starting in the late 70s, the drafts started to decline. Starting with Greg Hawthorne in 1979 followed by Mark Malone in 1980 and Keith Gary in 81 and Walter Abercrombie in 82, the first-round picks reflected the vagaries of the draft. Sometimes things work, sometimes they do not.

So, Chuck Noll’s teams started to suffer, too, leading to few playoff appearances and no Super Bowls. Still, Dan Rooney did not fire him.

Then, after the Steelers lost a tough battle in the AFC Championship game to Denver in 1997, Cowher posted back-to-back records of 7-9 and 6-10. Fans clamored for Cowher’s head, but they recovered and were back to the AFC title game in 2001 and 2002. Dan Rooney stuck with Cowher in those losing season and in 2003, when they were 6-10 again. They followed that season with a 15-1 record, so Rooney’s faith was rewarded.

Tomlin situation very different from Noll and Cowher

Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season in 12 years, so that protects him somewhat. However, unlike Noll and Cowher’s tough time, he has a problem that neither of them ever really did.

Tomlin has lost control of the team. His lack of discipline both on and off the field has been embarrassing. The latest rant with Antonio Brown reveals something very clear: Tomlin cannot discipline or handle his prima donnas including Brown, Le’Veon Bell, and Ben Roethlisberger. Note that both Brown and Roethlisberger skipped the OTAs this spring. What does that say to the rest of the team?

The infamous Facebook Live debacle

The first year that Tomlin came in, he insisted on instilling discipline, something that was lacking in the Cowher years because he, too, wanted to be a player’s coach. The first camp was the toughest that players could ever remember. He was just a young 30-something, and he wanted to show who was boss.

I liked that. He was showing gumption. The second year he won a Super Bowl. [More on that on my next post].

He made the Super Bowl in his fourth season, and he was being acclaimed as “Genius.”

However, in addition to changing the philosophy of the franchise, which has created some of the mess that they are in right now, he decided to become a “player’s coach,” like Cowher.

The result is a total lack of discipline.

When Antonio Brown filmed Tomlin’s post-game talk to his team after defeating Kansas City in the 2016 season playoffs, something that was terribly embarrassing to the coach, Tomlin promised to discipline him for that. What did he do?

He agreed with an organization proposal to sign Brown to a lucrative long-term contract, which was a five-year, $72.7 million extension that gave him about $14 million a year. Now, even if the Steelers cut or trade him, that contract will cost the team more than $21 million. They are stuck with him unless another team would be willing to buy out some of that contract.

Nothing happened to Brown. He was not disciplined, and that is the case for most of the Steelers. The locker room is bizarre, and it will become worse over the next year.

Without the Steelers owners doing something about getting rid of Art, II as CEO, things will continue.

So, with the improvement of the Ravens and the Browns and their rookie QBs, the Steelers may perform worse than they did this year. Therefore, 2019 will be tough without major changes — which are unlikely to be forthcoming.