Art Rooney II still believes in Santa Claus — and that his coach will lead his team “to the promised land” — “eventually”

… “Can you imagine Dan Rooney saying that?”

Sometimes, sons are a “chip off the old block.”

In the case of Art Rooney, II, he is a block, but certainly not a chip. 

His father took a woeful franchise and built it into one that in just over a decade, had won four Super Bowls in just six years — after having never even reached the playoffs for almost 40 years. 

That was due to hiring a superb coach, one whom fans derided as “Chuck Who?” when he was named as the mentor of the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

The team built off that Noll legacy for two more Super Bowls, but today, winning that ultimate prize is not the goal of the franchise. 

Or at least that appears to be the case after 13 years in the hinterlands — though the coach let one get away a decade ago. 

I have been a Steelers fan since 1955 when I was first old enough to understand what that meant. 

But, achieving another Super Bowl in my lifetime?

“The substandard is the standard”

When Rooney explicably extended the contract of a coach who has a 3-6 playoff record over the past ten years, and who has not won a playoff game in four years, and whose team has collapsed at the end of seasons for the past three years, and who has been one-and-done in the playoffs for five of his nine playoff appearances, and whose team has underachieved having outstanding offensive weapons over the past decade … well, the natives realize that their dreams of once again being the ultimate leader in Super Bowl wins is more a pipe dream and a fantasy than reality. 

As Tribune-Review columnist and sports commentator Mark Madden said about Tomlin’s woeful playoff record over the past ten years, 

Such debate is superfluous because Tomlin won’t have to sing for his supper. He has the best gig in sports: absolute job security regardless of performance.

Mark Madden, “Steelers were always going to extend Mike Tomlin’s 

contract, but why now?” Tribune-Review, April 21, 2021

So, how does he justify a decision that about 70 percent of Steeler Nation disapproves of, according to polls?

Get to the postseason “more often than not”

In an interview with WTAE-TV last week, Rooney said this, 

I have a lot of confidence in Coach Tomlin, and a lot of confidence that he gets us the opportunity to be in the postseason more often than not. One of these years we’re going to take advantage of that opportunity.

Matthew Marczi, “Art Rooney II on Mike Tomlin’s playoff track record: ‘I think we’ll get 

back to the promised land eventually’,” Steelers Depot, January 30, 2021

Can you imagine Dan Rooney saying that? 

When the coach who had won four Super Bowls faltered in his final seasons, he convinced him to retire. Dan knew that Chuck was just no longer capable of getting them to that destination again — after 12 years of missing it. 

Now, it is 13 …

“Eventually”

While many blame Tomlin for the woes of the team, Rooney is not one of them. Tomlin likes to talk about the Steelers’ “standard,” but as Madden writes, it is now “substandard” — and Rooney is satisfied. 

When the Steelers were humiliated in their opening round game of the 2020 playoff season, falling behind 28-0 after a quarter, Rooney said that the coach is not to blame,

“This year’s game is an example of you — we certainly felt god going into that game against Cleveland,” Rooney insisted. “Top to bottom through the coaches and the players, we felt like we had a chance to go deep into these playoffs. Unfortunately, when you turn the ball over four times in the first half, you just don’t give yourself a chance.”

“It’s hard to pin all of that on our coach, frankly, and so, I’m happy to keep working with Mike, and I think, I think we’ll get back to the promised land eventually,” he added. 

Matthew Marczi, Steelers Depot, January 30, 2021

Can you imagine Dan Rooney saying that?

Great regular-season record

Make no doubt about it. Mike Tomlin’s regular-season record is the best in Steelers’ history. He has won 65 percent of his games. 

In 2020, they ran out to an 11-0 record — only to collapse, once again, and lose four of their last five games — including that embarrassing playoff loss to the Browns at Heinz Field. 

To Rooney, the Steelers will get back to the Super Bowl — they have not been close in the past decade — eventually. 

Does that mean when Rooney leaves? Or when Tomlin leaves? 

Are they in a drought like they experienced from 1979 until 2006? 

Another 27 years?

That might be 2032 — and I will probably not be alive. 

Still, I am proud of the six Super Bowls and the work of Coach Chuck Noll — and to a much lesser extent, Coach Bill Cowher, who had his own postseason woes. 

When Mike Tomlin won a Super Bowl in his second year, and then followed that with another Super Bowl appearance two years later, I loved him, seeing him as potentially another Chuck Noll. 

And then he changed — and so did the leadership of the Steelers when Dan Rooney stepped down as chairman of the board in 2009. 

Leaving a block, but not a chip.