The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, 37-30. They led at the half, 20-17, and seemed to have momentum heading into the third quarter when they were set to receive the ball. They quickly lost any momentum after the offense sputtered with repeated three and outs to start the second half, ceding the lead to the Bengals and squandering a golden opportunity to regain momentum with a ridiculous interception by T.J. Watt.
Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers were still in the game when the score was 27-23 and after George Pickens caught a 33-yard bomb, the Steelers were in business with a 1st and 10 inside the Bengals 40-yard line. Then on first down, they inexplicably reached into a questionable bag of tricks and called an ill-fated flea flicker that not only didn’t work, but killed the entire offense’s momentum. Three plays later, they punted the ball back to the Bengals and they never threatened again to win the game.
Steelers' Kenny Pickett (#8) and offensive coordinator Matt Canada work on the game plan in preparation for the New Orleans Saints in Pittsburgh, PA. | Credit: Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers
Matt Canada has been ripped all week for the bizarre play call. Questions abound about whether Kenny Pickett should have audible'd (if he was allowed to), or if Mike Tomlin should have called timeout and overruled the extremely risky play call. It was assumed that Canada was solely responsible for the back breaking mistake, but not only did Tomlin know what he was calling, he endorsed it. During his weekly YouTube appearance on the Mike Tomlin Show with Bob Pompeani, he discussed the play:
“I thought it was awesome to be quite honest with you,” Tomlin said. “The time in which we did it. Often times we were working at pace in those scenarios with pacing to a base run play. And so that is what set the flea flicker up.”
Tomlin has lost touch with reality, and this is the latest in a string of bad decisions stretching back for years that began in earnest with a bizarre fake punt in New Orleans that cost the team a playoff spot in 2018. The talking heads on debate shows only pay attention to a winning record streak that belongs more to Ben Roethlisberger than the head coach. Barring a miracle, that streak will end with the future Hall of Famer’s retirement last season.
“The pitch back was a little bit off target,” Tomlin continued. “Kenny P had to adjust to make the catch that pulled him off his landmark and didn’t allow him to get the ball out of his hands on time. Had he got it out on time, Pickens was running five yards behind their secondary.”
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
If that was the case, why not throw it up to Pickens and his ridiculous catch radius. Roethlisberger made the point on his podcast last week, that Pickens has earned the quarterback’s trust and you have to throw it to him. The fact that Tomlin thought the play was well timed is either a direct criticism of Pickett not letting the ball go to a still open Pickens or a coach that is arrogant enough to think a trick play to take the lead makes him look like the genius he thinks that he is.
“I never worry about the judgement,” Tomlin concludes. Judgement is based on whether or not plays work. It was a quality play, a good opportunity. We don’t fear the judgement. We don’t fear the risk. We’re playing and playing it to win.”
The defense who was tired, but still made enough plays to keep the game within reach in the fourth quarter was playing to win. Pickens and Pickett were playing to win when they got deep into Bengals territory on the previous play. The only people not playing to win was an arrogant coaching staff that is completely secure in the notion that no matter what they do, they are safe. Cutesy play calling is letting the team down and Art Rooney II and Omar Khan should be taking notes.
Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers
Tomlin doesn’t fear judgement for a decade of playoff failures and ridiculous gambles that are highly unlikely to succeed. Monday morning talk shows and a significant portion of Twitter defend his bizarre tactics and constantly remind Steelers fans that he will not be unemployed long if they let him go. That all might be true, but then again it might not. Based on the callous disregard for the 2022 performance of the team and his perception that he is untouchable, Pittsburgh should test to see if anyone is willing to trade a draft pick for him.
It is not unprecedented and based on how casually NFL insiders observe his coaching, a would-be contender just might be willing to make a deal. Tomlin has turned into a cartoonish copy of himself spouting platitudes and steering the franchise to irrelevance. After failing to recognize how bad the trick play call demoralized his young offense, he is no longer capable of righting the ship and it is time for the Steelers to stop letting him try.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Were you shocked to find out that Tomlin thought the flea flicker was a good idea, or is this just par for the course? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
