Incredible Steelers' Defensive Statistic In 2023 Speaks To The Brilliance Of Mike Tomlin

Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin is now the league's longest tenured head coach following the news on Thursday that legendary Head Coach Bill Belichick will no longer be a part of the New England Patriots. Fans in the Steel City have had their issues with Tomlin, especially recently. He is in the top 12 all-time for wins, but has failed to be victorious in a playoff game since the 2016 season. He deserves some heat for recent lack of postseason success, but Steelers fans often seem to take him for granted. Tomlin is the best coach in the NFL when it comes to making something out of nothing.

Pittsburgh's offense hasn't been anything to get excited about for the majority of games since Matt Canada was promoted to be the offensive coordinator in 2021. After his mid-season firing, things slowly began to turn. One of the main differences came a little over a month after Canada departed. Mason Rudolph took over as the starting signal-caller in Week 16 and helped lead the Steelers to the playoffs.

That doesn't change the fact that the defense only allowed under 15 points per game in the team's final three regular season contests. That's incredible comprehend when one thinks about the injuries the unit has sustained throughout the 2023 season. Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently welcomed fans to ask questions via a mailbag and he mentioned an absurd stat that warrants credit to Tomlin.

"The Steelers used 504 different lineups on defense this season, by far their most since at least 2007, when the NFL began tracking it. Only six teams — Arizona, Green Bay, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Carolina and Dallas — used more this season. In the past two years, since the NFL expanded to 17 games, the Steelers used 459 and 447, so it’s plain to see how much of a toll the injuries took on personnel usage."

Teryl Austin may be the defensive coordinator on paper, but this has been Tomlin's defense since Dick LeBeau left town. It's not easy to orchestrate defensive masterpieces when some of your most important players are out due to injury, but the Steelers' head coach has.

Cameron Heyward, Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, Kwon Alexander, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Keanu Neal, among others, all have missed time because of injuries during the 2023 season. Some of them won't see another snap even if the team makes a run in the postseason. The safety and linebacker positions have constantly been in flux, but that didn't stop the makeshift group from being effective down the stretch.

Batko mentioned that the Steelers have not used that many defensive combinations since at least 2007. If that were the case, it would have been in Tomlin's first year as the head coach in Pittsburgh. Fans can complain about Tomlin and the lack of playoff wins in recent years. That's completely understandable. However, not many coaches in the NFL could pull off a 10-7 record and a postseason appearance with 504 different lineups on the defensive side of the ball.

In the Wild Card round, the Steelers will take on the Buffalo Bills without Defensive Player of the Year candidate, TJ Watt. Tomlin's genius will be tested once again and, this time, he will have to prove himself without one of the league's best play-makers when it matters most. 

Steelers Are Lucky To Have Tomlin

The fan base in Pittsburgh is spoiled. Six total championships along with only three coaches since 1969 and one quarterback for the majority of the 21st century will lead to greed. It's fair, but stats like Batko pointed out can't go unnoticed. It's unfathomable to think a beat up defense without so many different combinations could sneak into the postseason.

Do you think Tomlin deserves props for the Steelers' late-season surge? Let us know in the comments below!

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