The Pittsburgh Steelers are officially done with the preseason. When they report back to the facilities, it will be all in on facing the New York Jets. This game is about as important for morale as a Week 1 game can be for either team, as both of them have starting quarterbacks that have a grudge against the other. Justin Fields of New York believes that Pittsburgh misled him during his 2024 campaign there. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers was cut by the Jets after a disastrous tenure with them.
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Former New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Allen Lazard embrace before a game.
On paper, this should be a coaching mismatch for the ages. The Steelers have Mike Tomlin, the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL. While he may have some play-calling issues, he is still the greatest motivator in the NFL, and he usually finds a way to get his message through to his players. Meanwhile, Aaron Glenn will be making his debut as a head coach after having one solid year as a defensive coordinator. Usually, rookie head coaches lose Week 1, so this should be an easy win for Pittsburgh.
Not so fast, however. Throughout the 2020s, Tomlin has been mired with a brutal stat: His team has a record of 0-7-1 in its last eight games against rookie head coaches. That is an absolutely staggering stat that almost feels made up and fake, but sure enough, the history is there. The 19th-year head coach has been repeatedly bested by men that are still trying to learn the ropes of what that job exactly entails.
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Steelers' Mike Tomlin looks on as his team loses another playoff game at the end of the 2024 season.
In 2024, Tomlin did not face an official rookie head coach. In 2023, however, the Steelers were woefully unprepared, as they lost to three brand new team leaders. It started in Week 4, when Tomlin tried to make excuses for getting blown out by the upstart Houston Texans led by DeMeco Ryans, who is easily the best coach on this particular list from that season.
It happened twice in three weeks in December. In a game marred by rain, the Steelers lost to Jonathan Gannon and the Arizona Cardinals, a team who never really gets to experience rain games. Two games later, Shane Steichen took what he learned from his offensive coordinator gig and bested Tomlin, as he has proven to have his number.
In 2022, the Steelers would likely just use the injury to star pass rusher TJ Watt and the inexperience of Kenny Pickett at quarterback as excuses to why they struggled against Mike McDaniel and the 2022 Miami Dolphins, as they went down 13-0 in the first quarter, came back a bit in the second, and then both offenses failed to get anything done after that.
Associated Press
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin shakes hands with Dolphins' Head Coach Mike McDaniel after professional football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL.
In 2021, the Steelers gave Dan Campbell his first ever game without a loss in his career, as they tied with his Detroit Lions. Campbell has since developed into a Top 5 coach in the NFL, but his first season in the league was rough. Later that year, Pittsburgh lost in an absolute shootout to the Los Angeles Chargers, who were led by Brandon Staley, as a slow start could not be undone, even by a 27-point fourth quarter
2020s losses were more technicalities than anything. In the final week of the season, the Steelers rested their starters against Kevin Stefanski and the Cleveland Browns, so it's not like that loss was poor coaching. However, the very next week, which was the Wild Card Round, they got embarrassed by that same Browns team. The ironic part was that Stefanski was not coaching that game, as he was home dealing with COVID, so maybe that one doesn't count. The loss was still humiliating either way.
Steelers Fans' Speculations May Be True
Many fans have theories that Tomlin will sometimes overlook a team and focus on a stronger opponent later on in the schedule. Even if we take out the two 2020 losses to the Browns, that argument could hold up, as maybe he does not value rookie head coaches. Sometimes, it can be challenging to figure out a team's brand new scheme, but there is not a single team in the NFL who is as incapable of figuring that out as Pittsburgh is it seems.
What do you think about the Steelers' chances against Glenn and the Jets, as well as Tomlin's abysmal stat in regards to guys like Glenn? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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