The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most stable organizations in all of professional sports, and a lot of that has to do with Head Coach Mike Tomlin who has been serving in the role since the 2007 season. He is the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL currently, and has had a ton of success in his career -- despite the fact that the Steelers have not won a playoff game in nearly a decade. The pressure is on for Tomlin to do more than just capture another non-losing season, and 2025 could be the year that happens.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin and kicker Chris Boswell (9) standing on the field during a 2025 training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Tomlin is considered a defensive-minded head coach, which makes sense considering the Steelers are entering the fourth straight season in which the organization has rostered the highest-paid defense in the league. The unit crumbled near the end of the 2024 season, and that is something Tomlin will look to avoid in 2025. One issue with the defense might be how predictable it is, which is something that has been pointed out before by former players such as Julian Edelman.
The former wide receiver sat down with Ernie Adams, who served as the New England Patriots' research director from 2000 through 2020 on the most recent episode of Games With Names. Adams was able to attest to how predictable and easy to read the defense can be.
"If you're a receiver, you can listen to the defensive backs going, 'Linda, Linda, Linda,' ok, I know it's a zone coming down to my left," Adams said. "It's like playing the Pittsburgh Steelers. A great defense, you know, over 20 years. Like, Mike Tomlin would say, 'Buster, Buster, Buster,' it's the same cover two check they've had for 20 years. Like I'm not stupid, I know it's going to be cover two."
Tomlin has not seemed to change much about his defense throughout his time with Pittsburgh. Edelman has pointed out before how predictable the play-calling is, and it is mind-jarring that Tomlin and Teryl Austin continue to run that side of the ball the way that they do considering the amount of talent within the unit.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Adams retired after the 2020 season, but he pointed out that he was watching the Steelers play the Patriots from his couch during the 2023 season, and he could even tell then what was going to happen. Pittsburgh wound up losing that game, which was a game the group should have won on paper.
Tomlin's refusal to change over the course of his career has hurt the Steelers as no matter how talented the defense has been, opposing offenses always seem to find ways to take advantage of it. It explains how the Patriots have always seemed to deal with the Steelers pretty handily when New England was at the height of its reign. Some of those losses had to do with the Patriots just being the best team in the league, while others might have something to do with the predictable defense Pittsburgh rolls out on the field year after year.
Steelers' Mike Tomlin Should Change His Ways In 2025
Pittsburgh has changed the way it has operated as of late, and that can be seen from the aggressive offseasons that the organization has been putting together. With all the new talent that has been acquired, it is time for some schematic change.
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New Steelers DBs Darius Slay Jr. (23) and Jalen Ramsey (5) during training camp in Latrobe, PA.
The Steelers now have a great trio of cornerbacks that can stick with anyone in man-to-man coverage. This should allow Pittsburgh to stop running cover two as often as it does, which will help the pass rush get to the quarterback due to the tight man coverage.
What do you think about the Steelers' defense being so predictable? Let us know in the comments below!
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