Tomlin is coaching a terrible game.

[zulater]

Tomlin will be all right. I remember his first year when we were all somwhere else. He was a rookie to taking over for a world class team. I just think he is growing in his knowledge also. He's gettin his bumps and bruises like our whole team. I support him.

I support him too. 95% of the coaches job is done before the players lace 'em up on gameday. I have no problem with the way the team is composed, disciplined, motivated, or prepared. ( usually) Tomlin is without doubt elite. I just wish he'd get this challenge shit down a little better. Oh yeah he can stop letting Reed attempt 50 yarders if there's more than 30 seconds on the clock too.

[X-Terminator]

It just seems like 15.

LOL...nah, I just have my thread viewing preferences set to 30 posts per page, instead of 10. Really comes in handy in the Gameday thread!

[cold-hard-steel]

I don't mean to overide anyones frame of mind,but i think Tomlin is growing too.He is trying to be what we all want him to be,and at the same time he is trying to make us the most winningest superbowl franchise on the planet.(oh i'm sorry,we are that) I got lost from there on , cause i have had a few too many orders with all the bags of stuff we have coming in.

[cold-hard-steel]

Tomlin will be fine. he's growing just as the players he has drafted. He is in the beginning of his career of crafting his own legacy. What would most of us do?

[cold-hard-steel]

I support him too. 95% of the coaches job is done before the players lace 'em up on gameday. I have no problem with the way the team is composed, disciplined, motivated, or prepared. ( usually) Tomlin is without doubt elite. I just wish he'd get this challenge shit down a little better. Oh yeah he can stop letting Reed attempt 50 yarders if there's more than 30 seconds on the clock too.

I don't know,but i think every choice he makes is measured for the better of the team. He's wrong he learned. Thats how all his players must learn also.I like his trying thus far.

[cold-hard-steel]

I don't seem Tomlin as just a 5 year project. He seems to know the legacy of the team he is into this whole thing with. When he used to go to work each day he passed 5 trophies,now he has got to look at 6. What a job man!!!

[cold-hard-steel]

Well,i have a few orders for some formed shoes to make,so i will chat with you all later.I hate bein the concrete cobbler.
LOL. I love my family.

[HollywoodSteel]

Just letting you all know now that if we lose to the Bengals, I promise that I will criticize something.

You might as well tell me to move on, not to panic, and be glad I'm not a Cowboys fan now, because come Sunday I won't be hearing you.

[Texasteel]

Tex, one of these days you're going to be having a respectful discussion with someone, and I'm going to drop in and post one of these:



And you'd better not criticize me for offering my "opinion" on the discussion.


Just kidding, buddy.

If that is your true opinion thats fine, but I really can't remember a topic long enough to beat it too long. I'm going to bed, see you in the morning bud.

[zulater]

I called it early, and I called it correctly, the coaches lost this game more than the players. While it's true that coaches don't miss blocks or tackles, commit penalties or turnovers etc... it is their job to put their team in favorable situations. And on this Sunday they didn't.They failed the team by not using their challenges correctly. They quite likely cost the team an early TD in this way. They failed the team by not recognizing the value of starting field position. (I'll explain this more later) I think it can be sucessfully argued that the Steelers coaching decisions negativley impacted the scoreboard by a minimum of 10 points, the eventual losing margin. And that to me is pitiful.

Not calling for anyone's job, not saying it's a long term issue that can't be corrected, I'm just saying on this night the coaches let us down.

[zulater]

Just to make my point one final time here's something to consider.

The Saints had 10 offensive possessions against the Steelers. 5 of those possessions started inside the Saints 26 yard line. The Saints didn't score a single point on those possessions. Their other 5 drives started at their own 41 yard line or better, they scored on 4 of 5 of those possessions, all of their 20 points.

Trying a long fg with that much time left in the half gave them possession at their own 41. Punt there and you likely pin them inside their 15, maybe even their own 10 yard line.

4th and 4, again we gave them the ball at their own 41, punt there and they likely start their possession inside their own 15.

A coaching staff has to be able to identify the kind of game they're in. Some games evolve into a shootout, sometimes the game shapes up as a battle of attrition, one that field position is tantamount to success. Tomlin misread the pulse of this game. and he also misread the pulse of his team, i.e not knowing his kicker would likely miss from 51 yards,and not knowing that his sputtering offense wasn't a good bet to make fourth and 4.

[SteelMember]

Your points have merit, Zu. Although, it's always easier to evaluate in retrospect. While the 51 yard FG might seem too long to attempt for you, and while I agree that a try of that distance is always a risk, I think Tomlin may have been just showing his belief in Reed. Nothing more. The fact that it was in a more controlled environment probably helped the decision.

Also, the 4th and 4 at that spot... I've seen it both ways. Too far for a FG. Too close for a punt. Most teams that elect to punt probably take a delay of game to move back a few more yards. My opinion, once again was Tomlin saying to his players... "Show me what you can do". He's backing his players and taking them to task. Now, in retrospect, this may seem ill advised, but I can see how he might have arrived at these decisions. This was a very emotional and physical game. That was easy to see in the early going. He arguably put the outcome too squarely on the players shoulders, but it was a road game of course, and he may have played it a little differently because of that fact alone.

One thing I found interesting... after the fact, was his decision to have El take the punts. During the game, I questioned way the hell he was in there to begin with, but after thinking about it, I understood the decision better. Yes, we had to take about 4 fair catches at the 10 yard line, but having a rookie in there that may try and do too much could have been a much worse idea. And when the opportunity for a possible return presented itself, Sanders was in there.

While we may question the decisions, there is no way to say for sure a play will work or not. You can just look at the percentages and take your best informed decision. Plays that work are always the smart ones. The ones that don't are the ones that get criticized. "Such is life in the NFL."

I can tell you this... Taking the emotion out after a few days can be a good thing somtimes. People aren't as inclined to critcize one way or the other, given some time to reflect.

[steel striker]

Time to move on people that game is history and, if we can ever take care of the red zone on offense it would have been a different outcome. Atleast it was not a division game. The offense has to play better bottom line. You can't score ten points and, expect to beat the saints.