Mike Tomlin Creates History After Making the Unexpected Choice To…

admin | December 17, 2023 | Other Clubs | No Comments

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Indianapolis Colts 30–13 in a humiliating fashion, their third straight defeat in December.

Head coach Mike Tomlin approached the game as it was a playoff match.

But considering that Tomlin hasn’t won a postseason game since defeating the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on January 15, 2017, the result and effort were scarcely shocking.

Throughout this dreadful stretch of December, Tomlin’s selections have come under harsh fire, and one particular mistake involving the dependable Steelers kicker Chris Boswell has only served to increase his already mounting unpopularity among Steelers supporters.

With three minutes and twenty-one seconds remaining in the third quarter and trailing 24-13, the Steelers offense faltered at the Colts’ 39-yard line in a crucial moment. Remarkably, Tomlin chose to bench a kicker who has an 82.68% career success record when attempting field goals of 50 yards or more.

Tomlin sent out Pressley Harvin III, a poor punter, to punt the ball back to the Colts rather than depending on Boswell. This choice drew criticism because the Colts, led by Gardner Minshew, had practice squad running backs and were missing key players like Michael Pittman Jr. and Zack Moss. The Steelers defense was also suffering during the game due to injuries.

In addition to blowing a vital chance to regain momentum, Tomlin’s choice showed an excessive reliance on a defense that had already given up 30 points to a bench full of players. To further illustrate how crucial any point would have been at that particular juncture in the game, it’s also crucial to mention that the Steelers failed to score for the last 43 minutes of play.

Tomlin’s punting choice received a Surrender Index score of 15.51 from the well-known social media account Surrender Index 90, which rates offensive teams based on how poorly they decide to surrender the ball. The method, which determines the amount of risk a coaching staff takes in choosing to punt or try for points, placed this score in the 98th percentile of cowardly punts.

“PIT decided to punt to IND from the IND 39 on 4th & 14 with 3:21 remaining in the 3rd while losing 13 to 24. With a Surrender Index of 15.51, this punt ranks at the 98th percentile of cowardly punts of the 2023 season, and the 95th percentile of all punts since 1999.”

Tomlin’s Steelers Popularity Stock Declining Rapidly

In his postgame press conference on Saturday, Tomlin was questioned about the choice made in the wake of the Steelers’ defeat. In reply, he seemed to place some of the blame on Mitch Trubisky for not checking down the ball to get Boswell closer to field goal range, but rather for throwing it out of bounds.

“Not a lot had gone our way today in that junction that made me feel good about banging a 57-yard field goal. Particularly, on that down before I thought we might take a shot or check it down and we end up throwing the ball out of bounds, and so I didn’t like that field positioning.”

Boswell is a skilled kicker, which is what makes this choice especially puzzling. Since joining Tomlin’s squad in 2015, he has regularly made important field goals and helped the Steelers win games that they might not have otherwise. One of the main reasons Tomlin has never had a losing season is Boswell.

Chris Boswell’s reaction to his FG try being called off says it all. This is the exact moment where the coaching staff quit on winning and the season.

What message does it send the team if the Steelers don’t even trust Boswell, one of the best kickers in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/BUoKSG0mcR

— Daniel Valente (@StatsGuyDaniel) December 17, 2023

Jogging onto the field, Boswell showed courage to attempt a 56-yard field goal. However, Harvin III replaced him with a poor 22-yard punt. Some of Tomlin’s few surviving fans changed their minds about the great coach as a result of this move.

Even if there were other circumstances that led to the Steelers’ defeat, this decision exposes a serious coaching gaffe and raises questions about Tomlin’s ability to lead his team to victory in pivotal situations. It’s still a hard call to make because Tomlin should have given his kicker a chance, especially given the circumstances, and he was aware of his potential.