Column: Steelers’ worst loss since … the last one

"Tomlin is now 1-8 when playing on the road against teams with a winning percentage below .200."

Someone please tell me this isn't the most outrageous stat you've ever read

yes, you set the tone in practice-drill into their heads that win puts them in first place. Aggressively attack the field instead of the 1 yard passes...seems like they are content with .500 ball, they are not good enough to give games away-Pats/Broncos don't lose these games

A great article, as usual by DK. But, the other milk toast writers in this town will kiss up to "Tomlin Speak"in order to keep their reserved parking spaces.

I try hard to not complain after a loss, but I am so tired of these performances against teams with losing records. It would even be ok with me IF the coaches stepped up and took accountability, but I am sick of this arrogance and refusal to answer questions by Tomlin.

Woah.

Sorry I missed this one. Or not.

The Steelers are losing to bad teams so much that it is way beyond disappointing, it is comical. I get more anxiety about the horrible teams on their schedule than I do if they play the broncos or patriots.

I don't want to hear more "the standard is the standard" quotes or even his occasional quotes of Robert Frost. Tomlin needs to stop treating everyone like idiots!

Worst loss in the Tomlin era. They were never close to winning against a truly bad team. To have that same scenario play out again after all the previous losses to awful teams is disgraceful.

Call it the classic "Tomlin Trap Game." You could see this one coming a mile away. Add next week and we'll be back close to .500, because - you know - the standard is the standard and .500 is who these Steelers are.

That makes 3 touchdowns in the last 3 road games---and 1 was in garbage time at Cleveland. I never bought into this offensive line. They got pushed around by NY. Gilbert is barely average and Beachum is looking like the 7th round pick he is.

1-8 against .200 teams. On the road or not, that's ridiculous.
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Certianly seems to fit the "doomed to repeat it" criteria.

Quite a contrast between how the Pens handled an inferior opponent last night and the mess that Dejan profiles today. Steelers should be getting fat on games like this one and Tampa Bay. Opportunity lost.

Love way Tomlin chalked everything up to turnovers. Insulates him and rest of coaching staff and removes all focus on game planning and team preparedness.
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And just once, would like to see team begin game with max protect on Ben and evolve game plan from there.

1-8 on road against teams at .200 or below, that is horrible record.

To quote Yogi again.
90% of the game is mental, the other half is physical.
Steelers came into the game thinking it was a gimme and got their butts handed to them... again by another terrible team!

This is a .500 team. Their record against sub .200 teams is the standard. Obviously! I have haven't blamed Tomlin but that is changing. Ben should shoulder blame. This game is his standard as well. Forced throws, holding the ball and going out of his way to deflect blame.

This division has no teams with losing records, but, man, at times they all can really stink it up (says the Browns fan who watched his team lose to Jacksonville.) Inconsistency rules. That said, excellent perspective from the writer who is always consistently on.

Coaches don't matter as much when your team has the MOST talent week on and week out. This team clearly doesn't.

The first drive of the 4th quarter, the offense was down by 3 scores, starting on their own 45, and took nearly 6 minutes off the clock. Why are Tomlin or Haley not yelling at the players to hurry up on every down? Yet again, clock management cost them a chance to make it a game.

Tomlin will never "man-up" DK. His BS is what's putting food on the table. You know it, I know it, we all know it. What he needs to do is start looking in the mirror and practicing what he so eloquently preaches --

ACCOUNTABILITY!

Hey everyone, if you play fantasy football, please consider taking few minutes from your day to take online survey for academic study. The link is below - and DK did approve of this. Thank you!
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Have you guys heard what Harbaugh told the Ratbirds today after their win about the Steelers? He took a nice shot at them what a smug you know what.

Steelers are consistently inconsistent. Mental mistakes against poorly peforming teams. We should be 8-2.

They played scared, tentative, not to lose. It's the MO against bad teams. They're prepared all week to think that "if we just don't screw up, we can't lose", and play this vanilla horse shit offense and defense with a substandard OL and DL. Tired to death of it and Tomlin.

All of the above may be true, but they did turn the ball over and Ben was awful and Vick kept running around the ends and steady Shaun Suisham missed a kick he makes EVERY time. I'm just chalking it up to a terrible day. The love of sports can make you CRAZY!!

Lack of leadership is absolutely the problem with this team, coaches and in locker room. Poor preparation (coaches) and desire (players) were blatantly obvious. Maybe if Joe Greene comes back and chucks a ball into the stands........

For me, I'm back to the word I've used in the past to describe this team....DISCONNECTED....on the field, off the field, all of it!

As Tomlin says yesterday is history

"Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it."

Edmund Burke

Tomlin doesn't know history... Obviously

Nuff said

Lack of leadership is absolutely the problem with this opaque version of our Steelers. Poor preparation (coaches) and no desire to perform (players) were obvious. Maybe if Joe Greene could come back and chuck a ball into the stands.......

This team just doesn't have the mental toughness that is required to win consecutively in the NFL. I know the Justin Beiber thing is stupid, but why the hell would you let him in your locker room on game day? Especially on a team who doesn't have any mental toughness.

The Steelers' record against bad teams also includes squeaker wins. Remember the 2011 nail-biters against Indy (with Lance Painter) and KC (with Tyler Palko)???

Apparently we miss those bumble bee-prisoner uniforms more than we care to admit.
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Someone call Goodell and let's lift that one game per year limit.

I'm still waiting on the Steelers offensive line to push hard enough for a rushing TD from inside the 5 yard line. Seriously, not one all year. Failed miserably again today, OBVIOUSLY. The smoke and mirrors running game between the 20's isn't enough.

Three wins at home followed by a bad game on the road is par for the course. I can see two losses and maybe three. So 9-7 or 8-8 may make the playoffs a uphill climb. This team barely beat Jax and lost to TB. Two really bad teams. Tomlin's bad day at the office is getting old.

You try and blame the players but impossible to get over a pass to Harrison, and people in the media will still defend the cluelessness on the sideline with he's a superbowl winning coach. Well Coughlin has two. How's that working out for both coaches? Mediocrity.

I wonder if teams like baltimore and indy simply played down to a bad steelers team like we seem to always do. Maybe it's time I realize that this team isn't good

It's BOTH coaches AND players. When you call the same play that AB fumbled on with 50 sec left in the half with no timeouts, giving away 30 seconds? That's on the coaches. When the Jets' D is in Cover 3 and you run for 3 yards instead of 9 or 12? That's on the line, and the back.

I am a season ticket holder (4 seats) and not a wealthy man. Please clean house on the coaching - management side so I don't feel like I threw my hard earned cash out the window. I can take losses, but not ones like this and Tampa.

I want to like Tomlin - I don't care what you say about who the players were, he brought us a SB - but this game may be the last straw. The players have changed. His inability to get his team ready has not. Playoffs or clean house.

All is well !!
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Another 2-7 team awaits on the road Monday Night!
The Standard will continue to be the Standard!.
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Just a head scratcher today, from the coin flip forward. If we hadn't seen this all before, I would just say move on.

Dejan I'm here finally my friend .. time to invite me Tuesday press conferences I'll ask hard questions n get us tossed. this guy's a embarrassment in game adjustments

Denial!

Might be in minority but actually missing Ike.
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And Troy.

Tom Coughlin won 2 Super Bowls in the last 7 years for The Giants, but will likely be fired after this season; Point is coaches in The NFL don't have the luxury of resting on their laurels forever. Someone tell that to the Tomlin apologists.

Much of it's player execution but wake up folks! The Jets had nobodies playing CB and the gameplan did not bother to challenge them outside of TWO long passes. Steelers won last 3 weeks by attacking vertically...vs Jets Haley inexplicably decided to throw SIDEWAYS

This is a classic case of those who don't learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them. This organIzation hasn't and doesn't want to learn from past failures thus this kind of football will continue to be played by this team.

Great article DK. All you need is a voice modulator of Charles Barkley saying the world "terrible. " The word simply described the players and coaches today.

So just exactly where does the buck stop? Apparently, it does not.

Although Tomlin deflected the pattern post-game, it's obvious that he recognizes the problem, from his comments last week. I wonder if now to gotten to the place where they are SO conscious of the tendency that they, coaches and players, are pressing to shake the curse.

Hope we Remember the Titans once team forgets the Jets.

We have been playing down to our competition for years now. We should be better with the talent we have. We can play better. However, EVERYONE (coaches and players) have to take responsibility before that can happen...

I stopped listening to Coach Tomlin's empty double-speak a couple seasons ago. Remember when he said they'd "unleash hell" after losing to a bottom-feeder? They lost to 2 more bottom-feeders after that. PLAYING DOWN TO POOR COMPETITION is a Mike Tomlin meme.

When we look at our schedule, most good teams can count bad teams as a win, but we can't. Since 2012,we are 8-10 and 1-8 on road. That is poor coaching. If we can't capitalizing on bad teams, we have problems. Coaching needs to be consistent and we fall short.

1-8 against terrible teams says a lot about coaching and prep. It's common for teams to overlook someone but that often is insane. Can we trade Tomlin to Arizona for the retired Bruce Ariens

I'll simply copy and paste the comment I made after last weeks game- Losing to a good team is one thing. Losing to bad teams is something else entirely. Steelers have been 8-8 because they’ve lost to bad teams. If they lay an egg against the Jets, we’re back to square one.

I absolve the equipment guy of any blame. Everyone else not so much. Bad plan, bad execution, bad luck, bad coaching, bad decisions, and overall bad play. All that and a couple breaks still could've pulled it off. Where's the attention for the little things?

I don't get it...this isn't the first time the Steelers have found a winning formula, that involved ben being ben, and immediately got away from it....does it come from the owners? coaches? or what I just don't get it....they could be so much better then they are...the jets......

Max has to say it once again:

Coach's job is to A) Organize, B) Teach, and C) Motivate.

We saw none of those today.

Blame the players? Who picks them, sends them out on the field, designs the plays, calls the plays?

DK -

You worked at 2 good sized papers.

Who set the tone there? You? Your Editor? The owner(s)?

It's your fault if you write a bad column. It's your boss's fault when it happens over and over.

Tomlin's BS makes me sick.
But even with a coach that clueless, no excuse to lose to this team. The Steelers lack the sort of leadership in the room that they need to refuse to lose against the dregs of the league. It's been happening for years and needs to change.

Ya know, the headline says it all. Worst loss, since the last one.

Haley just had to dust off the screen pass chapter again, didn't he. Having scored 94 points by attacking downfield the last two weeks, the only logical move against the worst secondary in the NFL...was to throw screen passes, bubbles and hand off up the middle. Great.

Dad called me right after this one and conversation was pretty similar to what folks are saying here. Poorly prepared and awful game plan.

When I heard that Harrison was in on the goal line I thought that we don't need this kind of Mickey Mouse stuff now. Just score...

And they didn't. I am really tired of the same crap year after year. The losses to the Oaklands, Tampas, etc are just unacceptable. What a weak performance all around today.

Thanks.
Randy in RVA.

I don't know if I have ever seen such a stark difference from one week to the next in the Steelers then I did today.

Oh wait...

@ Carolina, 37-19
vs. TB. 24-27

The word "playoffs" should be banned from discussion if you lose to Mike Glennon and Vick.

If it wasn't for that "1-8" stat I would say; Jets are a totally different team the last 1.5 weeks with harvin and vick taking over plus new cornerbacks. I expect the Jets to win some games from here on out. But that stat..... I mean, cmon....How is that even real?

Coaching staff should have known NYJ game plan. DL was strength, secondary horrible. Could have bet your first born Ryan would bring pressure.
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Needed "Carolina game mode" with 2 TEs/max protect and unfold playbook from there. Frustrate rush and pass downfield. Simple.

Hate to try and be rationale, but when you're facing a team who's strength is their front 4 it's really not a bad idea to try and slow the rush with some dreaded "sideways" stuff. It's gotten pretty comical how much people get up in arms about it.

Tomlin misses the point of accountability. It is not merely saying, "This is on me - I am the coach." It also has to be admitting to a pattern. Being 77 and 45 for a career and losing almost 20% of those games on the road vs. under .200 teams is not just coincidence.

The problem is Haley. I assume he thought the Jets would be prepared for the vertical passing game, so he went back to the horizontal game. The season in a nutshell was end of 1st half, 55 seconds left from our own 25 and he called a bubble screen. Unreal. The man needs to go.

Crappy teams get up for the Steelers. We invade their stadiums. C'mon Man...The Jets played well. They ran it well. They hit on D. Vick scrambled around. Some teams can get away with a midling effort. Never the Steelers.

DK, excellent article. It was the only meaningful thing to come out of that stadium today for Steeler fans, game included.

Do you think Cowher would come back?

Kind of funny how Dan Bylsma won 2 Division Titles his last 2 years for The Pens before being fired because he wasn't going deep enough in the playoffs, yet Tomlin continues to get a free ride for not even finishing over .500 the past 3 years now.

Obviously, a team with 4 turnovers is very likely to lose. OBVIOUSLY, THE STEELERS STUNK TODAY!!!

"it feels right to isolate the finger on the individuals on the field"

yeah, I got a finger isolated for ya right here!

I agree with Mike Tomlin 100 % that the 4 turnovers cost the Steelers the game. With 4 turnovers Steelers actually should not have been that close.
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Where Tomlin and I disagree is what caused those turnovers: 1/ Preparation, and 2/ Player Leadership. Both are on him.

-Zero sense of Urgency
- Harrison @36 is best D player
- Jets had 4th string corners in, we go sideways
- Brown fumbles, Gay "Ike's" one, Mitchell breaks contain, can't stop run, choose to put D on field? 5yard field goal missed. Colon 2 false Opps, no longer a Steeler.

At least we're not the Bears

See what The Packers are doing to The Bears? That is what true CONTENDERS do to bottom feeders.

Anyone paying attention saw this one coming. Talked to about 10 people and at least 8 said something to the effect "here's where they don't show up". It doesn't take an expert to figure it out when you see it over and over and over and over... #tomlingotstogo !

What bothers me is that every time Tomlin makes a proclamation his team never lives up to them. Sound bites are good for TV and radio but hollow rhetoric is just that, hollow. Yes, players play but coaches create the environment and when you come out uninspired it's hard to win.

Steelers would be wise to look into Charlie Strong.. if he doesn't coach for them he will be coaching against them.. soon

Just glad I don't gamble on Steeler games.

I'm as disgusted as anyone. And, I'm not making excuses for the Steelers by any means. Today was awful. But, part of this is that the NFL product stinks right now. How many teams are consistent these days?

If, and unfortunately it is an if, they make the playoffs, at least they won't be facing any sub .200 teams.

What some call "coach speak" just looks more and more to me like outright dishonesty. Tomlin, if YOU can't tell the truth we all see- that neither the coaches nor players were prepared to play this game, how do you expect your players to be held accountable, either?

The only eyes that matter on MT's weaknesses belong to the Rooneys and if they can't see the need to dump this HC, we can forget of our demands for same. (Oh and zap Colbert, who drafted Landry and Archer, wasting a 4th and A 3rd, as well as 2 2014 5ths.)

Tomlin will be coaching the Steelers next year. Doesn't matter this year if the team misses the playoffs. Rooney wont eat 12 million of Tomlins contract, But next year is the typical extension year so if not extended, he is gone.

I have questioned for awhile whether the Rooneys even have a burning desire to win more Super Bowls. Of course, they want to win. But, they seem more concerned about other things than chasing Lombardis. I believe Tomlin is safe until he has multiple 10+ loss seasons consecutivel.

At what point is it also Roethlisberger's fault for not being prepared for lowly teams?

Also, it seemed apparent Brown's head had finally gotten a little too large for his body. Those two turnovers would have been back-breakers against any decent team.

Haven't checked after today's games but let's hope we're not saddled with those No. 1 QB, No. 1 WR and No. 1 RB accolades anytime soon.
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Would rather they be No. 2 across the board and work harder.

I think the Steelers overlooked the Jets just like the Buccaneers .

So many things wrong that it's hard to focus on one, but clock management continues to irk me. Why were they in such a rush to run the 3rd down play at the end of the 3rd quarter, which went for no yardage? The sideline doesn't seem to understand when the clock stops.

We should draft two CBs with our first three picks.

It's beautiful how alive this place becomes after the untimely death of yet another Steelers Sunday...Very poor offensive sequence on the Blount debacle. Defense tightened up enough to give the offense a shot...it's on them.

You can't get too high on this team. Take a good look at the defense and you see that it's not very good. They can be exposed. I still say that this is an 8-8 team. 10-6 is the best they can do. Don't expect a deep run into the playoffs.

Carson Palmer really knew what he was doing when he signed his three year $50 million extension earlier this week.

Not defending Tomlin in the least, but when you asked the question about past history, you left it open for Tomlin to dodge it.
Had you phrased it like, "Your team is now 1-8 on the road against sub .200 teams" you may have gotten a different response - like get kicked out.

NFL is really sliding in consistency. Bears really stink and have a so called franchise QB. Long season and teams just can't avoid hiccups with any given Sunday. Steelers win 3 of 4 remaining AFC games and may make the playoffs. Who knows?

You had the hottest QB/WR in the game, Jet's have 2 replacement DB's, you win the coin toss and defer to 2nd half. That needs explained by this pitiful coaching staff. The team walked around with "swagger" because they believed the hype. Coach has to get them focused, he didn't.

Wonderfully written, flows so well, in my amatuer opinion.

I love Tomlin but man, sometimes those press conference answers he gives drive me insane, I can't even stand to read his quotes anymore.

This poor preparation shows up in other places as well. The first drive of every game is the defense's worst. It seems we get scored on every week.

Tomlin desperately needs a bench coach. Someone to remind him things like: coach, let's travel to London on Monday rather than Thursday; let's throw out however we've prepared for road games v. sub-.200 teams. Let's have plans A, B, C and D ready and not just A...etc.

Just wondering, since MT didn't answer the question you were really asking, is there an opportunity to clarify/follow up, or is that taboo?

BTW, thank goodness we don't have the Raiders on the schedule this year. The Lions are lonely and without us, the Raiders have a shot!

Why is it that the Steelers tend to be great vs.the tougher teams and pathetic vs. The weaker teams?! Is it coaching, poor defense, complacency, injuries, or a combination of all these factors? What do you all think?

Excellent article but you are overreaching on your 1-7 record under .200 winning percentage stat. I hardly think that a loss to the Bengals (2013) & the Ravens (2014) in the second game of the season when both teams happened to lose their 1st game means very much.

Where is the sense of urgency with this team!? We're down 17 and we let the play clock go to 1 sec religiously. The only time we hurried a play, 3 and 1 end of the 3Q, was one of the few times we shouldn't have. Tomlin's clock management is a joke! Make some adjustments for once!

This column hits the nail exactly on the head. Yes, the players didn't play well AT ALL, but it's a pattern that is constantly repeated by this team under Tomlin. He just isn't a great coach. Sure he won a Super Bowl, but he did so with a team of players who got their fire/pride/discipline from playing for Cowher. The further the team gets from that, with very few of Cowher's players left, the more mediocre they have become. A new Head Coach is needed, if the Steelers ever hope to be that perennial championship contender again.