Most Steelers fans were pretty happy with the 2007 season under first year head coach Mike Tomlin. Afterall, ten wins, an AFC North Division Title, Ben Roethlisberger set the single season TD Pass record and the defense was rated number one in the entire NFL. Seems like the makings of a good start for Tomlin as the Steelers head coach. Think again. What happened to this team late in the season showed some serious cracks in the Steelers future, including Tomlin's.
Not much was made about the fact that the Steelers had a "rookie coach" in their playoff loss to the Jaguars. His decision to go for two from the 12-yard line with still 10-minutes left in the game was awful and the decision to run Roethlisberger on a key third down play late in the game in which a first down could have sealed it was stupid too. It seems that most people let Tomlin get away with those calls. Plus, losses on the road to such NFL lightweights like the Cardinals and Jets told me this team was not prepared properly on th road. The defense wore down late in the season too, perhaps overworked from training camp on. Yes, there were key injuries but one glaring weakness, the Steelers had no depth at certain positions. All NFL teams have injuries, the best ones overcome them with depth and other players stepping up. You have to hold Tomlin responsible for the most part for the road losses and late season breakdown.
Bottom line, this was not a great football team at the end of the season and with age creeping into certain positions, Tomlin's talent will be tested starting next season. It may get worse before it gets better. The Steelers have done a great job of hiring coaches that last a long time (Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher) but I would not put Tomlin in this line just yet. Maybe, this choice won't work out.