Will we go 5 years without a playoff win?

Gerry Dulac@gerrydulac -

If Steelers miss postseason, it will be first time since Chuck Noll became coach in 1969 they have gone 5 years without playoff win.

https://mobile.twitter.com/gerrydulac/status/681689858117611520

Steelers edging on unwanted historical landmark

By: Neal Coolong



A loss on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns would put the Steelers in a position they haven’t been in for nearly five decades; a fifth consecutive season without a playoff win. A win over the Browns isn’t all the Steelers need, either. They need a Jets loss to the Bills, and then they need a win as the likely sixth seed in the AFC playoffs, a game that would be on the road against either the Denver Broncos or the Cincinnati Bengals.

Not since Chuck Noll inherited a brutal Steelers team in 1969 has the franchise gone five years without winning a playoff game. The Steelers have lost their last three playoff appearances, starting with a Super Bowl XLV loss to the Packers, then consecutive Wild Card round losses to the Broncos and Ravens after the 2011 and 2014 seasons, respectively.

A nod to Post Gazette reporter Gerry Dulac for mentioning the stat via Twitter Monday, an ominous foreshadow for a Steelers team that finds itself out of control of its postseason destiny heading into Week 17 for the third time in four years. They had already clinched a playoff spot before the final regular season game last year, but needed to win and get lots of help in 2013. They were eliminated from the playoff race before Week 17 in 2012.

They finished 8-8 both in 2012 and 2013, but won both of those regular season finales, incidentally, against the Browns.

The doom and gloom piece of the Steelers’ season is a cruel twist on a team that had been playing well prior to their Week 16 loss to the Ravens. The fact it came at the feet of a bitter rival blends in well with the fact that bitter rival earned a season sweep over the Steelers, accounting for two of the team’s five wins on the year. An offense that appeared unstoppable heading into the game, and was poised to make noise in the postseason, was stopped flat in its tracks.

And it might not even get a chance to rectify the situation.

The Jets are 2.5 point favorites at Buffalo Sunday, and riding an impressive hot streak of their own, they’ve climbed to the seventh spot on the league’s scoring defense list, allowing 19.5 points a game and coming off a game in which they largely stifled the Patriots*’ offense in a critical 26-20 (OT) win.

The difference this year might just come down to the fact the Jets rose to a big challenge in Week 16 and the Steelers shrunk from a smaller one.

http://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2015/12/29/steelers-playoff-record-mike-tomlin-2015/

I have never liked the bills......until now GO BILLS!!!!

the jets are going to smash the bills

SteelerEmpire wrote:

The Jets are favorites against the Bills and "have" to win that game to keep their 6th seed, or their out of the playoffs. 9 out of 10 chance the season is done after the Browns game.

Actually 58% chance season ends Sunday according to FiveThirtyEight

Based on who knows what data the Jets are calculated to have a 46% probability of beating the Bills and the Steelers have a 77% probability of beating the Browns

http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2015-nfl-predictions/

Fire Arians wrote:

the jets are going to smash the bills

Probably so, but those who bet $$$ to back up their opinions have kept the game at Jets favored by only 3 - maybe they recall the Jets being lucky to win on the road against an awful Cowboys team in week 15

At least Rex will not be playing the game as a tryout for marginal players for next year's Bills team

Even if they do go five seasons, so what? If they beat the Browns, they'll finish 10-6. That'd be six of the last nine seasons with at least 10 wins, which is the hallmark of a good team. Do you have any idea how many other teams' fans would love to have our problems? Of course not. Yinzers aren't exactly a self-aware lot, nor are they good at putting themselves in other people's shoes, or they'd be a lot quieter than they are.

Not counting this season, the Bengals haven't had a playoff win in 24 seasons. The Chiefs haven't in 21 seasons. The Browns haven't in 20. The Bills haven't in 18. The Dolphins haven't in 14. The Raiders haven't in 12. The Titans haven't in 11. The Jaguars haven't in seven. The Jets haven't in four, just like the Steelers. And that's just in the AFC. In the NFC, the Bears, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Eagles, Lions, Rams, Redskins and Vikings have all gone at least as long as the Steelers without a playoff win.

And if you think that good coaches don't have down periods with good QBs, just remember that Don Shula managed to miss the playoffs four seasons in a row from 1986-1989 despite having Dan Marino in his prime. And their records in those four seasons were 8-8, 8-7, 6-10 and 8-8, respectively. Clearly, Don Shula sucks. Fire him. And Hank Stram coached the Chiefs to the playoffs exactly four times in the 13 seasons he had Len Dawson at QB, and coached them to the playoffs in consecutive seasons exactly once, for that matter, in 1968 and 1969. What a bum he was.

Hey, you know another team with a franchise QB that's missed the playoffs three times in the last four seasons? The Saints. And I'm sure they'd gladly trade their 6-9 and 7-9 records from this season and last for our 9-6 and 11-5 records. For that matter, the Giants haven't done jack shit in the last four seasons. They haven't even qualified for the playoffs despite having a franchise QB of their own. I guess Sean Payton and Tom Coughlin are utter garbage as head coaches, huh?

Craziaskowboi wrote:

Even if they do go five seasons, so what? If they beat the Browns, they'll finish 10-6. That'd be six of the last nine seasons with at least 10 wins, which is the hallmark of a good team. Do you have any idea how many other teams' fans would love to have our problems? Of course not. Yinzers aren't exactly a self-aware lot, nor are they good at putting themselves in other people's shoes, or they'd be a lot quieter than they are.

Not counting this season, the Bengals haven't had a playoff win in 24 seasons. The Chiefs haven't in 21 seasons. The Browns haven't in 20. The Bills haven't in 18. The Dolphins haven't in 14. The Raiders haven't in 12. The Titans haven't in 11. The Jaguars haven't in seven. The Jets haven't in four, just like the Steelers. And that's just in the AFC. In the NFC, the Bears, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Eagles, Lions, Rams, Redskins and Vikings have all gone at least as long as the Steelers without a playoff win.

And if you think that good coaches don't have down periods with good QBs, just remember that Don Shula managed to miss the playoffs four seasons in a row from 1986-1989 despite having Dan Marino in his prime. And their records in those four seasons were 8-8, 8-7, 6-10 and 8-8, respectively. Clearly, Don Shula sucks. Fire him. And Hank Stram coached the Chiefs to the playoffs exactly four times in the 13 seasons he had Len Dawson at QB, and coached them to the playoffs in consecutive seasons exactly once, for that matter, in 1968 and 1969. What a bum he was.

Hey, you know another team with a franchise QB that's missed the playoffs three times in the last four seasons? The Saints. And I'm sure they'd gladly trade their 6-9 and 7-9 records from this season and last for our 9-6 and 11-5 records. For that matter, the Giants haven't done jack shit in the last four seasons. They haven't even qualified for the playoffs despite having a franchise QB of their own. I guess Sean Payton and Tom Coughlin are utter garbage as head coaches, huh?

Craziaskowboi wrote:

I guess Sean Payton and Tom Coughlin are utter garbage as head coaches, huh?

As a long time Steelers fan who remembers the grim 1985 - 1991 end of the Chuck Noll era I agree Steelers fans can have a high to the point of unreasonable standard of what is expected from a team

But as a long time Steelers fan I also remember the woeful Stoudt/Malone/Brister/O'Donnell (who actually had some good moments until SB XXX)/Tomczak/Kordell/Graham/Maddox succession of journeyman QBs between Bradshaw and Ben.  At some point age catches up with everyone and the goal is to win while you have a franchise QB since it can take a long time to get another one.

And with regard to Coughlin and Payton, my guess is one "retires" and the other is coaching somewhere else next year.  Winning a Super Bowl does not buy you a lifetime employment ticket and at some point most owners (other than Mike Brown at Cincinnati) want some postseason wins or the coach moves on.

Craziaskowboi wrote:

Even if they do go five seasons, so what? If they beat the Browns, they'll finish 10-6. That'd be six of the last nine seasons with at least 10 wins, which is the hallmark of a good team. Do you have any idea how many other teams' fans would love to have our problems? Of course not. Yinzers aren't exactly a self-aware lot, nor are they good at putting themselves in other people's shoes, or they'd be a lot quieter than they are.

Not counting this season, the Bengals haven't had a playoff win in 24 seasons. The Chiefs haven't in 21 seasons. The Browns haven't in 20. The Bills haven't in 18. The Dolphins haven't in 14. The Raiders haven't in 12. The Titans haven't in 11. The Jaguars haven't in seven. The Jets haven't in four, just like the Steelers. And that's just in the AFC. In the NFC, the Bears, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Eagles, Lions, Rams, Redskins and Vikings have all gone at least as long as the Steelers without a playoff win.

And if you think that good coaches don't have down periods with good QBs, just remember that Don Shula managed to miss the playoffs four seasons in a row from 1986-1989, despite having Dan Marino in his prime. And their records in those four seasons were 8-8, 8-7, 6-10 and 8-8, respectively. Clearly, Don Shula sucks. Fire him. And Hank Stram coached the Chiefs to the playoffs exactly four times in the 13 seasons he had Len Dawson at QB, and coached them to the playoffs in consecutive seasons exactly once, in 1968 and 1969. What a bum he was.

Hey, you know another team with a franchise QB that's missed the playoffs three times in the last four seasons? The Saints. And I'm sure they'd gladly trade their 6-9 and 7-9 records from this season and last for our 9-6 and 11-5 records. For that matter, the Giants haven't done jack shit in the last four seasons. They haven't even qualified for the playoffs despite having a franchise QB of their own. I guess Sean Payton and Tom Coughlin are utter garbage as head coaches, huh?

Idk but Sean Peyton kinda looks like a Who.

I think everyone's problem with Tomlin as he seems to be slightly behind the fanbase in being aware of what could be done better in the franchise. In this the era of the Internet. I wouldn't take draft advice from the fans, but he was a step too late in adding boykin (or anybody) into the mix at secondary, in an attempt to troubleshoot.

Mix in that he's never visibly angry about players conduct or inexcusable bad play. When bad things happen he kind of nods his head like "ah yes, all part of the bigger picture." Sort of makes him unlikeable. Even if our kind of bad season is leaps and bounds better than what the Browns might consider a good one.

My whole philosophy every season is, "Win 10 games, and come what may." If they win fewer than 10, then I'm left feeling dissatisfied to some degree. If they win more than 10, then I'm more than satisfied. If a team wins 10 games, that's the hallmark of of a good team, even if they're among the unfortunate 14% of 10-win teams that miss the playoffs. Plain and simple, I'm not going to break their balls if they finish 10-6 and miss the playoffs, especially considering all the injuries they've suffered, and the fact that they've had the hardest schedule of all teams that are still alive for the playoffs. If nothing else, a healthier roster and a somewhat easier schedule should get the Steelers right back into the mix in 2016.

Easier schedule would have made them 8-8 considering their past history of losing to sub .500 teams.

Playoffs? Don't talk about playoffs! You kidding me? Playoffs!? I just hope the Steelers can win a game

Mike Tomlin: Steelers need to get 'the stench off'

By Marc Sessler
Around the NFL Writer
Published: Dec. 29, 2015

The Pittsburgh Steelers can't believe where they are heading into Week 17.

One week ago, they looked like the hottest team in the AFC. But after Sunday's stunning loss to the Ravens, Pittsburgh is on the outside looking in and needing extra help to gain a playoff spot in the AFC.

On top of beating the Browns on Sunday in Cleveland, the Steelers need Rex Ryan's Bills to knock off the Jets, prompting coach Mike Tomlin to say, per NFL Media's Aditi Kinkhabwala: "Certainly Rex is a guy I consider a friend ... But I won't be calling him this week."

Said Tomlin: "Our ills from last week need to be rectified and rectified quickly. We have to bounce back like championship caliber teams do," adding that Sunday's tilt with the Browns is about "getting the stench off us."

The Steelers have to like their chances for a win against Cleveland. They've faced off during Week 17 in five of the past seven seasons, with Pittsburgh winning all five.

to read rest of article:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000611945/article/mike-tomlin-steelers-need-to-get-the-stench-off

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

Easier schedule would have made them 8-8 considering their past history of losing to sub .500 teams.

The Steelers are 6-2 this season against teams that currently have losing records.

The question remains how many more seasons will the Roonies allow Tomlin to miss the playoffs before he is let go? I know our history with coaching stability but it's an honest question now to be entertained.

I don't see the Rooney's changing how they operate things. They've had plenty of opportunities to switch things up.

Now is not the time to change things up just b/c the rest of the NFL has a knee-jerk reaction to non-playoff games and/or losing seasons.

While I do think Tomlin's lack of right choices (i.e. taking 3 points on the opening drive against the ratbirds) is an issue to take up, it's not firing worthy. It wasn't all on him. Coaches can only do so much. Players also have to play and play well.

I care less about a playoff win than as I do a Super Bowl title.

Even if we win a playoff game and lose the 2nd round what's the point?

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

The question remains how many more seasons will the Roonies allow Tomlin to miss the playoffs before he is let go? I know our history with coaching stability but it's an honest question now to be entertained.

It's better to have a stable coaching staff than a revolving door. Take a look at other franchises that have a consistent losing streak, part of that is not giving a coaching staff enough time to develop a culture that might allow their teams to win.

Sure someone like Chip Kelly gutted the Eagles completely, but he should have been given another year to accomplish whatever he was trying to do.

This league is way too knee jerk with coach dismissals. I'm not saying some shouldn't be fired, but you need to commit for a couple seasons at the very least.

True of the FO as well, but I think anyone in the FO should be more likely in a hot seat since they are responsible for personnel.

But that's just the way it is I guess, coaches and the like are on the chopping block before players are blamed for their lack of performance.

I think fans and owners need to be more realistic. Getting a successful duo like Brady and Belicheck is very rare. You gotta be mediocre for a long period of time before something pans out. Either that or you rely on some luck.

Nothing is worse in an argument, than when your justification on how bad or good you are is based off of other lousy piles of shit, coaching or team wise. It's like these liberal idiots who have to bring up what Christopher Columbus did 600 years ago to justify what is going on today. No one has anything to do with things 600 freakin years ago and no one has anything to do with the Giants or Tom Coughlin or some asshole in New Orleans.

Steelers losing to Ryan Mallet a week in with the Ratbirds, getting burned by no name Qbs when they have the best offensive in the league and 4 first round linebackers is unacceptable. And this shit has been going on for YEARS. Tomlin does not prepare his team week in and week out. He just doesn't. Watch the games, quit looking at stats. Stats don't mean diddly dick. Stats show Lebron James is more clutch than Kobe Bryant for god's sakes. Watching the game and UNDERSTANDING whats going on in the game, time, when, whom, where, results if win or loss, those things that stats don't tell, is what is important.

If Tomlin coached ANY team besides the Steelers, he would have lasted 3 or 4 years. He is average at best. The Steelers structure is what helps him. Steelers were doing pretty well drafting guys until Tomlin came. All of a sudden, busts in the 1st round started piling up. Did Colbert all of a sudden forget how to draft players? I don't know. Maybe Colbert's good luck finally ran out coinciding with Tomlin coming on board, but evidence is piling up every year where that answer is really starting to point to Tomlin and his lack of talent for coaching. Player development and game plan structure are the two things I see the Steelers lacking, badly.

Pagano is going to get canned and he was just in the AFC title game last year.lol

Pagano is a special case - he was at war with the GM going into the season and the owner is a drug abuser - add to that last time I checked Pagano was stuck on zero in terms of number of AFC championship and Super Bowl wins

They screwed up last week but with the talent level on defense and injuries/suspensions on offense I do not think this team has underperformed

This from one Steelers beat writer this week

Dale Lolley (@dlolleyor) tweeted at 8:31pm - 30 Dec 15:

I picked them to go 10-6 at start of season. Knowing the injuries they have had, I would have picked 6-10. Perspective.

https://twitter.com/dlolleyor/status/682373413990707201?s=17

Next season I think Tomlin's coaching seat starts getting warm if they do not at least win the division

Fire Arians wrote:

Playoffs? Don't talk about playoffs! You kidding me? Playoffs!? I just hope the Steelers can win a game

I swear, if you spammed every post this week with that line, it would never get old!

Stryker wrote:

I care less about a playoff win than as I do a Super Bowl title.

Even if we win a playoff game and lose the 2nd round what's the point?

To win a super bowl title you need to make the playoff first No?