by: Nick Geddes 14 minutes ago NickGeddesNews
Mike Tomlin ‘s future with the Pittsburgh Steelers suddenly came into question this past week after fans inside Acrisure Stadium chanted “Fire Tomlin” during the Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Steelers responded Sunday by picking up a big victory over the Baltimore Ravens to regain their spot atop the AFC North.
The win didn’t move the needle for Stephen A. Smith of ESPN . Smith, a longtime Steelers fan, went back-and-forth with fellow ESPN analyst and former Pittsburgh safety Ryan Clark during “Monday Night Countdown” about Tomlin’s future and the team’s potential of winning a playoff game this season. Smith isn’t feeling optimistic.
“If anybody has a right to say those things, it’s Steelers nation. They’re with them, they’re ride or die no matter what. They’ve been there, they know they haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. That’s the reality of the situation,” Smith said. “We saw a Pittsburgh Steelers team rise to the occasion, which is typical of a Mike Tomlin team. When you count them out, when the odds are stacked against them, that’s when they rise up — in the regular season. Here’s the problem: I’m sitting here yesterday as a Steelers fan, and I’m upset, and I’m upset that Ryan Clark is not upset. Here’s the reason why: winning this game likely puts them in a position to win the division.
“But did you see a team that had eight total yards of offense in the fourth quarter? Is that gonna win you a playoff game? No, which means what has been going on will continue going on, and my attitude is when is the same old, same old going to be enough for us? Respectfully, Mike Tomlin, great man, great coach, will have another job in a heartbeat and deserve it. … But in the end, when you look at the Pittsburgh Steelers, we saw absolutely nothing that tells us they’re going to win a playoff game for the first time since 2016.”
Mike Tomlin’s future in Pittsburgh has been talked about a lot over the past week
Clark called out Smith for being negative after a much-needed win for the Steelers. At the same time, he agreed with Smith’s overall assessment of the situation.