Steelers fans say it’s time to say goodbye to…
We polled fans earlier this week to see how confident they are in the team heading into Week 16, as well as their thoughts on what Mason Rudolph will look like as the starting quarterback, and if it’s time to trade or otherwise move on from Mike Tomlin. Here’s what they said:
Take a look at the latest numbers from DraftKings sportsbook, SB Nation’s official sportsbooks partner, and you’ll see that Steelers fans are 2 percent more confident heading into Week 16 than Week 15. Last week, only 6 percent of Steelers fans were confident in their team’s direction, and now that’s up to 8 percent!
Now, I’m no mathematician, so I’m not sure what the significance of this 2 percent increase is. The margin of error on these unofficial polls is so small that it’s actually meaningless. But it doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter. Maybe the slight increase in confidence has something to do with fans looking into the future. After all, it can only get worse from here.
60% of Pittsburgh Steelers fans would prefer Mason Rudolph to start over Kenny Pickett even if Pickett was given the green light to play in Week 16. That was a question based on “if only” scenarios.
Mike Tomlin has already made it clear that Mason Rudolph will start over Pickett, so it’s no shock that he’s officially the starter now that Pickett’s been ruled out.
If Pickett were cleared for Week 16, would fans still be interested in seeing Mason Rudolph start? The answer is a resounding “yes.” Sixty percent of those polled said they would want to see Rudolph start no matter what.
No quarterback is likely to be successful in the current offensive scheme the Steelers have put in place. This has made it extremely difficult to evaluate Pickett’s skills in that regard. Therefore, I must assume what fans are looking for in Mason Rudolph isn’t quality quarterback play, but rather a comparison to Kenny Pickett. If Rudolph were to step foot in the same system as Pickett and look just as good (if not better) than Pickett, it could be a sign that the numbers are correct and Pickett just isn’t the franchise quarterback they thought he was on draft day.
Did you know that 73% of Steelers fans believe the team should trade (or fire) head coach Mike Tomlin? By the same token, only 27% think the team should keep him on through the 2024 season.
The idea of replacing Tomlin doesn’t mean he’s a bad coach or that he’s not good at what he does. In fact, there would be a long list of suitors who would bet their future on having a leader like Tomlin in the building. (That’s why trading him would make so much sense, even though it probably won’t happen.) What it does mean is that we’re entering a new era.
Let’s face it, we all have job fatigue. When you’ve been doing the same thing for 15 years, even one as glamorous as a National Football League head coaching job, it gets repetitive. You coach the same drills over and over. You get too comfortable. Most people in most jobs can relate to that feeling.
Career gurus and others will often tell you that once you get comfortable with a job, it’s time to get on with your life, and that’s what this feels like. The Steelers feel comfortable with Mike Tomlin, and Tomlin feels comfortable with the Pittsburgh Steelers. No matter how hard it is for any individual or organization to get comfortable, once you achieve that level of comfort, you can start to settle into yourself and limit your potential. Think about how you act in the first few months of a relationship versus how you act 10 years into a relationship. Your guard is down, you know you’re safe, so you don’t put in as much effort as you used to. You don’t go out as often as you used to, and you don’t date as much. It’s not to say that things aren’t great right now, but it’s easier not to put 100% effort every day, even when both parties deserve the best.
