Kudos To Coach Tomlin

There were a lot of factors coming into the 2010 season that would have made any Steeler fan a bit leery. I know I was. First, and most obviously was the loss of our starting QB, Ben Roethlisberger for four games. What we did in those first four games was imperative to the rest of the season. Most of us were hoping to, at best, sneak in with a 9-7 or 10-6 record this year. And that wild card was going to be tough to get with the Ravens and Bengals both picked to perform well. Cincy was a huge let down so that helped us a lot. But for once, we didn't need help. And I credit that to Mike Tomlin.

Allow me to elaborate. In the '09 season the Steelers came out 6-2. But then they dropped five straight to the likes of the lowly Raiders, Chiefs and Browns on their way to a dismal 9-7 finish and a well deserved stay at home during playoff time. Call it what you want, playing to the level of our competition, or just plain not beating the teams we should dominate. All of those memories from the '09 season factored greatly into our skepticism coming into this year. Why would it be any different. We had a tougher schedule, we were losing our QB for the first four games (one of which was against Baltimore), and we were going to play without our two starting tackles. The deck seemed stacked against the Steelers unless something greatly changed. It did. Without Ben, the first four games defined the season. It could have been over before it started. But the defense rose up, the back-up QBs did not make mistakes, and we leaned heavily on our feature-back-in-the-making Rashard Mendenhall. And all of a sudden Ben was coming back to a 3-1 football team. Hopes rose a little, but we still remembered how we played down the stretch last year. If there was one thing we learned, it was that you just never know with the Steelers. Well, that wasn't the case this season. Pittsburgh torched Cleveland in Ben's return and that was a sign of things to come. The Steelers continued to beat the teams they should and their only losses were to legit title contenders.

But what exemplifies my point about Coach Tomlin the most, is when the Steelers were sitting at 10-4 with Carolina and Cleveland remaining. We needed to win both games to ensure a division championship, a first round bye, and at least one home playoff game. So of course a little bit of '09 doubt had to creep in. I had friends tell me "If I know the Steelers, they'll blow one of these games and end up with a wild card." And I call you a liar if that thought didn't creep into your head. Shades of 13-6 in Cleveland kept me up at night. We would find a way to blow it. The Ravens would win the division and we would end up with a wild card, playing in New England in the first round. It was going to be awful. All because we were going to take the Brown too lightly... again. But this was a different year altogether my friends. The black and gold left no doubt in either of their remaining games, dominating them from the opening kickoff. There would be no let down for Steeler nation this year, and to me that is a credit to the coach. The Steelers conitnued to show up week in and week out and play some good December football. And look where it got them. In a rare season where Pittsburgh was picked to underachieve, they did just the opposite. Predicted at 8-8 or 9-7 early on, here we sit at 12-4, a division champ, and welcoming someone to Heinz Field after our first round bye.

Now we see what we are made of. Of the four AFC playoff teams that the Steelers met in the regular season, three of them have beaten us. It's not the Panthers, Bills, and Browns anymore. Now we are sure to face a few of those contenders that got the best of us earlier in the year. It's playoff football, baby, Loser goes home. Let's see if Tomlin has the boys ready to play. My guess is, he sure as hell will.