Mark Madden: The recalibration of Mike Tomlin's legend continues

Denial. It’s tough.

With the Pittsburgh Steelers set to finish their traditional late-season skid with a fifth straight loss by losing their wild-card playoff game at Baltimore on Saturday, here’s a bit of hope: Betting the Steelers on the money line is great value.

The Steelers are plus-400. A worthwhile longshot. They’re playing a team they’ve beaten eight of the last 10 times, including once this season.

That probably won’t translate to an upset victory. Hope isn’t a strategy. “Having Lamar’s number” isn’t sound analytics.

But the Steelers winning is easier to imagine than most wagers at plus-400.

False prophets bleat about Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson being under enormous pressure because Jackson is just 2-4 in playoff games.

But this is Jackson’s first postseason contest with Derrick Henry at running back.

The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game in the last seven seasons. That provides more than a modicum of pressure. So does trying to halt a four-game slide that has seen them drubbed physically and a victim of their offensive ineptitude. Running that lame toss sweep should call for immediate forfeiture.

The Steelers and Ravens are both under the same amount of pressure: The loser goes home.

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Most important, the recalibration of Mike Tomlin’s legend has already begun.

At 10-3, the Steelers were labeled legit Super Bowl contenders.

Four defeats later, Tomlin has made a limited team overachieve.

When the Steelers fail, it’s someone else’s fault: “Why haven’t they got Tomlin a quarterback?” (But Tomlin was responsible for drafting Kenny Pickett in 2022’s first round, fairly wetting his pants with glee: “We got our guy!”)

When the Steelers succeed, it’s Tomlin’s doing.

There hasn’t been a bigger scam since Bernie Madoff.

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky swung for the fences when he talked about the possibility of Tomlin coaching Chicago, which has zero chance of happening.

Orlovsky said the Bears would ascend decisively with Tomlin in charge: “Mike Tomlin with a quarterback means you’re going to the NFC championship game.”

That’s insanity.

Detroit finished 15-2, Minnesota 14-3, Green Bay 11-6. All three teams play in the NFC North. All three made the playoffs.

Chicago, also in the NFC North, went 5-12.

Tomlin hasn’t won a playoff game since 2017. His team ended the regular season with four consecutive losses.

Yet Orlovsky thinks Tomlin’s acumen would enable the Bears to compete on a level with their potent division rivals. Not to mention Philadelphia, Washington, all the NFC powers.

Chicago has a promising talent at quarterback in Caleb Williams, who just finished his rookie season after going first overall in the NFL’s most recent draft.

Williams would doubtless improve by leaps and bounds given Tomlin’s progressive offensive thinking and whoever would be the latest in the parade of lunkheads he’s enlisted as offensive coordinator since the Steelers ran off Bruce Arians after the 2011 season. Maybe the Bears would bother to employ a legit No. 2 wideout.

Orlovsky didn’t bother saying why Tomlin would take the Bears to such great heights.

That’s par for the course. Tomlin is a terrific coach just because.

Given his greatness, Tomlin should surely come up with a way to win at Baltimore despite being a 10-point underdog.

That’s why I’m taking the Steelers on the money line. I’m betting on genius.

By the way, I like Orlovsky. Orlovsky is good TV. He’s forgotten more about football than I’ll ever know. But he clearly forgot this.