Mark Madden's Hot Take: Steelers' lack of identity, focus an indictment of Mike Tomlin

Did you know Mike Tomlin never has had a losing season?

Tomlin is perceived to be a great coach, but that’s by rote. We say it so often, and the national media says it even more often.

Perhaps it’s time to judge the actual coaching, not chant the Tomlin mantra.

Nine games in, and the offense doesn’t have an identity. A semblance of balance was achieved during the Steelers’ four-game win streak but was abandoned in this past Sunday’s 16-16 tie with winless Detroit when backup quarterback Mason Rudolph threw 50 times in the rain.

The Steelers had first-and-goal at Detroit’s 5 and didn’t run Najee Harris once. Insanely bad decision.

The defense doesn’t have an identity, either. It’s a rancid brand of vanilla. Blitzburgh has been demolished and replaced by a conservative/cowardly four-man rush. The strategy seems to be hoping that T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward make big plays. (A lot of times, they do.)

Takeaways have dried up: The Steelers have eight. That ranks fifth from bottom in the NFL.

The Steelers constantly flunk Football 101. Missed tackles, dropped passes, dropped interceptions, untimely fumbles, dumb penalties. They too often lose (or tie) games against clearly inferior foes. They have collapsed at the end of the last three seasons. The Steelers lack focus.

True, the Steelers roster has a lot of holes and weaknesses. You can’t polish excrement.

But show me the evidence of good coaching. Show me where Tomlin and his staff get the team to overachieve, or any of its players. Be specific.

Given the Steelers’ resources, they’ve underachieved for over a decade.

But did you know Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season?