Mike Tomlin’s decision to start Devlin Hodges at quarterback this week is not unexpected, but it does give further insight into the mindset of the Steelers’ coaching staff. Hodges gave the team a spark and didn’t turn the ball over in Cincinnati, or as Tomlin says “he didn’t kill us.”
Tomlin was quick to say that it wasn’t a statement about the future of either Hodges or Mason Rudolph, just a statement of the here and now. The Steelers need to win games, they need to figure out a way to beat Cleveland and they need to figure out how to do it with an offense full of misfit parts.
That’s the story of this season, actually, as Tomlin is in the midst of doing some of his finest work as a coach. That is saying a whole lot, considering he has won a Super Bowl and been to another Super Bowl.
Those two seasons proved he could push the right buttons with teams that are loaded with talent. This season, however, he has proven he can find players who can adequately plug holes and find a way to piece together wins.
The Steelers are not fun to watch right now. Their defense is excellent but because of that, opposing offenses haven’t been fun to watch, either.
The games are painful in many ways, and they are even more painful when the Steelers have the ball. Their offense is similar to a root canal, only without the numbing agent.
Yet despite it all — the constant revolving door of players, the injuries, the suspensions, the stone age offense — here the Steelers sit at 6-5 and in control of the second wild card spot.
That’s amazing if you think about the team that is put out on the field every week. Talent for talent, the Steelers are not measurably better than the bad teams. They aren’t supposed to just show up and win any more.
The Steelers have four offensive linemen, a tight end and a wide receiver healthy or available for Sunday’s game with the Browns left among the players who started the first game. That’s six of 11, if you are counting at home, and at some places it is the backup to the backup who is playing.
That’s why every week is a challenge. It doesn’t matter who they play, it doesn’t matter what the other team’s roster is. You look at the schedule and see the Cardinals and Jets and say to yourself, “There are few wins,” but that isn’t necessarily the case. Those teams both have better players on offense than the Steelers at key positions, and so they will have to survive to win them both.
This past Sunday, the Steelers played the Bengals and only won 16-10. The Bengals are winless, yet the two best offensive skill position players on the field both played for them. And I’d argue if the Bengals did what the Steelers did — bench their starting quarterback — the Bengals would have won the game.
That’s why all of the stuff about the Steelers playing an easy schedule and taking advantage of a weak AFC is nonsense. This is a team that has proven it is a survivor. They prove it every week no matter who they play, and they prove they are capable of finding ways to win even when they shouldn’t or it isn’t easy.
Tomlin’s decision to start Hodges sent a clear message to everyone in the locker room and around the league. And that message was that the Steelers believe they are a playoff team and will do whatever it takes to win this week. Hodges is the best choice for this week, but maybe he will struggle and Rudolph will start the next one.
Tomlin’s belief and refusal to make excuses has been a big reason this team has stayed afloat. It is why they are winning games despite the fact that there seems to be more practice squad players playing on Sundays than most teams have on the actual practice squad. This is not a good football team right now, but it is a winning football team.
And they will play again this week with the mentality of trying to find a way to win with whatever cast of characters is available. Tomlin has a lot of critics, but even they should be silent this year.
First Published: November 26, 2019, 8:07 p.m.