Former WR Larry Fitzgerald calls out 'ungrateful' fans

The grass is not always greener on the other side. That's what former WR Larry Fitzgerald is trying to tell Steelers fans who are ready to move on from head coach Mike Tomlin.

"It really bothers me to hear the slander of Coach Tomlin and how ungrateful some of these fans and pundits can be," Fitzgerald told Jim Gray on the "Let's Go" podcast. "When you do something that consistent for that period of time in this league, when there's only three men that have ever done this in 100-plus years of playing this game, you gotta tip your hat."

Fitzgerald is talking about Tomlin's 17-consecutive non-losing seasons streak he just added to with Pittsburgh's win in Seattle a week ago. 

The future Hall of Famer played for the Cardinals his entire 17-year NFL career (2004-20) and didn't do a whole lot of winning. 12 years of his career in Arizona ended with a .500 or worse record, which is why he doesn't want Steelers fans to take Tomlin for granted.

"It is so hard to go out there and win," Fitzgerald added. "I don't think the Steelers understand how difficult it is to be in the conversation every single year. ... When you're in the conversation, that means you have a chance to go win that trophy. When you're sitting at home watching playoffs, you have zero chance."

Fitzgerald has a point, but Pittsburgh is on the brink of watching the playoffs at home for the second straight year as the team needs outside help to make the postseason.

The Steelers have just become accustomed to a much higher standard than there might be for the Cardinals. 

That isn't a bad thing, it just means Tomlin needs to get back to the playoffs and win, which is something he hasn't done since the 2016 season.

Fitzgerald may be right in the fact that the hatred towards Tomlin has gone a little too far. However, those in Pittsburgh are demanding more than mediocrity and the team better reward them come Saturday or the noise will only continue to get louder.