It's Time for Steelers to Reevaluate 'The Standard'

Head Coach Mike Tomlin's catchphrase that has permeated his entire tenure at the helm of the Pittsburgh Steelers has been "The standard is the standard."

Tomlin's catchphrase has no specific meaning, but most believe that it refers to the idea that success is expected by both Steelers fans and those who contribute to the team.

At this point, the "standard" needs to change.

The Steelers have now gone eight seasons since their last playoff win, and for a team with as storied a history as the Steelers, that is deemed "unacceptable".

Now eight years without a playoff win, the "standard" is being average. Mediocrity is not the right descriptor, as they have not had a losing season for the entirety of Tomlin's tenure.

While the Steelers have shown flashes of success throughout their drought, they have entirely lost the reputation of being a tough team to beat and any sort of intimidation of other teams is non-existent.

Kirk Herbstreit spoke on that fact during their Wild Card loss, speaking on a lack of "fight" by the team.

The "fight" that the Steelers have been known for is all but gone, and any change occuring is not a given.

While the Steelers can take solace in the fact that they have been able to take care of business against two given divisional opponents a season, that is not enough.

The Steelers faithful is used to winning, and yet the team has been unable to deliver on winning.

The Steelers are no longer a team with a winning culture, and should be treated as such moving forward. The culture around the team needs a change, and the way that both fans of the team and NFL viewers speak about the team should change.

The team is no longer a pillar of success in the league, and the ability to get back to that point is questionable at best.

The Steelers will have a chance to turn it around for next season, but their ability to do so is yet to be seen.

The standard is not the standard.

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