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Mike Tomlin admits he dropped the ball with latest version of the Pittsburgh Steelers
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers both outperformed expectations and disappointed. 

Few picked the team to be anywhere other than the bottom of the division ahead of the season, much less 10-3 and fighting for the number one overall seed at a point in the year. 

But when you lose five straight, get bounced in round of the playoffs for the sixth consecutive time, and lose in embarrassing fashion to a division rival, it leaves a bad taste in the mouths of many, including HC Mike Tomlin...

Mike Tomlin Thought 2024 Steeles had a chance at deep run

"When I originally opened, I talked about the level of disappointment that was going through us today, and certainly that is the case, " said Coach Tomlin on Tuesday. "But a component of that disappointment is I thought that this collective was better positioned, maybe more so, than in recent years, to not be in this similar place, but we are, and so there's obviously a lot of work to do."

From the outside looking in, many questioned the Steelers' decision to sign Russell Wilson following the two worst years of his career with the Denver Broncos, and they viewed Justin Fields as nothing more than a backup. 

Yet both finished the season with a positive record, only Wilson's play down the stretch waned, leaving many to wonder what happens next year regarding the QB position in Pittsburgh

"To be quite honest with you, I'm energized in terms of beginning the process and doing it, because I'm a competitor," added Tomlin. "I love this game and this business, even when it's miserable. To be quite honest with you, I've seen so much in it and been through so much in it. Very rarely do I respond to present circumstances, whether it's positive or negative, because of the depths of the relationship that I have with the game. I expressed that to the team yesterday, because it's not only my job to, you know, obviously, lead the group and strategize and so forth, but also to provide perspective."

Coach Tomlin's presser all but confirmed that he will be back in 2025 and probably longer. He said that he met with owner Art Rooney, and the two shared the sentiment of disappointment and are doing everything they can to fix it. 

We'll see if it's all lip service or leads to actual change in 2025. 

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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