Steelers insider calls out Steeler Nation: 'I think they’re spoiled; I honestly do'

The Pittsburgh Steelers have enjoyed the kind of consistency that is practically unheard of in the NFL. Since 1969, the Steelers have had a grand total of three head coaches: Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin. In comparison, the Cleveland Browns have gone through 12 head coaches since their return to the league in 1999. One would think that this level of consistency would make fans feel confident year in and year out, but without fail, the cries for Tomlin to be fired due to a wide range of believed levels of incompetence arrive right on cue throughout the season.

Steelers Fans Are Spoiled, According To Mark Kaboly

To practically anyone outside of Pittsburgh, the idea that a coach with the success record of Tomlin should be on the hot seat so often is ridiculous. The number of teams that would love to claim a 16-year non-losing streak would include almost every franchise, and yet it's a hot-button topic in Pittsburgh. According to Mark Kaboly, who covers the Steelers for The Athletic, the fact that Steelers fans consider Tomlin so polarizing is because the fan base has been spoiled by success.

Kaboly spoke about that very subject when he joined "The Rich Eisen Show" on Friday. Rich Eisen brought up how Tomlin would find a job in minutes if he actually were to be fired. In a rare twist for Kaboly, he agreed with Eisen and went on to explain why Tomlin is truly one of the best in the league.

“It’s unbelievable, Rich. You just watch him. He’s 17 years in, I believe. He’s 52, 53. He has more energy than 22-year-olds out there every single day leading those guys on the practice field. It’s just totally amazing. I get tired sometimes just watching him coach, and you talk about… fatigue? This is a guy who loves what he does, and when you love what you do, you don’t work a day in your life, right? That’s how Tomlin is. I think, I honestly – people in Pittsburgh probably not gonna like this – but I think they’re spoiled. I honestly do.”

Kaboly continued, digging deeper into the actual reasons why the issues that fans have with Tomlin are rather ridiculous. Eisen admitted that no one likes to be called spoiled, and Kaboly responded by bringing up Tomlin's non-losing season streak. The fact that Tomlin hasn't coached a losing team in his entire career is incredible, and yet it is used as a negative whenever his name is brought up in debate. The immediate response when the non-losing streak is mentioned is to bring up the lack of recent playoff success in Pittsburgh, which Kaboly also disagreed with.

"I mean, this is a guy that’s now gone through two separate total rebuilds. He’s never had a losing season through a total rebuild, not to mention those rebuilds have only taken about two years, and that’s unheard of, you know, unless you’re Bill Belichick, right? So, I just think they’re used to winning, and if they don’t continuously win division titles and continuously play for AFC Championship games, people consider it a failure."

Eisen followed up Kaboly's comments by making sure everyone knew that his view on Tomlin was quite simple: Tomlin is "the man." This was on display whenever Eisen would interview Tomlin ahead of a broadcast, saying that just speaking with him in that non-game atmosphere was enough to make him want to run through a wall for the head coach. So, what is on the horizon for these 2023 Steelers?

Steelers On The Verge Of Breaking Through, Says Kaboly

After Kaboly and Eisen had discussed Tomlin's success and the way he is unfairly maligned, Eisen wanted to know if Kaboly thought that this year could be the big one for the Steelers. Not just playoffs, but truly achieving contender status; was it in the near future for the Steelers, or would another year of not losing have to be enough? Kaboly has a reputation for seeing the glass half empty, but even he had to admit that the 2023 offseason made it difficult for him to nitpick.

“I always look for the chinks in the armor, so to speak, you know… being the negative person here, and it’s hard to find stuff right now. The only thing I look at right now is an extremely hard division. I mean, the Bengals should be good, the Ravens should be good, the Browns should be a lot better. Extremely difficult conference, you know, eight, nine, 10 deep that can potentially make the playoffs. That’s it. And I just need to see it in game action. They’ve checked everything off so far, you know?"

Despite all the positive talk, Kaboly still had to allow a bit of himself to revert to the realist he has always been. It wasn't the talent or the coaching that Kaboly brought into question, it was the unknowns that fill an NFL season. Last year, in just a few quarters, TJ Watt looked like he hadn't missed a beat from his incredible 2021 campaign that tied him with Michael Strahan's sack record (22.5), then the injury happened. Pittsburgh's 2022 hopes were derailed early because of it, and Kaboly knows that few teams go through an entire season without similar challenges.

So, what would the issues be for the 2023 Steelers? What dangers or pitfalls did Kaboly foresee after a brilliant offseason from the Steelers front office?

"Myself, I just need to see more of it because we have an absolutely perfect preseason and offseason like the Steelers have had; it just can’t be like this. Something has to rear its ugly head and knock them down a peg here with injuries or whatever it could possibly be. I’m just like that at heart, so maybe, maybe not. I just think… tough division, tough conference, and a lot of young people, a lot of new people. I truly believe – and I’ve been saying this for a while – this is the year before the year. I think they’ll be good this year. Next year, I think, is the year where you’re talking very possible Super Bowl appearance.”

All the boxes have been checked, Tomlin is fired up, and all signs are pointing towards a very exciting 2023 for the Steelers. Every team will come up against difficulties, that is just the truth when it comes to the NFL, but how will the Steelers respond? Will their 2023 talent additions be enough to steal a spot from one of the upper-echelon teams? Do the Steelers have the depth to battle through injuries, even to their stars? All we can do is wait and see, but with a guy like Kaboly starting to see the positives, it's hard not to smell victory in the air already ahead of the 2023 kickoff!

Will 2023 be the year the Steelers become true contenders again under Tomlin?