The more some things change, the more they stay the same. Stop me if you have heard this scenario before. The Pittsburgh Steelers franchise enters a season with high expectations, and for good reason. Only to come up woefully short in the end.

The Steelers have a winning culture that permeates throughout the organization. They have a reputation of stability unmatched in professional sports. The franchise has employed a grand total of three head coaches during the modern era of the NFL. The current Steelers are being led by HC Mike Tomlin, a living legend widely presumed to be an all-time great. After all, the man has never endured a losing season in his illustrious career. However, those incomparable truths only tell part of the story.

The Steelers have become the kings of the regular season, faithfully proving capable of sustainable mediocrity. However, the Steelers haven’t proven capable of building a well-balanced championship caliber roster. Partly because they stubbornly refuse to accept or take advantage of the system installed by the NFL to create league wide parity. Instead, they have chosen to wallow in mediocrity. After all, even though the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game in what seems like a decade, they are always relevant at the close of every regular season. I actually saw where a Tomlin apologist said that on Twitter. Sadly, no trophies awarded for that distinction.

The Steelers reputation has definitely taken a well-deserved hit. A franchise renowned for building through the draft has been mostly inadequate at doing so for over a decade. An organization that prided itself on identifying and developing selected talent has struggled mightily to do so in recent seasons, especially at certain positions. Old school principles and ideology have resulted in questionable at best coaching staff hirings and configurations.

The Steelers pride themselves on always doing the right thing, but seldom is the right thing the easy thing to do. Every great entity faces the same challenge eventually: either evolve or go extinct.

Buckle up, Steelers Nation; and get ready for a Steelers offseason like no other.

Steelers Stock Trending Up: Mason Rudolph 

I honestly struggled to decide on any stock trending in the right direction. As I pointed out in one of my articles last week, this year’s playoff appearance should have little impact on next year’s team, in my opinion.

The 2024 Steelers will have tons of new faces in new places, on both sides of the ball, and in the coaching staff. These inevitable changes are both desperately needed and warranted. Change nothing and nothing changes.

The 2023-24 post-season for the Steelers was little more than another opportunity for some fringe level contributors to continue their magical late season run of success, and for the Steelers stellar rookie class to get their first taste of postseason intensity. In that regard only,  mission accomplished.

Mason Rudolph was the feel good story of the season for the Steelers. The man went from being an afterthought; the emergency QB3 who hadn’t seen the field in almost two full seasons, to the individual most responsible for the Steelers late season dash to the postseason. Lest we forget, the only reason Rudolph even received this second chance to start was because Mike Tomlin had nowhere else to turn. Desperation is often a facilitator for change.

I think that Mason Rudolph made the most of his well deserved second chance. Rudolph displayed a patient and professional demeanor that had been missing at the position this season. At the very least, he showed the willingness to patiently stand tall in the pocket, waiting for routes to eventually come open. Rudolph also displayed accuracy on timing routes, and a willingness to work the middle of the field. His calm and quiet confidence lifted a struggling offense in desperate need.

All that being said, I still question if Rudolph is ever going to be an established NFL starting QB. He is definitely not a perfect fit for most modern day offensive schemes. I also believe that the majority of QB needy franchises around the league already know this. That’s why this offseason is so fascinating for the Steelers.

We currently have no idea who the next offensive coordinator will be for the Steelers. Once that question is finally answered, then the Steelers can rebuild their offensive personnel accordingly. Until then, the Steelers hands are basically tied together. No way to make a logical decision on many pending free agents, especially a guy like Mason Rudolph. That’s why the Steelers need to make some decisions sooner rather than later.

Steelers Stock Trending Down: Mike Tomlin 

Speaking of important decisions for the Steelers. Rumor has it that Tomlin is going to take some time to discuss his coaching future with his family before making any decision moving forward. That seems totally logical, but as I just mentioned, time is in short supply for the Steelers this offseason. The Steelers would prefer to know Tomlin’s decision prior to hiring their next OC, because it will mostly likely impact the quality of their new hire, particularly what they are willing and able to offer the new employee.

The Steelers next OC could potentially be Tomlin’s successor when he finally decides to stroll off into the sunset. Brilliant offensive minds are always in short supply, and what better way to lure one to Pittsburgh than to offer them the type of job security unmatched in professional sports.

Let’s be honest. Mike Tomlin would not have survived this long with any other professional franchise. Bill Belichick won six Lombardi Trophies for the New England Patriots, and lost a few more along the way, before he was unceremoniously shown the door just recently. Not even the most successful coach in NFL history has Mike Tomlin type job security.

Truth be told, Tomlin is a good coach, but not a great one. Tomlin is a great leader of men, kind of, in some ways. He is not a great strategist, as he is overly reliant on the quality of his coordinators and assistants. Tomlin is not a good disciplinarian, as his rosters have been full of immature and self serving individuals in recent years. Tomlin is not an exceptional talent evaluator, evidenced by his personnel usage, and the amount of improperly utilized players who have found true success elsewhere. Not to mention the oversimplification of his obsessive desire for QB mobility in recent seasons. Lastly, Tomlin is not a good motivator when it matters most, resulting in his playoff teams being unprepared and overwhelmed in his last five appearances in a row. Anywhere other than Pittsburgh, that resume screams sayonara.

Most concerning for yours truly is this: Tomlin is widely considered to be a defensive minded head coach. However, his defenses have failed to show up repeatedly in the playoffs. This has been the most disturbing trend during the latter part of Tomlin’s tenure. The Steelers are honestly over-reliant on star power on both sides of the ball, but especially on defense. Unacceptable for a supposedly defensive minded HC.

Tomlin may want to walk away while the getting is good. With his legendary non-losing season streak still intact. Because that impressive but meaningless streak will most likely be forced to a merciful end before the Steelers ever find the resources necessary to completely revamp and rebuild the roster to championship caliber. Truthfully, without the streak, what separates Mike Tomlin from guys like Tony Dungy and Bill Cowher. You know, exceptional coaches who needed a HOF caliber QB to get them over the top. Come to think of it, the majority of Super Bowls are won by elite HC/QB combinations. Sadly, it maybe awhile before Tomlin finds another HOF QB.

Actually, Tony Dungy and Bill Cowher have found fulfillment and happiness after moving on with their life’s work. Don’t be surprised if Mike Tomlin chooses to follow their lead.

Honesty is always the best policy, even though the truth hurts sometimes.