Pittsburgh Steelers Tomlin’s Error Cost Team Rashard Mendenhall
By Matt Shetler
Eventually a head coach has to make unpopular decisions and live with the results.
That’s why he’s the head coach to begin with.
Well that’s something that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has been unable to do and while I have all the respect in the world for Tomlin and what’s he’s been able to accomplish; he made an error in judgement Sunday afternoon and paid a big price by losing running back Rashard Mendenhall to a torn ACL.
Why was Mendenhall, or any other starter for that fact, playing in what turned out to be nothing more than a meaningless game?
There’s only one thing that could have happened on Sunday and it did. He got one of his main pieces hurt and hurt badly.
They already knew New England won and clinched the No. 1 seed. The chances of Baltimore losing to Cincinnati were also minimal and while maybe I buy starting some key players to get a lead, the minute the Ravens went up double-digits (which they were at the time of the injury) out the starters should have come.
It wasn’t a warm weather game played on the west coast, it was a cold, windy day being played on a crappy field.
Something bad was bound to happen and it did.
Looking at this current Steelers team, even if they had got the bye week, it would have been an extremely tough road to another Super Bowl appearance. They have only one quality win all season to speak of (New England) and asking them to put together three or four of them in a row to win another Lombardi Trophy would be asking a lot.
As things played out though, they should be good enough to go to Denver and come home with a win. After that, let the chips fall where they may.
It would be nice doing so with your starting running back though.
Mendenhall was starting to come on late in the year and could have been a big part of any potential playoff run.
Not only did Tomlin’s poor choice in judgement cost them Mendenhall for the remainder of this season, but the impact will be felt next year as well.
Mendenhall likely won’t be ready for opening day and they often say it takes two year’s to fully recover from a torn ACL.
At the end of the day, the Steelers had nothing to play for and while they won the game, they ultimately lost big in the end.
Someone should have to answer for that and that man needs to be Tomlin.
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