Years from now, perhaps even decades, the debate surrounding Mike Tomlin’s tenure as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach will likely come down to one central point: Some will argue that Tomlin deserves blame for the lack of postseason success, while others will believe the organization failed to provide its head coach with enough support. Former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis firmly falls into the second camp, as he believes Pittsburgh let down one of the most successful coaches in franchise history.

“From a head coach perspective, you feel comfortable knowing they are going to do the right thing organizationally to put you in the best position to win and win a championship,” Bettis told UPI. “That’s been the goal. A little bit of that has fallen short.

“I believe the organization let down Tomlin, just a little bit, in the sense that he didn’t have the right personnel to win a championship the last few years. Since they hadn’t given him the quarterback he needed, he’s had to kinda piecemeal and put teams together. That’s the only blemish on the organization as of late.”

19 years as a head coach is more than enough time to build a dynasty in the NFL. In Tomlin’s case, however, that success was largely limited to the regular season, with repeated postseason disappointments, especially during the final years of his tenure. And more often than not, you could argue that the quarterback position remained the biggest issue behind those struggles.

Tomlin began his Steelers coaching tenure on a high note, winning a Super Bowl in just his second season and following it up with multiple playoff runs. At the time, however, Ben Roethlisberger was the franchise quarterback. But once Roethlisberger hung up his cleats, the Steelers never managed to provide Tomlin with another long-term answer under center.

Instead, Pittsburgh cycled through multiple quarterbacks without a clear future. Take the 2022 season, for example, the first year after Roethlisberger’s retirement. The Steelers signed former No. 1 overall pick Mitch Trubisky to a two-year deal. By Week 4, Trubisky had been benched in favor of rookie Kenny Pickett.

Pickett’s tenure got off to a rough start, as he threw two quick touchdowns but also three interceptions before suffering an embarrassing 38-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills in his first career start. By the end of the season, however, Pickett provided some optimism, helping the Steelers win their final five games.

He entered the 2023 season with expectations attached to him, but posted a 7-5 record in 12 starts before Pittsburgh eventually turned to Mason Rudolph, largely due to a high ankle sprain. Pickett never started another game for the Steelers. Since then, Pittsburgh has relied on Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and now Aaron Rodgers.

At the same time, many may not agree with Bettis’ argument that the Steelers let Tomlin down. Plenty within the Steel City believe Tomlin shares responsibility, considering he also played a role in organizational decisions. Besides, even during the years when Big Ben was leading the offense, the postseason results were often not in Tomlin’s favor.

In the regular season, Tomlin finished his Steelers tenure with a historic 193-114-2 record. But in the playoffs, those numbers dropped to 8-12 despite reaching the postseason in 13 of his 19 seasons as head coach. For better context, Tomlin went 5-2 across his first three playoff appearances but posted just a 3-10 record over the next 15 seasons.

So, while it’s evident that the front office deserves a significant share of the blame for Tomlin’s postseason inconsistency, a view Bettis supports, it’s also worth acknowledging that Mike Tomlin played a role in those shortcomings as well. Fast forward to now, and the Steelers have moved on after Tomlin stepped down, bringing in Pittsburgh native Mike McCarthy to lead the franchise. Still, Bettis believes the Steelers remain short of a complete championship-caliber roster.

Jerome Bettis believes the Steelers are still incomplete

For the first time in more than half a century, the Steelers are heading into a season with an offensive-minded head coach, Mike McCarthy. So, it wouldn’t be unfair to expect changes in schemes, personnel usage, and the team’s overall approach. And while Jerome Bettis has acknowledged those changes, the Steelers legend still believes they are not enough.

“They’ve got a chance,” Bettis said. “I think they’ve upgraded the football team in terms of talent. When you look at the team last year, they were not very good from a talent perspective. They’ve got better talent, so I think they’ve got a better chance. But I still believe they need more. They don’t have quite enough.”

The Steelers are hoping to make a Super Bowl run this year, but there are still flaws across the roster. Take the quarterback position, for example. Pittsburgh has Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Drew Allar, but Rodgers remains the starter, and he will turn 43 in December 2026.

The wide receiver group featuring DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr., along with a running back room led by Rico Dowdle, Kaleb Johnson, and Eli Heidenreich, looks strong on paper. At the same time, however, the offensive line remains a significant concern heading into the season, particularly because of injuries. Broderick Jones’ timeline for a full return is still unclear.

On top of that, Pittsburgh lost Isaac Seumalo to Arizona in free agency. That is why McCarthy shifted Troy Fautanu to the left side and moved Mason McCormick as part of the offensive line reshuffle.

On the defensive side of the ball, age becomes a major talking point. The Steelers still have TJ Watt and Cam Heyward leading the defense, but both players are now on the wrong side of 30, with Heyward approaching the final stages of his career. Simply put, the pairing of Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers has created optimism about a potential Super Bowl run. But the road to February will be anything but easy.