Coordinator Seats Warming Up in Pittsburgh
by Bo Marchionte
@bomarchionte | College2Pro.com
Published December 4, 2025, 4:10 PM
PITTSBURGH, PA – The boos were unmistakable. “Fire Tomlin.” The jeers at Renegade. Acrisure Stadium didn’t just express frustration last Sunday it has ignited talk radio around the city into a frenzy.
But even as the noise swirls around the head coach, the reality inside the Steelers’ building remains unchanged.
Mike Tomlin isn’t the one in real danger. However, his coordinators could be if things are fixed quickly and they savage the season with five regular season games left on the schedule.
Pittsburgh enters Baltimore week at 6–6, backed by some of the ugliest numbers of the Tomlin era. The running game or nonexistent running game ranks fifth worst in the with an average of 93.8 yards per game. Only four other defenses in the National Football League have given up a higher average of yards per game (365.1).
Aren’t those supposed to be the bread and butter of Steelers football. Running the football and a great defense.
Those statistics aren’t background noise. They’re job evaluations.
Arthur Smith didn’t dodge the moment when asked about the public backlash.
But inside the building, the responses weren’t emotional. They were revealing.
Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, hearing the venom as clearly as anyone on that sideline, didn’t flinch.
“Personally myself, this isn’t a business for the meek, especially mentally and I roll my eyes when people act like a victim,” Smith said. “Our job is to win, whether you like it or not. You better check your mentality. Learn the entertainment, sports, entertainment business… high pressure, high performance.”
It was a blunt reminder from a coach who’s been on both sides of a crowd’s fury. His point was simple; the Steelers chose this arena. The noise comes with the paycheck.
“You become a play caller, head coach, quarterback in this league it’s easy when everything’s going good,” Smith added. “But you’re going to find out about yourself when things aren’t. That’s what puts you to a test.”
The test is here.
The Steelers are slogging into Baltimore with one of the league’s most stagnant offenses, a scoring attack stuck in the teens and an identity that changes weekly. Explosive plays are rare enough to feel accidental. The deeper issue is simple, nothing comes easy for this group.
The defense is expensive, decorated, and expected to carry the load. It hasn’t been able to cover the offensive shortcomings. The unit sits around the middle of the league in yards allowed and gives up momentum-swinging drives at the worst possible times. The pedigree says “elite.” The product says “inconsistent.”
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin isn’t yelling. He’s not throwing chairs, flipping tables, or trying to win a press conference. His message is calmer, but no less pointed.
“I don’t have to show and yell for guys to know if I’m upset about something,” Austin said. “Part of being able to talk to a grown man is to let him know matter-of-factly what’s acceptable, what’s not, what we’re going to try to do better… and then move on.”
To Austin, panic isn’t a plan. And despite fans calling for sweeping changes, he believes the room can handle blunt truth without theatrics.
“We’re dealing with grown men a mature team, a grown team,” Austin said. “If I thought we had people less than professional, maybe you get after them more. But I don’t think that about our guys.”
It’s a striking contrast. Smith addressing the outside noise with a punch to the sternum, Austin addressing the inside struggles with a steady hand. Two philosophies, one crisis.
And now comes Baltimore.
The Ravens don’t care about Pittsburgh’s turmoil. They don’t care about the boos, the chants, the unraveling, or what’s at stake for a franchise that has dodged a losing season for nearly two decades. They only care about burying a rival clinging to playoff fumes.
At 6–6, the Steelers haven’t collapsed. But they haven’t surged, either. They’ve existed. They’ve floated. And if something doesn’t change immediately, they’ll be crushed by a December schedule that doesn’t wait for self-discovery.
Oh, don’t forget, since 2018, every Steelers season under Tomlin has included at least one three-game losing streak. They’re currently on a two-game losing streak heading into Baltimore.
The fans have spoken. The record has spoken. Baltimore will speak next.
However, will Tomlin have the last word?
Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com
