Jan 27, 2023 5 min read

Mike Tomlin has his critics. And, in some cases, that criticism is fair. After all, the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season, when they advanced to the AFC Championship.

But they’re also a team that hasn’t bottomed out while playing without their star quarterback in 2019 or when transitioning from that star quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, to rookie Kenny Pickett this season.

Tomlin deserves credit for that.

That’s what Steelers president Art Rooney II is focused on when he looks at his head coach.

“I think the No. 1 thing I always want to see in a team, and I think it’s up to the coach to make this happen, is to get better as the season goes on,” Rooney said Thursday. “You should be your best team at the end of the season. And so, I thought we did that.

“Bringing a rookie quarterback along, there’s no one way to do it right. I think we wound up with a rookie quarterback who got better as the season went on and I think we’re excited about the future because of that. So, I think those things are encouraging and the way Mike handled them.”

• So, Scott Rolen and his .281 career batting average, 316 home runs and 1,287 RBI are going to the Baseball Hall of Fame and Dave Parker and his .290 career batting average, 339 homers and 1,493 RBI are not.

Yeah, that makes sense.

And as good as Rolen was defensively at third base, Parker was equally as good for a big portion of his career in right field.

Parker was a far superior player to Rolen. Always was. Always will be.

• Steelers secondary coach Grady Brown will serve as the defensive coordinator for the National squad at next weekend’s Senior Bowl.

This is a big deal for Brown and the Steelers.

Not only will Brown get an opportunity to show he’s capable of leading a staff of other NFL coaches as they prepare young players to compete in a game, he’ll also get an up-close look at a number of the top defensive prospects in this year’s draft class.

Previously, the Senior Bowl chose whole staffs from two teams to coach the National and American teams. This year, it was decided the coaching duties should be spread out among a number of teams.

Brown won’t be the only Steelers assistant on the National staff. Assistant outside linebackers coach Denzel Martin will coach that unit.

• There has been a lot of speculation over the past week regarding the NFL potentially holding conference championship games at neutral sites. This came on the heels of the league selling 50,000 tickets in a few hours for a potential Chiefs-Bills AFC Championship game in Atlanta.

But if Rooney has his choice, neutral sites for all conference championship games won’t be happening.

“I hate the idea. So, I wouldn’t like that at all,” Rooney said. “My sense is that if you put that up for a vote, it wouldn’t pass today. But who knows?”

For a measure like this to pass, it would need the votes of 24 owners. But in places such as Pittsburgh, Green Bay and Cleveland, which would have no chance of hosting such a game because they are cold-weather cities, it should be a non-starter.

The Steelers have hosted numerous AFC Championships. They’re a big deal not just for the team, but for the city and the team’s fans. Why should they be interested in giving that up?

Yes, there would be monetary gain for the league, but at what cost?

This week’s games

49ers (plus 2½) at Eagles: This is where the Brock Purdy train grinds to a halt. The rookie got away with some throws last week against the Cowboys, but that won’t happen against the Eagles. If he floats the ball downfield against Philadelphia, the ball will get picked off. And the Eagles will put extreme pressure on the rookie QB. Jalen Hurts looked pretty healthy last week, even though the Eagles didn’t have to throw the ball much. Take the Eagles, 24-13

Bengals (minus 1½) at Chiefs: The Bengals have beaten the Chiefs three times in the past year. Can they do it four times? This line opened with the Chiefs favored, but shifted to the Bengals because of Patrick Mahomes’ high-ankle sprain. But he should be mobile enough, especially once the game gets rolling and he starts to loosen up. Joe Burrow is playing well, but I won’t be betting against Andy Reid and Mahomes at home to lose to the same team four straight times. Take the Chiefs, 27-24

Last Week: 1-1 ATS; 0-2 straight up.

Overall: 46-44-5 ATS; 61-34 straight up.