Playing under the former head coach Mike Tomlin, the Pittsburgh Steelers always stayed in the playoff conversation, but turning those repeated appearances into meaningful success became their growing struggle. The franchise has managed to string together decent performances in the regular season, but since the Super Bowl win have only won 2 postseason games. A former player has outlined how their form in the regular season is always going to be considered both ways.

“It’s a gift and a curse that the Steelers are able to stay over .500,” said Breiden Fehoko on Honor The Land Podcast. ” 20 other teams would look at the at and look at Mike Tomlin’s resume and look at Pittsburgh Steelers being over .500, be like wow, I wish we had this coaching. The curse and downside about it is, while you are finishing 10-7, 9-8, 8-8, 8-7, whatever, you are not afforded an opportunity of going to next year’s draft with a premium draft position.”


Mike Tomlin took charge of Black and Yellow in 2007, and the very next season, he made them the Super Bowl champions, which was their sixth championship. Given that Tomlin was in his mid-30s at the time, many believed that he would add more trophies to his resume, but it didn’t happen.

Despite an impressive 68% success of reaching the playoffs, his team came up short numerous times, failing to go deep in the postseason, and it had to do with having players who could step in as difference makers despite a masterclass from the sidelines.

For instance, the franchise has been in the playoffs five times since 2020, and they have exited each time in the Wild Card Round, making it a repeated frustration for the fans. The former Steelers nose tackle pinned the blame on Pittsburgh’s fixation on the defense while allowing the offense to drift into mediocrity.

Given how they finished the last few seasons, the Black and Yellow didn’t have the upper hand of having an early first-round draft pick, which was why they couldn’t pick an elite and long-term QB solution. The franchise picked Will Howard in the 6th round of the 2025 Draft, while Drew Allar was a third-round pick this year, showing the neglect of the most impactful position on the gridiron. It has been one of the key reasons why they haven’t been able to transition from good to great.

There is no doubt that the Steelers have a rock-solid defense. To maintain that, they are spending heavily on defense, which is starving the offensive firepower. For example, their most expensive defensive star is T.J Watt, who is set to earn $42 million this season, while the team’s highest-paid offensive player, the wide receiver D.K Metcalf, is set to be paid $31million. The $11 million difference screams a clear imbalance, showing the team’s priorities.

After the 2025 season, the Mike Tomlin era is over, and Mike McCarthy is scheduled to start a new chapter of his career; the team’s approach seemingly hasn’t changed, but the legendary coach is expected to bring some changes to the way things have been working in Pittsburgh to rejuvenate players.

Fehoko played at the Acrisure Stadium under Mike Tomlin, so he had an up-close look at everything that happened behind the scenes, which is why his take on the Tomlin era could be considered a great indicator of all that happened. Although he was not a starter for the team, he revealed what it was like to be in a city like Pittsburgh.

Breiden Fehoko enjoyed his time in Pittsburgh

“The football was great, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there with Mike Tomlin, but when you talk about a living situation in Pittsburgh,” said Fehoko during the same interview. “I was miserable. It’s very depressing to be there, especially in the wintertime.”


Although he spent two years with the Black and Yellow, he didn’t have the opportunity to play a game. However, during his initial three seasons at the Chargers, he played a total of 19 games, starting 4, and he had a combined total of 36 tackles.

However, things were different at the Steelers. With starters and key veterans like Cameron Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi, and Montravius Adams, the squad had overwhelming defensive depth. Moreover, the 29-year-old dealt with an untimely injury that put him on injury reserve before the start of the 2024 season. When Heyward suffered a groin injury in the 2023 season opener, Fehoko was promoted to the active roster for a short time, but aside from that, Tomlin mostly trusted the rotational depth ahead of him.

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