Commentary: Steelers' Mike Tomlin talks boldly -- but will he eat his words?

It could've been as simple as backing his players, something every coach obviously strives to do, but Mike Tomlin — intentional or not — upped the ante on the Steelers' defensive hyperbole. No, check that. He actually pushed a gigantic pile of chips into the middle of the table. In mid-August while appearing on 102.5 WDVE, Tomlin was given the opportunity to temper some of that talk. The Steelers coach declined the opportunity. "We've got enough talent, we've got enough schematics to do big, big things," he said. "And when I say big things, I'm talking about historic things." Anyone else's mind start racing with that one? Perhaps you thought back to Super Bowl XXXVII after the 2002 season, when Tomlin was a defensive backs coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That defense featured four future Hall of Famers and qualified as historic. In 2008, the Steelers had the No. 1-ranked scoring defense, along with being tops in passing yards allowed, third downs and red-zone efficiency. That unit featured James Harrison, Troy Polamalu and other historic defenders. It would seem Tomlin believes this defense can stack up against those. There was also the Tony Dungy interview in November 2017, when Tomlin, perhaps feeling himself a little that day, blurted out, "We should win it all." Of course, you know that the Steelers would lose to the Patriots in Week 15, snapping an eight-game winning streak, then to the Jaguars (while allowing 45 points) in the AFC divisional round. That was actually a sequel to the 2009 Tomlin line that the Steelers would "unleash hell in December" ... and proceeded to drop two more games (both two 5-11 teams). Those games extended their losing streak to five, and they ultimately missed the postseason, hell remaining very much on a leash. Tomlin and the revamped defense must hope this doesn't turn out the same way — a pretty big matzo ball hanging out there, another set of confident statements that ultimately backfire. To be clear, I don't mind the talk. The confidence is admirable, the same for improving their man-coverage options and seemingly devising a strategy that sets them apart, especially given some of the offenses the Steelers will face. But it has to work. We've seen a whopping one series out of Darius Slay Jr., Jalen Ramsey and Joey Porter Jr. on the field together in three preseason games, hardly enough to feel like the Steelers' acknowledged communication issues at the end of last season are solved. There are also simple, unlovable truths like the fact that Slay is 34, Porter's Pro Football Focus grade (54.6) was 98th last season and Ramsey is entering relatively new territory position-wise. It's also not just the defensive backs, who will be counting on Juan Thornhill to stay healthy and for Brandin Echols to play fairly regularly. Along the defensive line, the Steelers will be missing Derrick Harmon to start the season, and it's certainly fair to wonder whether fifth-round pick Yahya Black will see his strong preseason translate into the real thing. The Steelers didn't pressure quarterbacks as much as they would've liked last season. Overall, that unit did not perform like what it is — the highest paid in the NFL. The Steelers weren't bad, but they were 12th in yards (326.7 per game allowed) and eighth in points (20.4). They were actually sixth in rushing yards allowed per game (98.7), though the rotten finish rendered that sort of meaningless. The Steelers also left a lot to be desired with their sack total (40), which was the lowest in nearly a decade, and it featured the fewest number of sacks for T.J. Watt (11½) in a full season since his rookie year. That hasn't stopped the hype train carrying all of those bold proclamations from rolling along, defensive players talking plenty about the talent that exists and how dangerous the Steelers feel like they can be. I'm a little surprised Tomlin didn't use the opportunity to talk less and do more, but I also don't necessarily disagree. This can be a top-three or top-five defense in the NFL, so maybe I'm as delusional as anyone wearing a uniform. But that only happens if the majority of players stay healthy, if Harmon delivers on expectations, if Payton Wilson becomes a three-down linebacker, if Nick Herbig remains a regular part of the pass-rush rotation, and — yes — the secondary shines, giving the Steelers a unique weapon. It's just interesting to me how Tomlin loves to go to painstaking — and often very wordy — lengths to say nothing. Until those rare times where, for whatever reason, he writes a sizable check with the words that come out of his month. There's another one in transit involving the 2025 season. Tomlin better hope that it cashes.