Freiermuth: Steelers don't make playoffs without Tomlin
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth defended Mike Tomlin amid shouts that the franchise should replace its head coach.
"(I have) the utmost faith in the coaching staff," Freiermuth said Monday, according to ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "Without Coach T, we wouldn't have been able to be in the playoffs, and we all love Coach T. He's a great leader, great coach."
The Steelers suffered their sixth straight playoff defeat under Tomlin on Saturday, losing 28-14 to the Baltimore Ravens. Tomlin's teams have gone one-and-done in their last five trips to the postseason.
"It's just not on the coaches, right?" Freiermuth said. "The coaches can put us in situations, and there's some games where we're running the plays that we're running against other teams that schematically speaking are great plays to run against them, but for whatever reason, we're not executing it. So, it's a collective. Coach (has) got to take criticism, players (have) got to take criticism."
Despite the playoff loss marking the Steelers' fifth straight defeat to end the season, the franchise reportedly intends to retain Tomlin. The 52-year-old is under contract through 2027.
Star pass-rusher T.J. Watt said the club will need to have "tough conversations" following another campaign without postseason success.
"It gets more and more frustrating as the years go by," Watt said, according to The Athletic's Mike DeFabo. "We can't keep doing the same thing and expect different results. That's starting with myself."
Watt, whose contract expires after the 2025 season, has yet to win a playoff game in his career. However, the seven-time Pro Bowler said he's eager to be part of the core that fixes the issue.
"I want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler," Watt added. "I don't want to leave this place, especially in this (state). I want to be part of the solution."
Tomlin holds an 8-11 postseason record, with his last victory occurring in the divisional round of the 2016 season.