Mark Madden torches Mike Tomlin's coaching acumen despite Steelers' 21-14 win over Patriots

Pittsburgh sportscaster Mark Madden has issued a harsh criticism of Mike Tomlin’s coaching in the wake of the Steelers’ Week 3 win. The Steelers beat the New England Patriots on Sunday to go 2-1 ahead of Week 4.

Despite the win, however, Madden is convinced Tomlin is doing a bad job coaching the Steelers. He wrote in a Monday column for TribLive:

“The Steelers are poorly coached. Given the ample evidence, it’s difficult to conclude otherwise. Nothing that’s bad is getting better.”

The former World Championship Wrestling color commentator went on to point out specific defects in Tomlin’s team. He wrote:

“Some of the Steelers’ weaknesses are inexplicable, like the highest-paid defense in NFL history conceding 386 yards per game, fifth-worst in the league. New England went 4 of 5 on fourth-down conversions. The Patriots had drives of 77, 92 and 88 yards. They rushed for 119 yards. (Tomlin runs that unit. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is his lackey.)”

Mike Tomlin has also acknowledged that his team struggled against the Patriots on Sunday. In his post-game interview, he noted that the Steelers couldn’t maintain their momentum throughout the game. He said:

“A couple of things of note: I thought we started fast offensively, but then we stalled out, obviously, particularly in the second half. A lot of credit goes to New England and their defense and what they were doing. They were major components of that.”

Mike Tomlin praises “huge” moment that handed the Steelers their win over the Patriots

Steelers cornerback Brandin Echols contributed immensely to the Steelers’ win over the Patriots on Sunday with a crucial interception. Thanks to the interception, the Patriots were unable to orchestrate a comeback. Speaking about the play, Mike Tomlin described it as huge. He said:

“That’s why we spend as much time practicing down in that space as we do as a collective. We’ve got to be great on defense in an effort to win the points. We’ve got to be great on offense. When you take the ball away, you get all seven points.”

In their next game, the Steelers will face the Minnesota Vikings in the first-ever NFL regular-season fixture in Ireland. The teams will clash at Croke Park, Dublin, each going into the game with a 2-1 record.

With Aaron Rodgers leading its offense, Pittsburgh will be looking to leave with a win. The quarterback threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns against the Patriots.