Tomlin feeling hisway without Roethlisberger

Mike Tomlin didn’t become an idiot overnight, but it’s always interesting to see a respected coach exposed without his quarterback.

Tomlin’s reputation is well deserved— he’s never had a losing season in eight years with the Steelers; made the playoffs in five of them and won Super Bowl XLIII after the 2008 season. But without Ben Roethlisberger last week against the Ravens, Tomlin looked like just another NFL coach — at the mercy of a skittish kicker, challenged to make the right decision on fourth down and ultimately succumbing to the pressure of a close game.

Tomlin seemed to kick field goals when he shouldn’t and not kick them when he should in a 23-20 overtime loss at Heinz Field. Running 35-year-old Michael Vick on a sweep on fourth-andtwo from theRavens’ 39 in OT? Vick throwing a difficult pass to Antonio Brown in the flat on fourth-and-one from the Ravens’ 33 in OT? Not utilizing Le’Veon Bell (22 carries, 129 yards, 1 TD) on either play?

In one night, Tomlin suddenly was just another coach bristling at questions about his decisions. “We lost, so I’m not going to try to justify anything that we did,” he huffed after the game, like so many other coaches on the firing line almost weekly because they don’t have a Roethlisberger.

It was a tough night that provided a glimpse of just how fine the line is between a good coach and a fired one. But it was not a defining moment for Tomlin. He’s still good at what he does. It just takes a little time to learn what he can and can’t do without Roethlisberger. It happens to the best of them.

Pick: Steelers 31, Chargers 24.