Colin Cowherd saw Pittsburgh's lack of attention to detail on display this weekend

- I want to start with this because you all know what I'm going to start with. Because I've talked about this for years. And it is remarkable to me that we can't have an honest conversation about the Steelers and Mike Tomlin.

I'm not here to tell you Mike Tomlin should be fired. He's my favorite coach at the podium in the NFL. And I think he does elevate individual players. People always say, Mike Tomlin-- he has won almost twice as many games as he's lost in Pittsburgh.

Yes, he is 19 and 3 against the Browns and 17 and 5 against Cincinnati. Thank God for the state of Ohio. But Mike Tomlin inherited Big Ben, and inherited the Rooney family, and inherited a great Steeler defensive culture. Bill Belichick created Tom Brady, and drafted Tom Brady, and taught Tom Brady, and created their culture.

In the NFL, it's amazing to me that you can't have an honest conversation. You can rip any coach in the NFL except Mike Tomlin. Every time Kansas City loses, Andy Reid is a bum! Mike Mularkey lost a playoff game this weekend. Fired this morning. Atlanta loses? Not on Matt Ryan. It's Steve Sarkisian. He's terrible.

Mike Tomlin. That was a mess yesterday. Crickets. And when you even question-- as a Hall of Fame player, Terry Bradshaw knows football, last year just came out and said, you know, I don't consider him one of the great coaches, he was met with utter outrage. Well, Colin, that's because Tomlin's won Super Bowls. Tom Coughlin has won two Super Bowls and beat the smartest guy in the room, Bill Belichick, both times. And he was run out of football-- at least the New York Giants version of football.

I'm not here again to say Tomlin should be canned. But finally, his details or lack thereof were on full display. I've said for years, he's a little bit like Pete Carroll of Seattle. Rah, rah, heavy emotion. Details, close games-- I'll take other guys.

Big Ben. 19 times in his career on fourth and 1. Has grabbed the ball at 6'6", 260, and taken it himself for a first down. He's been successful 18 of 19 times. Big Ben calling his own number. Yesterday, they had two huge fourth downs. No, they threw a crossing route down the field. Low percentage pass against Jacksonville secondary, which I think is the best in football. If not, Minnesota's is.

How in the world-- ask yourself. You were smoked by Jacksonville. OK? You came into that game knowing this team physically humiliated us. And yet for the first hour, you were flat. No energy. Unprepared. That's on the coach. You don't see New England come in the games and be flat. They can be outplayed, out physicaled but they don't come in flat, looking unprepared.

Listen. The kickoff at the end of the game is an easy one to pick on Mike Tomlin. Let me defend him here. I'll defend Mike Tomlin. I don't want to be unfair. Let me defend him here on that onside kick.

Listen, the Steelers had forced no three and outs all game. Is Mike Tomlin thinking to himself, well, it doesn't matter if I have two timeouts. We haven't stopped these guys once all day. I want to get myself a 12%, 15% chance to recover the onside kick.

I'll defend him on that. I wouldn't have done it. I don't think Belichick would do it. I don't think most coaches would do it. But I thought the irony of the onside kick is not only did it fail, but the execution, the details were awful, and embarrassing. I'll defend him on that call.

Again, I don't know why you'd kick an onside kick giving them field position. All they need is a first down and to kick a field goal. It's not a good call. But I'll give him this-- Steelers had not forced the Jags out all day on three and out. So who cares about time outs? I'm going to give us 12% chance to recover the ball. But in fitting Pittsburgh fashion, they butchered it didn't even look like they practiced it.

And let me give you an explanation why I believe they were flat against Jacksonville, a team that handled them earlier. Because they're obsessed with New England. Obsessed-- remember earlier this year-- they were playing New England in a couple of weeks. And before a big game against Cincinnati, they talked about New England. I think they were looking ahead to New England. I really do. They had watched the Patriots. They were thinking about the Patriots.

All I know is this. The reason we know Belichick is the best coach in the league-- details. The reason I've questioned Tomlin is lack of them. I'm not saying he should be fired. I think there are some things he does very well. But two days before the game, this franchise's star running back was talking about a salary. It just doesn't happen in New England.

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