Joey Porter Jr. Defends Steelers' Tomlin: 'People Are Going to Talk S--t Regardless'

While the Pittsburgh Steelers' last losing season came in 2003 before Mike Tomlin was hired as the head coach, the team also hasn't won a postseason game since the 2016 campaign and enters the upcoming playoffs on a four-game losing streak.

That has led to some frustration within the fanbase, but cornerback Joey Porter Jr. isn't worried about the outside noise.

"People are going to talk s--t regardless," Porter Jr. said in a Thursday piece by Mike DeFabo of The Athletic. "That's just what it is nowadays. But definitely, we're all trying to fight for one thing, and that's to win (playoff games) and get Super Bowls.

"And obviously we're all fighting for Coach T. We know what he brings to the table and what kind of character has. We're always trying to get those wins for him. But at the end of the day, the media, the outside noise, is going to always talk, and we just got to worry about what's going on in the inside."

On the one hand, Tomlin has started his career with an NFL record 18 consecutive non-losing seasons.

It is a testament to his overall consistency and the program he has helped build that Pittsburgh is always a playoff contender over the course of various roster constructions, quarterbacks and eras.

However, his Super Bowl title came in his second season with his other Super Bowl appearance coming in his fourth. There have been plenty of recent playoff losses with defeats in the Wild Card Round ending the 2020, 2021 and 2023 campaigns.

Even the 13-3 Steelers in the 2017 season lost their first playoff game in the Divisional Round to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"This dichotomy has created a chasm between those who tout Tomlin as a top coach and those who believe change at the top is the only thing that can end the postseason drought," DeFabo explained. "The national media trumpets Tomlin's non-losing seasons, while the local radio shock jocks blast him for postseason failures. It's a dramatic divide."

A road game against the rival Baltimore Ravens on Saturday isn't exactly the easiest path to breaking a postseason losing streak, but Porter and the Steelers seem ready to compete for their coach.

If they pull off the victory, it will surely quiet some of the outside noise as well.