Connelly: Tomlin enabled Steelers’ attitude

What happened on Sunday at Heinz Field is far worse for the Pittsburgh Steelers than any loss to a previously winless Tampa Bay team in mind-numbing fashion.

It’s not about punter Brad Wing’s incredibly unfortunate timing to kick a 29-yard duck from deep inside Steelers territory in the final minute of the game.

It’s not about the Steelers defense allowing Louis Murphy to make a catch-and-run at the most critical juncture of the game like it was 2009 and he was scoring game-winning touchdowns for Oakland — for those who don’t remember, that was the previous low of the Mike Tomlin era.

It’s not even about quarterback Mike Glennon’s 302 passing yards against a helpless secondary. Yes, that Mike Glennon.

What transpired on the field Sunday afternoon is what’s been going on for the past two seasons in Pittsburgh, only now it’s reached a tipping point.

Tomlin has lost this team.

Players can make excuses after the game, like defensive lineman Cam Heyward: “There were a couple of breakdowns, and it came down to a couple of plays, and they were able to make those plays.”

Tomlin can take the blame and use his punchy catch phrases to make the outside world believe he’s going to change things: “Obviously, we’re not coaching it. We are allowing it to happen. I take responsibility for it ... it’s unacceptable. It’s inexcusable.”

The only problem with all of that is, he hasn’t.

Tomlin has only enabled this group of Steelers, who were penalized 13 times for 125 yards in Sunday’s loss. That’s right, the Buccaneers were given more than a football field worth of yardage thanks to ridiculous celebration penalties and other post-whistle nonsense.

It doesn’t end on the field, though. Le’Veon Bell, arguably one of the teams most valuable assets, thinks it’s OK to smoke pot with LeGarrette Blount hours before the team is to board a plane for a preseason game.

I don’t mind that they were smoking pot. I mind the that they had the audacity to get high before a team function, where members of the coaching staff were presumably to be present.

That tells me the staff’s either fine with it, or that they’re too clueless to realize it’s happening. Neither answer is acceptable. And the reason why was exhibited on Sunday.

If you ever wondered how a team acts when there are no repercussions to their actions, I show you Sunday as Exhibit A. The worst part about it all?

It’s beyond repair.

I don’t have kids, but it hasn’t been too long since I was one for me to remember how discipline should be handed out. Set a standard early and stick to it. Tomlin was too loosey-goosey with this team from the outset and it’s coming back to bite him in the butt now that the talent isn’t there to overcome it.

Remember how Steelers fans used to laugh at Bill Cowher’s reaction to players when they came to the sideline after a mistake?

You know who wasn’t laughing? The players getting yelled at with spit flying in their faces.

What do they get from Tomlin?

“We have to fix it. I have to fix it. And I will.”

Uh-huh. OK, coach.

Kevin Connelly is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at kconnelly@vindy.com and follow him on Twitter, @Connelly_Vindy.