Mike Tomlin will be successful in three replay challenges in 2019

In case you didn’t know, the Pittsburgh Steelers will return to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA in exactly 22 days of this article being published. With that, I decided to revive an old series we used to do as a lead up to training camp.

30 predictions in 30 days.

Myself and Simon Chester are alternating days giving a prediction for the upcoming season. Some will be team oriented, while others will be specific to individual players. Either way, read on to see the reason why we think today’s prediction will come to fruition, and why it might not come true. Give your thoughts in the comment section below the article.

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Prediction: Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin will win three replay challenges in 2019.

Why it will happen: While everyone knows how horrible Mike Tomlin’s reputation is when it comes to coach’s challenges, there was once a time when he was pretty good at them. Reports were during those times Tomlin had a coach in the booth watching the reviews and giving him a good idea whether to challenge or not. Tomlin clearly leaned on this advice, and used it wisely.

When that particular coach either wasn’t retained, or didn’t hold those duties anymore, Tomlin’s challenge record tanked. It has been a long time since Tomlin has won a challenge, but this may be the year this changes.

The Steelers brought in former Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin to not just help with the secondary, but also to assist Tomlin with replays during a game. Throw in the fact pass interference is now a reviewable play, I can see Tomlin winning three challenges in 2019. He won’t be perfect, but a step in the right direction.

Why it won’t happen: Did I mention Mike Tomlin hasn’t won a challenge in a really long time? For whatever reason, Tomlin simply can’t seem to get good intel before choosing to throw the red flag or keep it in his pocket.

Every coach will make mistakes, but at some point you have to wonder if Tomlin simply doesn’t have a good feel for not only what to challenge, but when to challenge. When you think about pass interference now being a play which can be subject to review, you have to wonder if this is opening Pandora’s box for Tomlin to botch more challenges.

Teryl Austin is there to help, but the coach who eliminated the position a few years ago has to be willing to listen to the advice of the help if change is expected. In this regard, Tomlin might win a couple challenges, but three seems like a lot.

What are your thoughts on this prediction? Do you think it will happen? Or are we crazy? Let us know by voting in the poll, and letting your voice be heard in the comment section below!