IDENTITY CRISIS

Here's an excerpt from my latest TribLive.com column:

The Steelers got their preferred method shoved into various orifices. Literally, in one case, as Baltimore running back Derrick Henry leveled Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick with an early stiff arm to the mouth.

The Steelers want to run the ball. But the Ravens had 299 rushing yards to the Steelers’ 29.

The Steelers want to possess the ball. But the Ravens had it for almost 40 minutes.

The Steelers want to play physically. But they got badly bullied on both sides of the ball.

The Steelers want to dominate on defense. But the Ravens drove 95 yards for a touchdown on their first possession and made it look easy.

The Steelers are supposed to be prepared and motivated, but they were anything but. They looked flat and disengaged, the new Steelers playoff tradition. It’s like the players are tired of the coach. The message seems lost.

Everything Tomlin wants the Steelers to be, they are not.

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The Steelers are suffering a full-blown identity crisis.

The Steelers aren't what they want to be. What they pretend to be.

Baltimore is a legit bad-ass football team. The Steelers cosplay.

How can the Steelers solve that?

All this happened on Mike Tomlin's watch. Bringing him back doesn't seem the best idea. But that's what's going to happen.

Tomlin wasn't responsible for the Steelers' identity in the first place. He won early in his Steelers tenure with Bill Cowher's players, leaders and culture. The further the Steelers get away from that, the more evident it becomes.