For the sixth time in Mike Tomlin's 16 seasons as head coach of the Steelers, his team didn't qualify for the playoffs.
It's a tough pill to swallow for everyone on the South Side. This is, after all, an organization with Super Bowl aspirations year in and year out.
So it's no surprise that when Tomlin stepped to the podium Monday afternoon at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for his end of season press conference, he wasn't quite ready to put the 2022 season behind him.
"I stand before you today with a lack of preparedness for this, to be quite honest with you," Tomlin said.