The Pittsburgh Steelers have employed Mike Tomlin for going on 17 seasons. Tomlin has been successful in the role. He has two Super Bowl appearances, albeit more than a decade ago, but they did happen. Tomlin was at the helm when the Steelers rode the arm of Ben Roethlisberger and won Super Bowl XLIII and when Rashard Mendenhall fumbled away Super Bowl XLVI.
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Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin (right) and Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians (left).
The offensive coordinator for Super Bowl XLIII was Bruce Arians. Arians became a successful head coach in the NFL and won his own Lombardi Trophy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has a strong personality and ultimately was forced out of Pittsburgh because he had too good a relationship with Roethlisberger. He was hired by Bill Cowher as a wide receivers coach and worked his way up to being promoted to offensive coordinator when Cowher was replaced.
The defensive coordinator was Dick LeBeau. There was no doubt when Tomlin, a defensive coach, took the job that LeBeau was untouchable. The father of the zone blitz schemes ran the Pittsburgh defense. The strong personalities on the Steelers' defensive unit would not have tolerated any encroachment on or mistreatment of their coordinator. A fact that Antonio Brown found out firsthand.
Steelers.com
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin (right) and Dick LeBeau (left) oversee practice.
Arians gave way to Todd Haley, whom Art Rooney II had a heavy hand in hiring. Haley was the first offensive coordinator who was not promoted to the position in 13 seasons. Since Haley was let go in 2018, Tomlin promoted Randy Fichtner to offensive coordinator in 2018 until he was let go after the 2020 season. The Steelers Head Coach elected to promote Matt Canada from quarterback coach to offensive coordinator in 2021.
The Steelers Are Not Focusing On George Pickens Offensively To Avoid Paying Him In The Future According To A Confident Mike Florio
On Wednesday, Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk joined The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller for his weekly appearance on the show. Florio had made headlines throughout the day on Wednesday for advancing a dubious theory that the Steelers' usage of George Pickens had to do with not wanting to pay him like a superstar wide receiver. Florio, who attended the Monday Night Football game against the Cleveland Browns, then turned his attention to the elephant in the room, Matt Canada.
“I did not start the 'Fire Canada' chant,” Florio joked. “But I feel like it started not far from where we were. It was loud and it was noticeable.”
Andrew Fillipponi has been a vocal advocate for Kenny Pickett and an exceptionally sharp critic of Canada’s interrupted Florio at that point. He interjected his views about what the problem was with the Pittsburgh offense.
“Mike, rebuttal on my part,” Fillipponi said. “I just think the offensive coordinator is so bad at his job. He doesn’t know how to make George Pickens the focal point of the offense. That is my Occam’s razor.“
Omar Khan and Andy Weidl spent the 2023 offseason assembling what was supposed to be a power run offense for Tomlin and Canada. They invested heavily in the offensive line and brought in one of the best blocking tight ends the NFL has seen in recent memory. The results through two games have been awful.
“What point is it on Mike Tomlin,” Florio shot back. “That’s what I want to know. When is it on Tomlin? The preseason makes it even worse. Because they teased us into thinking they had something. If we wouldn’t have had that hope that was created in the preseason. They should have lost that game, the way they played offensively.”
The Steelers beat the Browns 26-22 on the strength of an Alex Highsmith interception return for a touchdown and a forced fumble that TJ Watt returned for his first career regular season touchdown. The Steelers forced four turnovers in all and needed every one of them to defeat the Browns.
"We never know whose calling the shots because nobody ever wants to claim credit,” Florio stated. “When blame is to be attributed, it basically lands on everyone. I just think somebody beyond Matt Canada is at fault for the fact that there is no offensive identity. How can Mike Tomlin allow that to stand? How can Art Rooney allow that to stand?”
Florio is right to mention this growing point of contention. The Steelers' leadership has painted itself into a corner, and someone will have to make a mess. Somebody made the case for Canada behind closed doors. The two prevailing theories are that the Steelers don’t fire coaches. They let their contracts expire. The other theory, which is currently the company line, surrounds the continuity myth.
AP Photo
Steelers Team President Art Rooney II (left) and Head Coach Mike Tomlin (right) oversee practice during 2021 minicamp in Pittsburgh, PA.
It is painfully apparent that Rooney and Tomlin have botched the decision. One or both are responsible and if they are the leaders that Steeler Nation thinks they are, they should take a step back. Khan is the general manager. Let him lead the search for the offensive coordinator pool and force Tomlin and Rooney to stay within a qualified candidate list of replacements.
Photo Credit: ESPN, courtesy of Omar Khan
Omar Khan (left) and Dan Rooney (right) celebrate Super Bowl XLIII.
Khan has yet to have a significant misstep as the general manager. If Dan Rooney were alive, he would fix it himself. Khan is currently the most competent at his job in the leadership group, so let him fix it. The Steelers don’t assign credit or blame, but they do require competency. Khan is the only choice to fix it if the organization is still following the Steeler Way behind the scenes.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Do you agree that Khan should head the search for a new offensive coordinator? Please let me know what you think. Comment below, or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq.
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