Steelers Great Terry Bradshaw Pleads With Mike Tomlin To Make Best Move For Team

The Pittsburgh Steelers won seven out of 14 games so far in 2023 and have sank to last in the AFC North. The Steelers have not finished last in their division since 1988. The last time it happened, Dan Rooney cleaned house.

The Steelers lost a third consecutive game for the sixth season in a row after getting embarrassed by the Indianapolis Colts 30-13. The Steelers' designs on the number one seed in the AFC against a slew of backup quarterbacks is a distant memory. Fans have completely soured on Mike Tomlin, and at least some of the sycophants in the national media have finally started paying attention.

Steelers Have To Be Honest And Admit Terry Bradshaw Was Right

Terry Bradshaw was one of the first to hop off the Tomlin bandwagon when he called him a glorified cheerleader a few years ago. Bradshaw was crucified for the observation, but looking back, it was a moment of clarity that too many in Steeler Nation ignored. On Sunday, during the NFL On Fox pregame show, Curt Menefee asked whether it was time for the organization and Tomlin to part ways with the award-winning panel.

“No. I think they bring in an innovative offensive mind and that’s end of story,” Howie Long cluelessly chimed in.

The ever-shifting narrative from the Tomlin apologists is now focused on this incredibly bad talking point. Tomlin hired Matt Canada, Mike Sullivan, and the rest of the utterly ineffective offensive coaching staff. He has never hired a quality offensive coordinator. He inherited Bruce Arians, and Todd Haley was forced upon him.

Bradshaw jumped in immediately and proposed his own solution. He did not engage in criticism of Tomlin and pointed out what he thought the pressing issue was for the Steelers' offense.  Finding a way to protect the man they selected as the franchise quarterback. 

“They have got to draft offensive linemen and protect their quarterback,” Bradshaw interjected. “Kenny Pickett is the answer at quarterback. You’ve got running backs that can run with the football but your not giving them a crease. You’ve got to improve that offensive line.”

The Steelers neglected the offensive line in the last years of the Kevin Colbert regime and are paying for it now. Dan Moore Jr, Chukwuma Okarafor, and Mason Cole are failed experiments courtesy of Colbert. James Daniels has not been much better, but at least rises to the level of competent. Isaac Seumalo and Broderick Jones, who Omar Khan and Andy Weidl brought in, are clearly the best options the team has, but the buffoons coaching the offense refuse to play them on the same side of the line.

“Mike Tomlin is an empty nester now. Kids are out of school,” Michael Strahan added. “I think if Mike Tomlin wants to leave it will be his decision not Pittsburgh. He will go and tell them I want out. I don’t think they want him gone, maybe he wants a fresh start.”

The observation was almost a word-for-word regurgitation of Jay Glazer’s observations from earlier this week. The Steelers should be so lucky that Tomlin agrees to leave the team voluntarily. Strahan and Glazer don’t understand that the fan base is desperately hoping for this outcome because they don’t think Art Rooney II has the fortitude to withstand the firestorm that would surely come from firing the first head coach in Pittsburgh since 1968.

“I don’t think he will do that,” Bradshaw concluded. "He wants to make sure he gets it back.”

Bradshaw is being diplomatic, but it does not seem possible. Tomlin is getting worse by the week, and the Steelers have quit on him. The last straw was the decision on Saturday not to allow Chris Boswell to attempt a long field goal and potentially build momentum for a floundering team.

The Steelers' head coach has been preaching about football justice in 2023. He has earned every bit of the comeuppance that Pittsburgh has experienced this season. The Steelers drafted a franchise left tackle, and he refused to insert him into the lineup in favor of Ben Roethlisberger’s favorite offensive lineman, Moore. He compounded that by allowing the worst offensive coaching staff in the league to disenfranchise a young offense and cast severe doubt about his chosen franchise quarterback, Pickett.

Bradshaw is right about finding better protection for Pickett. However, what good will it do if the Head Coach and the guys who could not get another job coaching offense on the high school level refuse to play them? If offered, Pittsburgh and Rooney should take the plea deal of Tomlin choosing to leave. That would be true football justice for Steeler Nation. 

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Is Bradshaw suggesting offensive line improvements just a band-aid that the current coaching staff is incapable of implying? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq. 

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