The Pittsburgh Steelers do not often ride on the coaching carousel. They have only hired three head coaches since 1969: Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and the man who currently holds the job, Mike Tomlin. It took Noll three seasons to dismantle the losing mentality of an organization that had gone the first 38 years of its existence without a playoff victory. Noll and Pittsburgh broke through with the Immaculate Reception in 1972.
Morris Berman / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers' Franco Harris (32), Terry Bradshaw (12), and Rocky Bleier (20) in the 1970s.
Since Franco Harris plucked the ball out of the air and scored the first postseason touchdown in Steelers history, Pittsburgh has only had seven losing seasons in 51 tries. Noll posted four in 23 seasons, and Cowher posted three in 15. The Steelers have only finished last in their division once since they drafted Terry Bradshaw in 1970. The 1988 season that saw Pittsburgh finish at 5-11 was met with swift action by Dan Rooney. The Steelers have won the AFC Central or North 15 times and have made the playoffs 21 times in the 35 years that have followed.
Pro Football Talk
Steelers' sometimes critic, Mike Florio criticized Kirk Herbstreit's defense of Matt Canada on Thursday Night Football earlier in the 2023 season.
The Steelers are a model of consistency, but fans are growing restless. The Steelers have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season. The Steelers have not won the AFC North during the last three seasons, and Pittsburgh has only won double-digit games twice in the previous six seasons. On Wednesday, Mike Florio, the founder of Pro Football Talk, joined The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller to discuss the state of Steeler Nation and the news that Tomlin might be considering taking a sabbatical from coaching, according to Jay Glazer and Adam Schefter.
“I’m going to go back to what I said the day of the Bengals-Steelers game, they’re not going to fire him,” Florio observed. “That was in the midst of a three-game losing streak. They weren’t going to fire him, and there was no indication that he was unhappy in any way, shape, or form. Why would he be unhappy now if he wasn’t unhappy then? I'll believe it when I see it.”
The reports that Tomlin could consider stepping away from the Steelers surfaced earlier this week. Glazer is a close friend of Tomlin's and could be just an instrument to convey the head coach's displeasure about his time on the hot seat during the most recent three-game losing streak of his tenure. Schefter's reporting is reliable, but even the best reporter misses some stories. Tomlin faced a very hostile Steeler Nation, and his supporters were dwindling.
"I don't know why he wouldn't want to coach at least through next year," Florio continued. "We'll see. They had no reason to think it was happening when the season was at a low point. Even if they get blown out on Sunday, they still can be proud of what they did this season, so we'll see."
The national media has been heaping praise on Tomlin for digging out of the hole the Steelers were in. They conveniently forget who dug the hole and delayed the decision to insert Mason Rudolph into the lineup. A move he had no choice but to make. Chris Mueller asked Florio if Tomlin could take umbrage with a mandate from Art Rooney II regarding the coaching staff after finding his way into the AFC playoffs.
"I know when Glazer put out the idea, and I think we talked about Tomlin being traded, which is still a possibility if he wants out, I would need to pull up that show and see exactly what he said," Florio concluded. "The problem is a word here, a word there changes the meaning completely. If it was coming, I feel like we would have a greater sense of it. I don't have any reason to think he would walk away from a season like this. What else is he going to do?"
Tomlin famously declared that he had no interest in coaching college football. He could elect to sit out a year and wait for his contract to expire with the Steelers, but if he does have his eye on the Los Angeles Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, or Washington Commanders, those jobs will likely not be available in 2025. He could work with the Steelers and one of those three teams on a trade and finally test the very tired talking point of how in demand he is as a head coach.
Steelers' Mike Tomlin Shared With Tony Dungy The Reason He Fired Matt Canada
Even in the throes of the lowest point of the 2023 season, Tomlin being fired by the Steelers was the longest of long shots. The real possibility existed that he might be in for a very interesting contract negotiation during the 2024 offseason. The likelihood that Pittsburgh would pay Tomlin not to coach, but hold onto Matt Canada because they don't like to pay people not to work is preposterous.
Matt Rourke / Associated Press
Steelers' Mason Rudolph (2) overcame sloppy weather conditions and poor officiating to deliver a 17-10 victory in Week 18.
Barring Rudolph leading them to the AFC Championship game, some very real changes still need to be made on offense. Based on Tomlin's track record of promoting assistants from within, he could prefer to keep the current offensive scheme in place. Unless Eddie Faulkner is hiding a different playbook in his office, the Steelers would likely be running Canada's system again in 2024. Pittsburgh probably has to extend Tomlin to get a new offensive coordinator. It should be the cost of doing business for both sides.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Do you believe Tomlin would walk away from the Steelers before his contract expires? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq.
#SteelerNation
