Steelers' Mike Tomlin Can Still "Be A Great Coach" But Ownership Needs To Help Him To Do It Says CBS Reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala

Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin was an exciting young hire for the organization 17 years ago after Bill Cowher tendered his resignation after an 8-8 finish to the 2006 season. Larry Foote recalled he was enthusiastic to have a youthful, upcoming Black mind coaching his team. Then training camp rolled around and Tomlin implemented a heavy-hitting practice regimen to the dismay of the veteran player. The perceived lack of accountability has been a major storyline for the Steelers in the 2023 season and CBS Sports reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala thinks Tomlin might need to dig back into his old bag of tricks to fix things. 

Kinkhabwala joined former Steelers Super Bowl-winning offensive lineman Trai Essex and Cleveland Browns superfan Rich Rodawalt on a recent episode of their podcast Pod Me Up to chat about the state of the Steelers after their playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Round. While there are still all kinds of unanswered questions about the future of Tomlin coaching the Steelers after he walked out on a question about his future following the loss, the veteran sideline reporter still thinks Tomlin can be the right man for the job. 

"I think we all need to grow and evolve and not be afraid of tweaking what we do," she said. "The way that I parent my two-year-old is not the same way that I parent him now that he’s eight. Two things can be true. Mike Tomlin can be a great coach who needs to adjust and tweak a few things."

Where Tomlin needs to potentially make a change is in his approach to how he handles disciplinary measures with players. Kinkhabwala said that when she first started covering the league, her beat was the New York Giants. Tom Coughlin, known as a very tough coach, was asked by ownership to tone it down and to show his players that he did have a side to him that wasn't strict all the time. Kinkhabwala said Coughlin took that to heart and it was what allowed the team to win Super Bowls in 2008 and 2012.

She thinks that the same kind of change might need to happen for Tomlin. Instead of toning it down, however, he needs to tighten it up. Running back Najee Harris seems to agree that a better sense of structure is needed in Pittsburgh. 

Steelers' Tomlin Needs To Up The Anti On Discipline

For years, it seemed like Antonio Brown could get away with anything he wanted because of how talented he was. Miss a meeting, okay. Late for the team flight, we'll try to find a way to hold it for you. Kinkhabwala thinks it's time for Tomlin to take a good hard look at his discipline practices and make some changes. 

She said that he needed to hold players more accountable in the 2023 season. She referenced the lack of accountability from George Pickens when he didn't block for Jaylen Warren in a game against the Indianapolis Colts and a lack of effort from Diontae Johnson to go after a fumble in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. She added that she didn't see the right response from the head coach for these issues. 

"If you're not fining guys for missing meetings, what is the message to the rest of the locker room," she said. "If you don't want to be the one fining guys, then get your GM to do it. I don't think the Steelers need to move on from Mike Tomlin. I think he needs a better staff around him and he needs to hold players accountable in a certain way."

Tomlin, whether he likes it or not, might need to take a look at himself and how he deals with players because the issues in 2023 can't stick with the team. Just like he realized the team didn't need the rough training camp again in 2008. It helped win the organization a Super Bowl then. 

What did you think of Kinkhabwala's comments? Does Tomlin need to re-evaluate his discipline practices? Comment below!       

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