Steelers' 91 Year History Says Mike Tomlin Will Not Find Greener Pastures By Seeking New Position Elsewhere

The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the NFL in 1933. They just completed the 91st season in franchise history. The Steelers' first 39 years in the NFL were marked by ineptitude and losing. The only playoff game in the franchise’s history before the AFL-NFL merger was a 21-0 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Other organizations used the idea of being traded to Pittsburgh as a tangible threat to motivate players on their teams. 

During the first 38 years of the franchise, Art Rooney employed 13 men as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. If you count the fact that Walt Kiesling was employed three separate times as the leader of the team, Pittsburgh changed coaches 16 times in 38 years. Pittsburgh was physical and tough, but nobody saw them as an actual threat to win a championship. Sound familiar?

All that changed when Pittsburgh hired Chuck Noll in 1969. Pittsburgh dominated the 1970s under Noll and won four championships. The Steelers have had three coaches in the 53 years since Noll took over in Pittsburgh and are tied for the most Super Bowl trophies in the NFL with six. Continuity became important to the Steelers under Dan Rooney, and his son Art Rooney II has followed in his footsteps. 

Pittsburgh and Mike Tomlin have become a hot topic in 2023. The Steelers lost their fifth playoff game in a row. They extended the second-longest playoff drought in franchise history after falling behind the Buffalo Bills 21-0 and ultimately losing 31-17 in the AFC Wild Card game. Many of the talking heads at ESPN, Fox Sports, and Pro Football Talk, to name just a few, have defended Tomlin ad nauseam. Steeler Nation is all too familiar with the routine and never had a losing season argument, which Shannon Sharpe brilliantly debunked on ESPN’s First Take.

The other popular talking point that Mike Florio, Mike Greenberg, and Rich Eisen love using is that Tomlin would be hired in five minutes if he becomes available. Florio has suggested that more than a few teams would fire their current head coach to hire Tomlin. This a claim he reiterated Wednesday on The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller. 

"I have reason to believe that every year, there are one or more teams that are at least curious about whether or not Mike Tomlin is going to be available," Florio stated. "It goes back to something I've said for years. There will be teams out there lined up to get him, and there will be teams out there that fire their current head coaches to try to get Mike Tomlin, and you gotta be ready for him to go somewhere else and thrive. You better hope whoever the Steelers replace him with are going to do as good or better than he does at his next step."

Setting aside all of the statistics that directly refute the idea of Tomlin's "achievements" as head coach, Florio is familiar with the Steelers' history pre-Noll. He has made the point more than once that Pittsburgh used to be a revolving door for coaches. Florio has also stated his belief that the Steelers are too attached to continuity being causality for their success. 

Florio and the other commentators don’t seem to know, and many current executives who make these decisions for a living have forgotten that no one has ever hired a former Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach in the NFL. Pittsburgh has had 19 men in the position, and not one has left Pittsburgh and been hired as the Head Coach in another organization. Bill Austin, fired in 1968, served as the Washington Commanders Head Coach on an interim basis when Vince Lombardi had to leave the team for health reasons during the 1970 season.

Forgotten Steelers Hall Of Fame Quarterback Bobby Layne Is Clearly The 3rd Best Quarterback In Franchise History

Before 1969, Steelers' head coaches were not hired by other teams because they were not very good at their job. The only notable exceptions are Jock Sutherland, who led them to their one playoff appearance before the merger and died suddenly before the following season. Buddy Parker won championships with the Detroit Lions before becoming the Steelers' head coach, and he fielded some of the best teams before Noll that featured the Steelers' other Hall of Fame quarterback, Bobby Layne. 

Noll and Bill Cowher essentially retired from coaching when they left the Steelers. Noll was exhausted after 22 seasons and four Super Bowls. He had no intention of returning to coaching. Cowher left the team after 15 seasons to spend time with his late wife, who was battling the illness that ultimately took her life. He took a job in television, but was rumored to be the hot candidate every time a major job opportunity presented itself. 17 years later, Cowher still has yet to return to the sideline, and it is doubtful that he ever will.

Tomlin might be in demand when he departs the Steelers, but history is not on his side. If he chooses to take a break from coaching and goes into the studio or the broadcast booth, he will likely become a television star. The new challenge should fit his skill set perfectly, and if he is successful, his ego might prevent him from going back into coaching.

He wouldn't be the first former coach to have a long, celebrated television career. Who knows, maybe kids will be playing Tomlin instead of Madden on PlayStation 11 25 years from now. At least the Steelers would get a fair shake on the player ratings if that happens. 

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Will Tomlin move on to coach another team, or will he find a home in broadcasting? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq. 

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