Steelers Get Ripped By Stephen A. Smith For Shameful Performance And Demands Mike Tomlin To Part Ways

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one and done in the playoffs, yet again. This time, they lost in dreadful fashion to the Houston Texans after keeping them in check for three quarters, then completely collapsing in the fourth quarter to the tune of 23 unanswered points. For the seventh straight playoff game, the Steelers found themselves in a large deficit and showing no life late in the contest. This lack of fight comes back to issues in coaching, execution, and the calls for Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin to be fired have intensified yet again.

These calls for Tomlin's job have reached members of the national media as well, particularly, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith. Smith appeared on First Take Tuesday morning to discuss the events of the game against the Texans, and he gave comments on how he believes that Tomlin's time in Pittsburgh should come to an end after 19 years.

"No, the Steelers should not walk into the office and fire Mike Tomlin," Smith said. "But Mike Tomlin and the Steelers should mutually agree to part ways. There's a certain level of respect that you afford him, we understand that, Scotty, no matter how much he may have respected John Harbaugh, made that decision. And if it has to come to that, that you have to do it, but times up. The Steelers haven't won a playoff game since 2016. The Steelers have now lost seven consecutive playoff games. And so I think that Mike Tomlin is a head coach in this league, I just think it's time for a new voice in Pittsburgh, and I think it's time for his voice to be heard with another franchise."

Smith's quote also delved into how the team has consistently performed well enough to make the playoffs year in and year out, but are never great enough to compete for a Super Bowl -- keeping the team stuck in what is an evolving league. Tomlin's questionable decisions on the field and his lack of adjustments during games continue to lead the Steelers in the same direction, and Smith's voice has joined countless others in the calls for Tomlin to go elsewhere to spark some form of change in the culture of the team.

Some believe Tomlin won't be fired at all, but rather, will step down as head coach and decide to pursue a career with a broadcast group. Whichever path Tomlin would decide to take, he would be a coveted option anywhere, whether it was with a broadcasting network or as head coach for another team. It may be a difficult decision for the Steelers to make, but as Smith referenced in his quote about how the Baltimore Ravens were able to make the hard decision to fire their former head coach, John Harbaugh, the Steelers arguably need to make the call and let Tomlin go a different way in the offseason. 

If the team truly wants to reset the culture and potentially have a shred of hope for the future, letting Tomlin go will be the first step in taking the franchise in a new direction, one that will hopefully be a good direction in time. There are plenty of options available to the Steelers, but if they do choose to let Tomlin go, they can't stop there.

Steelers Should Let All Coordinators Go If Tomlin Leaves

While Tomlin's departure might be the best way to get the Steelers set on rebuilding the franchise, it would likely mean little if the offensive and defensive coordinators were allowed to remain. For the Steelers to truly hit the reset button, they need to completely clean house and start fresh everywhere. Only then will the team have a more hopeful future.

What did you think about Smith's remarks about firing Tomlin? Let us know in the comments below.

#SteelerNation