The Pittsburgh Steelers organization has been in great hands since the hiring of head coach, Mike Tomlin, back in 2007. He is 161-93-2 all-time in the regular season and brought a sixth Super Bowl Championship to the city in just his second year at the helm. There has been frustration from fans due to the lack of playoff success recently as the franchise has only secured three postseason victories in the last decade. It's reasonable to understand why followers of the team are so upset and although Lombardi Trophies are the end goal, it may be a little aggressive to call for his firing at this time.
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 18: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on prior to a game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on December 18, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
NFL Films tweeted out a short clip of Tomlin speaking with his young offensive players prior to the game-winning drive on Christmas Eve against the Las Vegas Raiders. It was an inspiring moment and proved to be successful as quarterback, Kenny Pickett, led the unit down the field and they scored with under a minute to go after wide receiver, George Pickens caught a pass in the middle of the end zone.
Former Steelers safety and vocal ESPN personality, Ryan Clark has always been clear about his love for Tomlin. He took to Twitter to back him up once again after his sideline motivation was made available to the public.
I love Mike T… Y’all can keep begging for another coach if you want. Be careful before you get what you asked for and it ain’t what you wanted. https://t.co/oNnWS0ji9r
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) December 28, 2022
Tomlin can be heard in the video addressing multiple players of the offense and telling them they were going to 'grow up tonight.' The confidence in his voice is extraordinarily present and impossible to ignore. It was an awesome leadership moment to see from Tomlin and Clark's comments are especially interesting. He played in that locker room and bluntly says that anyone wanting to move on from him will regret it.
ARLINGTON, TX - FEBRUARY 06: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers talks to Ryan Clark #25 of the Pittsburgh Steelers as they play against the Green Bay Packers during Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Clark's old teammate and Super Bowl-winning offensive lineman, Trai Essex joined in on the conversation on social media. He backed up the ESPN analyst's comments and was short and to the point.
What he said!#ThatsMyCoach https://t.co/z284L6XU5l
— Trai Essex (@TraiDay79) December 28, 2022
It may be a little easier to back him up because both players were on a team that was consistently dominant, but for the last five years or so specifically, it has been hard to ignore the organization's playoff performances and lack there of. Tomlin still has a chance to continue his streak of non-losing seasons this year, but the fans are consistently murmuring about making a change, despite his incredible regular season success.
He has always been known as a player's coach, so it comes as no surprise that two guys are coming to defend him on social media, but fans need to ask themselves who would be a better option at the helm right now and for the future. Tomlin has been with the organization for over 15 years and he remains the right guy for the job, even if he hasn't been able to hoist a second Lombardi Trophy during his coaching career.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin smiles on during 2022 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Do you agree with Clark or do you still think that Tomlin needs to be held accountable for the lack of postseason success recently? Let us know in the comments below!
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