Is it time for Mike Tomlin to step aside?
 

No doubt Mike Tomlin has been a great coach and got a lot from his teams over the years.

Now with Big Ben gone, a major rebuilding needed should he ride off into the sunset or look to go to a team that may be missing just a piece or two?

I think he could be a better fit now on other teams.

The Cowboys, Broncos and Raiders come to mind.

Am I being foolish?

Pittsburgh has so many holes it could be 3-4 years of subpar football.

What do you say?

Pittsburgh is a QB away from being competitive. I don’t think he’s going anywhere.

I really don’t care.. Gay wrecked a vacuum. That’s all I’m concerned about now…

Dude has coached like 15 years and has NEVER had a losing season. He now has ridded himself of the corpse that is Ben Roethlisberger. I think he's gonna be there for a while.

Not a chance. This would be as dumb of a move as Philly getting rid of Reid.

They have no running game, bad Oline, not a great secondary, no QB, aging and injured WR's.

TJ Watt can't carry the whole team.

If the Cowboys were smart, they would fire McCarthy and put Tomlin there.

They would be scary with his defensive intensity and I think he would get much more from Dak.

They have a great rookie RB and whichever QB they get is likely going to be an improvement.

I wouldn't want him coaching the Raiders or Broncos.

Aging WRs? What the **** are you talking about?

None of their WRs are over 25.

Let him rebuild... I'd be happy to see him in Denver, but I don't know why he would want to leave or why they would want him to leave.

Their offensive scheme was really limited. That was disappointing to watch, but I think they are smarter to just know what they can and can't do with him. At the same time, he seemed to thrive in the hurry up offense. Probably would have been wise to utilize him in spots he's a little more comfortable.

Either way Tomlin is a great coach. He figured out how to co-exist with Antonio Brown for a long, long time better than anyone else could.

Sometimes a change of scenery is need for both sides (thinking of Reid in Philly). But, that doesn't seem like the case for Tomlin in Pitt. Seems like if they just get qb who won't turn it over and can throw it accurately more than 10 yards down the field they'll be fine

Tomlin needs better coordinators.

I think he's an excellent motivator and seems fairly well organized. He appears to get the respect of his players and does most of those CEO responsibilities well.

I just don't think he's any kind of tactical mastermind, be it offense or defense. He's the kind of HC I think Dave Toub would amount to if he ever got a shot at it.

He needs to be surrounded by creative coordinators that can fill in some of his tactical deficiencies. And I believe Tomlin is now 1 season away from passing Cowher in games coached for them. It just doesn't seem like he's truly been around that long.

And y'know what? As much as I believe Tomlin has a clear ceiling, it's a LOT easier to find good coordinators than it is to find a coach that does the things well that Tomlin does.

So keep hunting for new coordinators and of course a new QB.

It's still completely crazy to me that the Steelers have had 3 head coaches in the last 50+ years.

Canada is hot garbage.

The time for Tomlin to step aside was when he was blocking the path of that kick returner a few years back.

Yeah - I can't imagine that guy is back next year.

But Tomlin/Butler is a nice start. I mean why couldn't they hire Matt Nagy? He made Alex Smith look elite - he could make Mason Rudolph look average, right?

He's not too old to remember not to smack a player when the cameras are rolling.

If I were Jerry Jones, I'd call Tomlins agent and tell him to name his price and make him turn me down.

Yeah - the issue isn't that they're aging. It's that they just aren't as good as it seemed they might be.

JuJu was badly exposed as a #1. Claypool is fine but CP overrates him because there's a large contingent of people who wanted to draft him. Johnson is probably their best, most talented WR but man those drops. They seem to always come at the worst time.

Is James Washington even on the team anymore? Going into last season he seemed poise for a 3rd year breakout and he just collapsed.

And then again, maybe Ben's lousy arm just made the whole group stink. But there are real physical limitations w/ JuJu and Claypool and Ben's inaccuracy isn't causing Johnson to drop passes.

Their WR group could maybe use a facelift but really they just need it to be what they thought it could be.

When they're catching balls from Aaron Rodgers next year, I would guess they'll be pretty good.

What are the Packers gonna give up to pry those guys out of Pittsburgh?

This is the right answer.

McCarthy is Jason Garrett 2.0

James Washington Mossed one of our corners twice last week. Pittsburgh's offense is gonna be great with a qb with live arm next year

I'll say where the perfect job for Tomlin is - Kansas City. If Reid decided to retire, thats where I would be looking at.

Signed a 3 year extension through 2024 last April.

No coach would "step aside" unless there was a health or family matter.

If they get Rodgers, then that is a game changer for sure.

What if Dallas doubled his salary? :hmmm:

Lol you continue to go back and forth on Rodgers getting traded or not. It’s not happening.

Exactly.

Mike Florio has been suggesting that a head coach for draft picks trade is underutilized.

That seems the only way Tomlin could possibly leave if he was traded for draft picks and seems like he would have to agree and I think he would rather work for the Rooneys than Jerry Jones.

Pittsburgh is rebuilding and could use a couple more for sure.

That would be a good move for both teams.

Dallas need a RB and not too much more IMHO.

Dallas just isn't getting the most out of their players, especially Dak and Ezekiel.

Nah. Let's see what he does with a new QB. It's hard to judge him when he's had a geriatric at the helm for the past few years.

And yet still finished with a winning record. Why would he leave an organization that has had 3 or 4 HCs since the 70s?

I expect the John Harbaugh-Lamar marriage to end poorly.

Yep. The guy has never had a losing season. He's not going anywhere.

No, he needs to wallow around in mediocrity with crappy QB’s coming and going every couple of years.

Again - 3 HCs in the last 50 years.

What has given anyone the impression that they'd be interested in trading one?

Pollard can play. They don't need a RB - they just need to give the ball to their good one.

But what about the 10 years prior to that when he had a HoF quarterback at the peak of his abilities and managed to coax a mere 1 AFC Championship out of him?

The guy's won 3 playoff games in the last 11 seasons - that's the sort of track record that got Marty fired. And he did it with obscene talent at times.

I mean - I'm not sure Tomlin's actually a good coach either. I think he's probably an average but flawed one. The problem is that even those aren't easy to find.

I really don't understand why people keep putting Tomlin on the hot seat. It has to be comical to him at this point. Get a QB with a pulse, beef up that ol and get better in the secondary, and their back to being a thorn in our ass. And they can do all that in one offseason

As long as he does not step on the field and trip a player

Exactly, but while we’re on the subject, if in 5 years or so Andy retires, would you be willing to trade a pick for McVay or somebody like that?

He definitely didn't have a Tom Brady in his division for 10 years lol

yip!

Any other team might be tempted. The Steelers, like you said previously, are notoriously patient with their coaches.

No. The Steelers are one of the best organizations in sports

To some degree he WAS the Tom Brady of his division.

The Browns and Bengals and their array of awful QBs, plus the Ravens. And Flacco was decent for a fair amount of time but really that's it. By the time Jackson was a thing, Ben was in sharp decline.

During Ben's prime years, Joe Flacco was his only real competition in the division. And he averaged right at 11 wins/season over that period w/ a 3-5 playoff record.

That ain't exactly a sterling resume for a team that had the talent the Steelers routinely trotted out there.

Is OP day drinking again?

Almost to the point of ambivalent.

A lot of damn good coaches in this league have had gotten fired for having 10 year stretches of relative underperformance like Tomlin has. Now what's worth noting is that most of those teams regretted it.

God dang it, I came here to make this joke.

Mike Tomlin or Andy Reid?
Next Deberg thread...

I would say Big Ben hasn't been in his prime in 4 or 5 years. What owner would can his head coach who can still sniff the playoffs with DUCK hodges?

Name an HC with similar resume? Fired or not

Again, Marty got fired for doing more with less.

13-3 with Steve Bono is a damn miracle. And he never had anything near the complementary talent on his rosters that Tomlin had.

As much as I dislike them, that organization is the very definition of consistency. And it has worked out fairly well for them.

I've never liked today's "bring it all together in 2-3 years or else" sports world. Of course at the same time, I don't care to revisit a 5 year plan continually extended. The Steelers seem to have found a balance there. Of course, it helps when you actually bring in the right people to lead, which admittedly, is easier said than done.

I heard this crazy factoid the other day which is a complete contrast to the Steelers organization:

In the entire history of the Cardinals, whether they were the Arizona, Phoenix, St. Louis, or Chicago Cardinals, they've never had a head coach who went longer than 5 seasons.

Yeah, and they're one of the NFL's oldest franchises.

This is spot on.

Exactly. They are not a knee jerk kind of franchise. It's why they are a model of consistency over the past 50 years.

Marty resigned in KC.

Now his firing in San Diego was criminal after going 14-2.

Yup. It's why the Chargers can't have nice things.

What are the Packers going to do to bring Aaron Rodgers back next year would be an equally relevant question here.

I just mentioned the idea that Florio was batting around regarding head coach trade. i am not saying it applies. I agree with you that Steelers value the idea that coaches serve for a long time.

As a fan of the Chiefs during the years of 2006-2008, I would say that sending draft picks for a head coach is actually OVERutilized.

Apparently nothing. Aaron said he kissed an made up with Gutekust.

I have no idea to what degree or if that statement is accurate or if that means Aaron is for sure going to play out the rest of his contract in GB.

But as it is, they don't really have to do anything since he IS under contract this year. The only power Rodgers has over them is holding out if he's not traded to a team he finds acceptable, and even then, I doubt the Packers are going to instantly cave into those demands. They're probably going to keep trying to massage his frustrations awhile into the offseason. Is that smart? Probably not, but given what we've seen out of that franchise this entire time, it's probably what they're going to do.

No doubt the Steelers love stability but maybe it's a good time with Big Ben and the decline of team.

They really didn't deserve a playoff spot this year but they got in last minute.

The issue is that it is Aaron Rodgers and one cannot predict what he will actually do, regardless of what he says. Maybe everything is smoothed over and all goes forward with out a hick up. Maybe all is smoothed over and something pushes one of his buttons one day and a hold out happens. I just wouldn't rely on his word is all.

If Rodgers wins the Superbowl or even makes it may be the deciding factor if he wants to stay or go.

Not yet but I'm thinking about starting right after I vacuum my house.

I would certainly consider that appeasing factor.

If they should happen to lose to Frisco this week does he get all agitated again?

He has to be... He said the Steelers WR were getting old and that Tomlin would help Dak. The exact opposite of what reality is.

Tomlin gets a lot of praise for never having a losing record… but that seems like a low bar for a storied franchise such as Pittsburgh who had a HOF-caliber QB and top level talent for most his coaching tenure with the Steelers.

Seems like more should be expected than simply finishing above 8-8.

OP definitely having a bad day.

Tomlin now been there as long as Cowher was. Tomlin with the better overall record.

take it to steelmenarecumming.com

Did he, though?

I was always of the belief that he was told he can resign or be fired. I believe the Chiefs made it clear that he would not be coaching the team the following season and had the decency to let him exit on his own terms due to his service to the franchise.

Good memory! I had to look that up. 4th round pick that Jets used for Leon Washington, who had some good games for them.

The Steelers are going to trade for Carr and not miss a beat.

Their defense is good enough.

The Steelers fans want him gone. I think it is a case of fatigue.

He is a solid coach but he has wasted many Super Bowl caliber teams since 2009. The lack of a losing record speaks more to the stability and the Steelers organization (loathes me to admit it) than anything Tomlin does.

Carr on the Steelers. :shake:

Are you trying to kill me? I would have to mercy kill the man.

Spot On !! But don't tell that to the donkey fans out here, they still think the "deal is done" because Mark Schlereth SAID SO !!!ROFLROFLROFL

My chief Fandom was in my infancy during the latter part of the Schottenheimer years, but I remember after all those 13-3 years I remember feeling like we were gonna get one eventually. We're chiefs fans fed up with Marty like that?