Mike Tomlin is the only head coach in NFL history that began his career with 18 non-losing seasons. Problem is, the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016, and the fans are getting restless.
The quarterback position has been a model of inconsistency and a game of musical chairs in Pittsburgh since the departure of legendary two-time Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger. Tomlin and the Steelers were rolling after replacing Justin Fields with Russell Wilson and had a solid run for most of last season until they lost their final five games, including a damaging L to the Baltimore Ravens in the wild-card round.
Aaron Rodgers To Pittsburgh Steelers? Tomlin On The Hot Seat
Now there are talks of 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers signing with the Steelers as an emergency bridge until they can eventually figure out how to secure another franchise quarterback. Not that the QB failures are his fault, but someone has to take the blame. By all accounts, Tomlin is on the hottest seat he’s ever been on as it pertains to his job as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
If he doesn’t figure it out this season, he might not be around long enough to see that next franchise signal caller walk through the door.
Shannon Sharpe Rips Mike Tomlin For His Standard Of Mediocrity
Shannon Sharpe went off on Tomlin during Tuesday’s “First Take”, ripping the coach for being mediocre and then made an analogy about how the Tomlin experience in Pittsburgh is like “kissing your girlfriend through a screen door.”
Ouch.
“We hear Mike Tomlin say all the time ‘the standard is the standard.’ Well in Pittsburgh, now the standard is mediocrity because what do we always highlight Mike Tomlin with? He’s never had a losing season. That ain’t worth a damn,” Sharpe said. “We don’t pay you to not have a losing season. We pay you the big bucks to win championships and they haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. … What is 9–8? What good is that doing me? That’s like kissing your girl through a screen door. That ain’t doing nothing. There ain’t no lips touching, you don’t get to hold no hands. That ain’t nothing, Stephen A. I need more from Mike Tomlin.”
Apparently, the voices of a new Steelers Nation aren’t into stories about Tomlin’s glory days, either.
“There’s a lot of frustration that builds up and it’s what you have done for me lately, but for them, just getting to the playoffs lately is not enough. You can point to the Super Bowl and the early career success and that’s not enough for these fans and particularly the younger fans who don’t remember the good times. All they see is squandered opportunities,” said ESPN Steelers Reporter Brooke Pryor on Wednesday.
Ryan Clark Wants Mike Tomlin To Leave Pittsburgh and Let The Fans Feel It
Former Pittsburgh player Ryan Clark was against the notion that the Steelers could find a better candidate to lead the team than Tomlin.
“Like the rest of these Pittsburgh Steelers fans who think, ‘oh we can just go out and get a better coach, oh we will continue to be competitors no matter how the coach is.’ No,” Clark insisted.
“The fact that this team continues to be competitive. The fact that you can look at this roster and say in many places and say, ‘oh they gotta get better there… oh they gotta get better there, and the fact that this team to me at least early every season overachievers and Mike Tomlin gives you a chance to compete, but yet you wanna do something else,” Clark griped.
He did however express a desire for Tomlin to go elsewhere.
“That’s why I have been saying I wish they’d do it,” Clark continued. “I wish Mike Tomlin would walk into the office of Omar Khan and say it’s time for me to go have my Andy Reid second act. It’s time for me to go somewhere else with a new group of players in a new locker room. That my voice will resonate and go win more Super Bowls.
Cause to look at Mike Tomlin and think to yourself that he isn’t preparing this team. To think he isn’t leading this team…to think to yourself this team doesn’t understand week in and week out what they have to do, it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
There’s no coach in the NFL that’s doing what he does Monday-Saturday better than he does and that’s where the job takes place. Sunday is our day.”
Ryan Clark Wants Mike Tomlin To Have His Andy Reid Second Act With Another NFL Franchise
This isn’t the first time Clark made the Andy Reid and Mike Tomlin analogy while suggesting why Tomlin should leave the Steelers. He also said the same thing in 2023 as Tomlin faced criticism.
There are two very different views about Mike Tomlin’s future as Steelers head coach. Ryan Clark’s suggestion is that he move on and takeover another franchise and win there and give spoiled Steelers Nation what it seems to want. A losing season with a different head coach. The other prevailing thought is that it’s just time for a new voice and new leadership in Pittsburgh.
