At 2 p.m. Tuesday on my radio program, I said, “If Mike Tomlin had an ounce of pride, he’d quit.” Tomlin’s resignation broke a little over five minutes later. So it was said, so it did come to pass. Now for the denouement: Refreshing Tomlin notes! A new day will dawn, for those who stand long. …
• Tomlin was in no way hard done by. He’s not a victim or a martyr. His run just came to an end.
• Tomlin won a Super Bowl and got to another in his first four seasons. He since won three playoff games in 15 years, suffered nine first-round exits and lost seven straight postseason games, including the last five by double-digit scores. His winning percentage in the playoffs is .400.
• Tomlin posted his greatest accomplishments with Bill Cowher’s players, culture and leaders. The further Tomlin got from that, the more evident it became.
• The Steelers will likely do worse in the next few seasons, giving Tomlin disciples a chance to crow. That’s OK. The last time the Steelers had a losing season, they drafted Ben Roethlisberger.
• All the next coach has to do to top Tomlin is win one playoff game in nine seasons. Here’s betting it happens. The bar has been set low, whether you want to notice or not.
• The next coach needs to have an offensive mindset. Somebody who understands that the NFL is about scoring more, faster. Given the Steelers’ tradition of hiring up-and-coming assistants, Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak jumps to mind. But the Steelers believe in defense first, however outdated. So, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula might be a better bet. (If there’s ever a time to make a clean break from black-and-gold antiquity and do a complete reset philosophically, it’s now.)
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• Forget about college coaches like Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman or Indiana’s Curt Cignetti. Those guys have better jobs. Except for the likelihood of long-term job security as delineated by the franchise since 1969, the Steelers’ coaching position is not an attractive one. Bad facilities, low budget for staff, expensive and aging defense, no quarterback, a lot isn’t good. (Especially that “no quarterback” part. The New York Giants are a rotten franchise. But at least they have Jaxson Dart. That makes their head coaching job more appealing.)
• Recently deposed Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski should be at the top of the Steelers’ list, but isn’t. He’s a two-time NFL Coach of the Year with an offensive bent. He failed in Cleveland partly because he was undone by ownership interference. But the Steelers won’t recycle, let alone a former Browns boss. The last time the Steelers made a hire with previous NFL head coaching experience was Buddy Parker in 1957.
• The Steelers should restore more power to the GM regarding personnel. Tomlin had final say, and that led to drafting Kenny Pickett in 2022’s first round. But to make that adjustment, the Steelers need a better GM. Omar Khan is unqualified. He’s a cap guy, a bean counter.
• Drafting Pickett was Tomlin’s biggest mistake. It was 100% his call. It set the Steelers back at least five years, probably more. Tomlin inherited Ben Roethlisberger and otherwise mangled quarterback.
• Tomlin’s second-biggest mistake was not employing assistant coaches who had equal or greater football knowledge and were willing to challenge him. He ran Dick LeBeau and Bruce Arians out the door and surrounded himself with sycophants like Teryl Austin and mascots like Danny Smith. Tomlin has no coaching tree. That doesn’t mean everything, but it doesn’t mean nothing.
• Tomlin’s departure should be accompanied by pushing lots of veterans out the door. But what team would want a clearly declining T.J. Watt on a contract that runs through 2028 with an average annual value of $41 million with $108 guaranteed at signing?
• Khan won’t go. A lot of assistant coaches will stay. A lot of players who should go will stay. This won’t be nearly the paradigm shift it could or should be.
• Aaron Rodgers lambasted “Twitter experts” and “experts on TV” in a passionate defense of Tomlin after Monday’s playoff loss to Houston. Of course, Rodgers is going to defend Tomlin. Rodgers was here for what seemed like 15 minutes and got everything his way, to the point of totally hijacking the offense. Rodgers got more out of the Steelers than the Steelers got out of Rodgers. He got to (very likely) finish his career with a winning season after becoming a punchline during two years with the New York Jets.
• Tomlin dodges criticism because few want to speak ill of the NFL’s pre-eminent Black coach. Tomlin and John Harbaugh have very similar resumes. Yet Harbaugh’s dismissal at Baltimore seemed perfectly logical to most, while Tomlin’s resignation triggered the death scene from “Camille.”
• Tomlin never having a losing season became an albatross around the Steelers’ neck, an artificial achievement that kept Tomlin afloat. The “accomplishment” became cliched and boring, as did the notion of never playing games that didn’t matter. It was ignored that the streak pre-dated Tomlin and was started by Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger owns that streak more than Tomlin does.
• Tomlin finishes his Steelers career tied with Chuck Noll for all-time regular-season wins. That’s like comparing Diet Coke to Dom Perignon.
• Josina Anderson says Tomlin quit because the city of Pittsburgh didn’t appreciate him enough. If Tomlin is that thin-skinned, it’s amazing he lasted as long as he did. Big-time coaches aren’t in the appreciation business. If Tomlin was rattled by the “Fire Tomlin” chants at Acrisure Stadium, perhaps it’s because they were merited. Imagine Steelers fans not appreciating no playoff wins in nine years.
• Tomlin is renowned for his relationships with players, but wrongly so. Sure, players like Tomlin. But that didn’t stop DK Metcalf from smacking a fan in Detroit, or George Pickens from repeatedly showing up late during his Steelers tenure, or Antonio Brown from destroying the culture to the point where it still hasn’t recovered. Tomlin had friendships. He didn’t have control. Control matters more than warm and fuzzy.
• I don’t think Tomlin was ever a good coach. I think he was a fraud who drenched his shortcomings in word salad that was gobbled up by a national media that sadly lapsed into long-term fealty. But even if you revere Tomlin, there’s no way to look at Monday night’s playoff drubbing — the latest in a series — and not think it was time for this to end.
