Mike Tomlin has been at the helm of the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise since 2007, and though there have been plenty of mediocre seasons mixed in, the longtime head coach has never been on a hotter seat than he is this year.
Tomlin and the Steelers narrowly defeated the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Dec. 7 to regain the AFC North lead, but at 7-6, Pittsburgh isn’t exactly a Super Bowl contender at this junction of the season.
Tomlin was surrounded by chants for his job from Steelers fans after they lost 26-7 to the Buffalo Bills in week 14 to drop to 6-6.
Tomlin’s response?
“Man, Iâve been on the hot seat for 19 years.”
Whether he truly feels that or he was just deflecting the question, the hot seat rumors have certainly been burning this season.
Steelers Legend Calls For Tomlin and Steelers to Part Ways
In his 19 years coaching the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin has never led the team to a losing record. They’ve finished 8-8 three times, but other than that, winning records every single season.
Tomlin had plenty of success in his first four seasons, winning the Super Bowl in year two of his tenure in 2008 and then falling in the Super Bowl in 2010. The stoic coach has long been one of the best in the league, but it’s been 15 years without a Super Bowl appearance, which has led fans and alumni to call for a change of scenery for Tomlin in order to bring in a fresher voice.
Legendary Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger delivered his input on the Tomlin situation on his podcast “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger.”
“Maybe it’s a clean-house time. Maybe it’s time,” Roethlisberger said. “I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin, but maybe it’s best for him, too.”
“Maybe a fresh start for him is what’s best,” he continued “Whether that’s in the pros, maybe go be Penn State’s head coach. You know what he would do in Penn State? He would probably go win national championships, because he’s a great recruiter.”
Since the podcast was released, the Penn State job has been filled, but Roethlisberger’s point still stands. Tomlin has one of the best resumé’s a football coach could possibly have and could likely land any job he expresses interest in, be that in the NFL or in college.
For a franchise with so much pride, it may be time for them to rip the band-aid off and start anew with someone else at head coach.
Tomlin Still Has Something to Prove In Final Four Weeks
Despite the hot seat rumors, Tomlin and the Steelers still sit in a playoff spot as of week 15 of the NFL season.
Tomlin is also looking to protect his streak of avoiding losing seasons, which he can do with wins in two of the final four games of the season. Pittsburgh has matchups with Miami, Detroit, Cleveland, and Baltimore remaining.
The week 18 game against Baltimore could very well determine the AFC North title.
Does Tomlin have enough juice with this iteration of the Steelers to make a run? We’ll find out in the next month of football.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Steelers HC Mike Tomlin Sends Strong Message on Hot Seat Talk appeared first on Heavy Sports.