With the Pittsburgh Steelers now losers of three straight games, there’s more and more discussion about whether or not the Pittsburgh Steelers should part ways with head coach Mike Tomlin. Analyst Jim Rome said on The Jim Rome Show today that while he still believes in Tomlin as a head coach and thinks he’s a very good coach, it’s time for a mutual divorce between the Steelers and Tomlin.
“The guy would not leave Pittsburgh and turn into some hack who can’t reach players, who can’t motivate players, who can’t communicate with players, who can’t make them better than what they are. He may have lost this team, but if he did, he wouldn’t be the first. Messages get stale. They get old. They get tired. They get played. Guys get tired of hearing the same thing over and over again, just as I’m sure he gets tired of players doing the same things over and over again. It probably is time for a mutual divorce,” Rome said on his show today.
He thinks that it’s time for both Tomlin and the Steelers to channel their energy into a new challenge.
“I think everybody needs a reset, a reboot. They need a new challenge. They need a new opportunity. And even the players themselves need to hear a new message. And by the way, they’re showing up every single week, it probably is time for that.”
Rome still thinks Tomlin would be successful elsewhere because he’s still a good coach, even if it’s running out in Pittsburgh.
“Don’t kill this guy’s character and tell me he’s a crappy coach. He’s not.”
Tomlin’s had success in the league. He’s won a Super Bowl, and he’s never had a losing season. He raises the floor of teams, but right now, he’s not helping the Steelers reach their ceiling. After barely sneaking into the playoffs two seasons ago, the Steelers are on the verge of missing the postseason for the second straight year. That’s not acceptable in Pittsburgh, and it’s even worse when you consider that the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. They also haven’t exceeded nine wins since the 2020 season, which also ended with a collapse that culminated in a Wild Card Round loss to the Cleveland Browns at home.
Right now, it’s not working for Tomlin and the Steelers. The team’s gotten completely embarrassed in each of their last three games, coming out flat in Weeks 13 and 14 and then allowing 30 unanswered points and letting a bunch of backups run all over them against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 15.
Tomlin’s now in his 17th year with the Steelers. At some point, there’s only so long you can stay somewhere before it can become stale, and Tomlin’s lack of recent success really stands out. I do think it would be a surprise if Tomlin and the Steelers agree to go their separate ways this offseason, but with him only having one year left on his contract and Pittsburgh’s recent collapse, it feels likelier than it ever has.
I agree with Rome that Tomlin would be successful elsewhere. Guys want to play for him, and he isn’t a bad coach, as Rome said. He just might not be the right coach for the Steelers at this point.
