After the latest ‘Tomlin Special’, that inexplicable clunker of a loss, this time a 24-10 loss at the hands of the formerly 2-10 Arizona Cardinals, the list of grievances that fans have with Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is getting longer. The Steelers’ season began with the team riding high from a dominant offensive preseason, and it quickly fell apart in Week One. The defense has carried the day on most Sundays, and subsequently, the Steelers are 7-5 and still in the thick of playoff contention.
Yet the season has been at points a disaster. Fans feel plenty of animosity towards the head coach, and in some cases, it’s completely warranted. That doesn’t necessarily mean that fans should be calling for Tomlin’s head like they did for former offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
At least, that’s what Rich Eisen believes. On Monday’s episode of the Rich Eisen Show, Eisen did not mince words about his feelings toward fans calling for the proverbial head of the long-tenured Tomlin.
“If you want this to be the moment the Steelers finally get rid of Mike Tomlin, you are out of your frickin’ minds,” Eisen said. “I will tell you this. We are hearing seven to 10 jobs are open right now. And you can hear about the hot coordinators, and you can hear about my coach at Michigan, Jim Harbaugh… If this guy is put out on the market by the Pittsburgh Steelers, everyone will be falling all over themselves. And whatever the Steelers are paying him right now, he could double it.”
There’s no question that Steelers fans are angry about how the season has played out so far. Fans wanted Canada gone after last season, but Tomlin kept him around. There were rumblings from RB Jaylen Warren that the team may have overlooked the Cardinals ahead of Sunday’s matchup. Yet Eisen thinks that the Steelers would be wise to hold on to what he views as someone worthy of enshrinement in Canton, Ohio.
“Mike Tomlin is one of the best head coaches of all time,” Eisen said. “You will see him in the Hall of Fame one day, it’s going to happen. It’s going to happen, we’re going to see it.”
Tomlin has 170 career wins, good for 16th all-time. He has the third-most wins of active NFL coaches, three ahead of Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. He trails only New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, his opponent on Thursday night, and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid among coaches still on the sideline. He has the fourth-best winning percentage among active coaches and 21st overall in NFL history. In fact, Tomlin beat one of those four head coaches ahead of him on the winning percentage list earlier this season, Green Bay Packers head coach Mike LaFleur.
Yes, there is plenty to be frustrated with regarding Tomlin this season. However, you cannot argue that he has won more games than a ton of head coaches in NFL history. That would make him the most sought-after head coach if he were to be let go whether that was tomorrow or after the end of the 2023 NFL season.
Does Tomlin need to figure out some things? Absolutely. He needs to get his coordinator situation right, arguably on both sides of the ball. He needs to work with general manager Omar Khan to get the offensive line problems fixed along with addressing issues in the defensive secondary plus depth at inside linebacker. Then there’s the small matter of figuring out the most important position on the football field at quarterback. Is QB Kenny Pickett the answer or do the Steelers need to dive into scouting the quarterback class in the 2024 NFL Draft?
However, all those issues don’t mean Tomlin should be kicked out the door this week or even at the end of 2023. Yes, the Steelers head coach vacancy would be a desired one. The question is would whoever is brought in be better than Tomlin? That would be turning your back on a man who not only has won more games than the vast majority of people to ever be in his position, but he’s doing it at a percentage better than most.
