Now that the season is over for the Pittsburgh Steelers, there is going to be plenty of speculation regarding the future of not only head coach Mike Tomlin but also veteran defensive lineman Cameron Heyward.
Regardless of what happens in the future, Heyward, who finished off a rather trying 13th season in the NFL that saw him battle through a number of injuries, gave a passionate defense for the only head coach he’s ever known in the NFL.
Following the 31-17 loss in the Wild Card Round to the Buffalo Bills Monday at Highmark Stadium, Heyward made it quite clear that he doesn’t want to play for any other coach and that the current group of players on the roster wouldn’t have been able to function without Tomlin this season.
“There’s a lot of credit there [to Tomlin], but it’s not like we’re happy to just get to this point. We put so much into it, he put so much into it, and I think every player in there wouldn’t be anything without Mike T.,” Heyward said following the loss, according to video via Steelers.com. “This group would not function, to even get to a playoff berth, without Mike T. He keeps us accountable from top to bottom.
“I don’t wanna play for any other coach.”
The credit for Tomlin should be there, though he gets some of the criticism for the spot the Steelers found themselves in, too, in December, falling to 7-7 on the season and putting the playoffs in jeopardy.
But to Tomlin’s credit, he got the team to rally down the stretch with a third starting quarterback in the lineup in Mason Rudolph and got into the playoffs. Though the Steelers came up short in the playoffs again, the fact that the Steelers even got there this year is a credit to Tomlin, period.
Now though, with the season over, the speculation is going to start, especially with Tomlin entering the final year of his contract and having walked off the podium Monday night after the loss to the Bills in the middle of a question regarding his future.
There were previous reports that Tomlin could step away from coaching and take some time off, especially after being in the same position with the Steelers for 17 seasons. Or, he could look to pursue another opportunity elsewhere in the NFL since 17 years is a long, long time in today’s game. And if Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots can mutually part ways, so, too, can the Steelers and Tomlin, were it to come to that.
Heyward made his case, though. He made it clear, too, that he believes Tomlin will be back in Pittsburgh.
“I don’t really pay attention to what the coaching thing is because I feel like Mike T’s gonna be back,” Heyward added. “But that’s not my decision, I’m not gonna speak for him.”
We’ll see what happens in the offseason. Chances are, Tomlin gets an extension, and the Steelers look to build off of a 10-7 season in which they seem to have found a formula that works, though they still have some glaring holes on the roster to address.
