Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season is over, focus immediately shifts to the offseason. The team will conduct exit interviews with players and coaches over the coming weeks and there could be an added layer of intrigue this year given recent reports from ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Tomlin will not be fired, but “could decide to take some time off.”
The 31-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills was the fifth-straight playoff loss for Tomlin and the Steelers as they continue to go one-and-done in the postseason. Tomlin was able to get this team turned around from 7-7 to make the playoffs off the momentum of three-straight wins to end the regular season, but it was the same old song and dance in the tournament. The Steelers dug themselves a big hole early and their comeback attempt was too little, too late.
After the game, in the final question of his press conference, Tomlin was asked about his contract status. As soon as he knew what the question was, he exited the room in an abrupt ending to the conference. That has led to even more speculation about Tomlin’s future with the team in the national media. Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi joined the Pat McAfee show on Tuesday and discussed Tomlin’s abrupt exit and what he thinks of his future with Pittsburgh.
“That was easy for him. I mean, he just got beat in a tough game, undermanned, didn’t have his best player on defense. I thought they gave a great effort,” Lombardi said in a clip of the segment posted on Pat McAfee’s Twitter account. “If you think you’re gonna find a better coach than Mike Tomlin, good luck.”
Fans and members of the media are frustrated with Tomlin and the Steelers as they have hovered around league-average territory for the better part of the last decade. The criticism is fair, especially after watching other teams in the AFC North and the AFC in general get stronger with young, talented quarterbacks to carry them into the future. But anytime you hear current or former coaches or executives talk about Tomlin, they speak highly of him as one of the league’s top leaders.
One main criticism that continues to stick with Tomlin and could be his ultimate downfall in Pittsburgh is his acumen when hiring coordinator talent, specifically on the offensive side of the ball. Randy Fichtner and Matt Canada weren’t exactly the innovative minds to help modernize the offense and usher it into the next era of success.
“Certainly he can rearrange his offensive staff or perhaps add defensive coaches to his staff, but I don’t think you’re gonna go out there and say, ‘This coach is better than Tomlin,'” Lombardi said.
Tomlin’s end-of-season press conference should occur in the next couple days, and he will not be able to avoid questions about the future the same way he did after the playoff loss. The Steelers don’t often make hasty decisions so any developments with Tomlin or the rest of the coaching staff could take a few extra days.
