The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to keep head coach Mike Tomlin, despite trade interest and some calls from the fanbase to move on after Pittsburgh’s eighth straight season without a playoff win and fifth-straight one-and-done playoff experience. Despite Pittsburgh’s lack of playoff success, former NFL OT Taylor Lewan, who spent his whole career as a member of the Tennessee Titans, said that as someone who played for an organization that wasn’t a guarantee to make the playoffs, holding onto Tomlin is the best move for Pittsburgh.
“Let me tell you as a person who played for a franchise that was not always a guarantee to make the playoffs, hold it tight. Stay as long as you can. Understand that this man is the man for the job,” Lewan said on Bussin’ With The Boys.
Lewan gave a similar message to that of former Steelers S Ryan Clark earlier this week, saying the grass isn’t always greener if Pittsburgh moves on.
“If you’re able to navigate that many personalities have sustainable success, and being somewhere for so long, for me, it’s very difficult to say, ok, go ahead and walk away from that. The grass is not always greener on the other side. You do not know how good you’re going to have it.”
The Steelers aren’t guaranteed to make the playoffs each year, but Mike Tomlin raises their floor and gives them a good chance. He’s never finished below .500 in a season, which is the benchmark accomplishment I think everyone around Pittsburgh is sick of hearing about.
Lewan’s general argument can get tiring because while Mike Tomlin can get the Steelers into the playoffs, just four of his 18 seasons as head coach have resulted in playoff wins. He’s 8-11 in the postseason, and the Steelers aren’t a franchise that should be happy just making the playoffs. The Titans organization and fans might be more content with getting into the playoffs, and they have also had a playoff win more recently than the Steelers and an AFC Championship Game appearance. Still, the Pittsburgh organization should be striving for more.
The Standard hasn’t been met in so long that it might as well not be the same standard, and that’s a problem. I’m not advocating for the Steelers to make a move, and it’s a moot point anyway since the team isn’t going to move on, but sometimes taking a risk can be best. While the grass might not be greener if the Steelers were going to move on from Mike Tomlin, the comfort level and not striving or looking to achieve more than the pedestrian results the Steelers have had for almost the last decade can be even more dangerous.
