The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. That’s the perspective Tony Dungy thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers are taking by holding onto Mike Tomlin for another season despite the team’s most recent playoff failure that’s extended their losing streak and heightened frustration over the franchise’s inability to progress. Appearing on the Dan Patrick Show Monday, Dungy weighed in on the discussion over cutting ties with Tomlin.
“Let me ask this. Who am I going to get that’s better? That’s the thing that’s going to go through Art Rooney’s mind.” Dungy told Dan Patrick. “Yeah, I could move on from Mike Tomlin. What’s my next plan?
“When you look around out there, there’s no guarantees you’re going to get somebody who knows your organization, who can build this and do it any better. That’s what I think is going through their mind right now.”
Tony Dungy has been a strong supporter of Tomlin and the Steelers and was one of the first to be optimistic about the team this summer, predicting Super Bowl contention. For a time, Dungy’s words seemed wise. Pittsburgh began the year 10-3 and in control of the AFC North. But they finished out the season on a miserable five-game losing streak, failing to lead at any point along the way. It’s just the third time in team history that’s occurred and the first since 1969, Chuck Noll’s initial season as the team’s head coach.
To Dungy’s point, there is no guarantee of finding greater success. But that’s true of any coaching change or any change in general. There’s a level of unknown and a level of risk. The question is of reward and evaluation. If Rooney no longer believes Tomlin can lead the Steelers to success, then he should no longer be the coach. It’s basic and simple, but that’s how job performance should be evaluated—meeting expectations.
The benefit of a Steelers’ job opening would be picking any top candidate. Pittsburgh would be an attractive job, given the team’s history and stability. They’d be in a better position to land, say, Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson than other clubs fighting for his attention.
Dungy and Tomlin have obvious close ties. It was Tony Dungy who hired Tomlin for his first NFL job in Tampa Bay. After another season without meaningful progress, defending the Steelers’ status quo is harder than ever.
