Ben Roethlisberger gave the Pittsburgh Steelers stability under center for almost 20 years. However, since he retired, they’ve been unsuccessful trying to replace him. They took a big swing on Kenny Pickett and that quickly turned out to be a mistake. Now, they’ve taken to signing veterans near the end of their career. Last year, it was Russell Wilson. This year, it’s Aaron Rodgers. While some might blame Mike Tomlin for this failure, Jerome Bettis doesn’t agree that Tomlin is to blame.
“He’s a really good coach,” Bettis said Thursday on The Zach Gelb Show. “If you’re saying he’s the reason that they don’t have a quarterback at that position, then you’ve gotta say you don’t know anything about football. He’s not picking the talent there.”
It’s true that Tomlin is the head coach, not the general manager, so he’s not officially making the selection when drafting players. However, it would be unwise to say that Tomlin isn’t involved in that process. He’s been with the Steelers for almost 20 years, and he’s constantly involved in the pre-draft process.
Tomlin’s voice is loud and carries a lot of weight in the Steelers’ building. The selection of players is most likely a collaborative process between Tomlin and Omar Khan. Tomlin shouldn’t take sole responsibility for Pittsburgh’s inability to find Roethlisberger’s successor, but he’s not blameless, either.
Reports indicate that Tomlin was a big reason why Rodgers came to the Steelers. That goes to show just how much sway he has in roster decisions. He wanted to add a veteran that could allow the Steelers to compete for a Super Bowl this year.
However, that doesn’t mean he should be fired if Rodgers doesn’t pan out in Pittsburgh. Tomlin is an excellent coach, and the Steelers aren’t totally hopeless at quarterback. They’re scheduled to have a treasure trove of draft capital next year. That should give them some flexibility to move up in order to select their next potential franchise quarterback.
Doing that is easier said than done, though. Some teams go decades without landing a franchise player under center. Take the Cleveland Browns for example. This year will only be the Steelers’ fourth since Roethlisberger retired. Maybe it’s okay to be a little more patient with Tomlin while Pittsburgh undergoes this search.
