Mike Tomlin is stepping down as the head coach
for the Steelers. I know this is a joyous time
for a lot of people, but I feel like in this
moment, we need to peel back the layers on why
this is happening now. And we need to talk about
potential head coach candidates, what's going
to happen moving forward, what I think they need
to do, and how is this going to affect the players
moving forward, okay? All of this and more on
this breaking news episode of the Football Junkies
Podcast. I'm not going to do no intro, not going
to do no outro. We're just going to get into
it, okay? So here's the statement from Steelers
president Art Rooney II, and I quote, During
our meeting today, Coach Tomlin informed me that
he has decided to step down as our head coach.
Obviously, I am extremely grateful to Mike for
all the hard work, dedication, and success we
have shared over the last 19 years. It is hard
for me to put into words the level of respect
and appreciation I have for Coach Tomlin. He
guided the franchise to our sixth Super Bowl
championship and made the playoffs 13 times during
his tenure, including winning the AFC North eight
times in his career. His track record of never
having a losing season in 19 years will likely
never be duplicated. My family and I and everyone
connected to the Steelers management are forever
grateful for the passion and dedication Mike
Tomlin has devoted to the Steelers football,
end quote. Now here's the statement from Mike
Tomlin and I quote, After much thought and reflection,
I have decided to step down as head coach of
the Pittsburgh Steelers. This organization has
been a huge part of my life for many years and
has been an absolute honor to lead this team.
I am deeply grateful to Art Rooney II and the
late Ambassador Rooney for their trust and support.
I am also thankful to the players who gave everything
they had every day and to the coaches and staff
whose commitment and dedication made this journey
so meaningful. I want to also thank Steelers
Nation. Your passion, loyalty, and high expectations
represent what makes this franchise truly special.
Coaching in Pittsburgh is unlike anywhere else,
and I will always take great pride in having
being a steward of this team. While this chapter
comes to a close, my respect and love for the
Pittsburgh Steelers will never change. I am excited
for what the future holds for this organization,
and I will forever be grateful for my time in
Pittsburgh." Mike Tomlin's overall record with
the Steelers is 193 wins and 114 losses. Now
that we've read all the statements and whatnot,
let's talk about this situation. I don't think
Mike Tomlin made this move after the Texans'
loss. I think Mike Tomlin had been thinking of
this move for a very long time. Because let's
be honest here. The last few years with the Steelers
have not been great. They haven't done well in
the playoffs. And just overall, they're not a
good team. Now, sure, we can play the blame game.
We can point fingers at this person and that
person, this decision and that decision. But
the fact of the matter is this. The Steelers
are trying to do something that is very difficult.
And that is they're trying to retool while remain
competitive. Now, I'm not saying this is impossible,
but the part that the Steelers continue to fail
on is not consistently hitting on their draft
picks. And the other part we need to talk about
is the Steelers continuing to sign these old
players. I understand that these are some really
great names and these are going to be potential
first ballot Hall of Famers and whatnot. But
you guys are signing these old ass players thinking
that you're going to get the same production
that you saw with other teams when you're not
even using them the same way that they were just
used. So when you factor all of this in, of course,
the Steelers were not going to be competitive.
Now, I know the media is spinning this story
and talk about how Steelers fans are ungrateful
and they need to appreciate Mike Tomlin and all
this crazy things. And he's never had a losing
season. Let's really talk about this. All right.
Yes it is an achievement that he's never had
a losing season but at the same time that doesn't
mean that he's greater than all the other coaches.
Because anybody can be great in the regular season.
What really defines your legacy is the postseason.
In the last few years Mike Tomlin has not had
a lot of success in the postseason. The last
time they won the playoffs was in 2017 and since
then they haven't done anything. In 2020, you
lost to the Browns 48 -37. In 2021, you lost
to the Chiefs 42 -21. In 2023, you lost to the
Bills 31 -17. In 2024, you lost to the Ravens
28 -14. In 2025, you lost to the Texans 30 -6.
Now, sure, people can play the blame game and
say, oh, we didn't have this person in the playoffs,
or we didn't have this quarterback in the playoffs,
and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,
blah, blah. Doesn't matter, okay? The fact of
the matter is, this has been an accumulation
over time of not getting it done. And let's also
be honest here. The Texans game was probably
their best chance of winning a playoff game.
Because C .J. Stroud wasn't playing his best
ball. He kept fumbling the ball over and over
and over again. The defense was putting the offense
in great positions on the field. But the offense
couldn't do anything. Because why? They have
a stagnant offensive coordinator and they don't
have any weapons. Now as much as I want to praise
Mike Tomlin for all of his achievements and whatnot,
I also have to be very critical. Bro, you wasn't
getting it done in the last few years. And I'll
be honest, I'll be very transparent with you
guys. Mook, you know exactly what I'm getting
ready to say. The only time this offseason where
I was actually really excited to be a Steelers
fan was when we acquired Jalen Ramsey. Because
at that moment, I'm thinking, oh, we only gave
up a couple picks and maybe a player that's not
going to make the roster to acquire Jalen Ramsey.
But then once I found out that we traded away
Minkah Fitzpatrick, I was done with the team.
Because at that point, that had already let me
know that you're choosing names over value. Let's
go a little bit deeper. I've been one of the
main people that have been beating on the table
that the worst trade they ever made this offseason
was getting Jalen Ramsey for Minka Fitzpatrick.
Because I know everybody was being critical of
Minka saying, oh, he's not making the same splash
moves that he used to do. He's not getting picks.
He's not getting this. He's not getting that.
Why are we paying Minka Fitzpatrick all this
money? But the fact of the matter is this. You
need Minka. Because what you have on this roster
right now is a more expensive, less athletic
version of Minka Fitzpatrick. And this is no
way of me shooting a shot at Jalen Ramsey. I
love Jalen Ramsey, love his game, love everything
that he bought to the Steelers. But you traded
down to get a name. Then you give $10 million
to Darius Slade when you know he can't play man
coverage anymore. And understand this here, folks.
There is not one player on this roster that Mike
Tomlin does not give the green light on. This
isn't Omar Khan's working. This is Mike Tomlin's
working. And don't get it twisted. I'm not one
of these crazy fans out here that are saying,
fuck Mike Tomlin. Mike Tomlin's gotta go. I'm
so sick of Mike Tomlin. I could just cry right
now. I'm gonna drink my life off. I'm not one
of those fans, okay? If you're looking for the
Steel Hero Podcast, you're not gonna get that
over here. You're gonna get real people, real
information, real facts. If you're looking for
that delusion crap over there, you go over there
and you look for it, but not over here. We're
gonna talk about this situation. We're gonna
unpack this situation like professionals. I can
be critical of somebody while at the same time
appreciating the work that they do. What coach
do you know that can go through the things that
Mike Tomlin has gone through within the last
five to ten years and still remain competitive?
Name me one coach that can still remain competitive
without having a franchise quarterback. I don't
know a lot of coaches that can do it, but Mike
Tomlin can say that he did it. And before we
go any further, huge, huge, huge shout out to
Josina Anderson because she was one of the first
people that actually talked about a significant
move like this happening. Now, this is what Josina
Anderson tweeted out on October 13th, and I quote,
Spoke to a league source who tells me they're
currently expecting five NFL head coaching changes
that includes the Titans. One of said teams has
a star player expressing frustration to ownership.
Another team no one is really talking about now
could be looking for new scenery next year. We'll
keep you posted. Some top personnel changes already
simmering, as well as on a couple of teams minimum.
One in each conference." And since we're giving
out shoutouts, we also have to mention Albert
Breer because he was the one that made the connection
of Chris Shula possibly being the next head coach
for the Steelers. So this move was already in
play a long time ago. It's just now it's finally
come to fruition. Now, with that being said,
I know a lot of people are overhyping the Steelers
job. Everyone's saying, oh, it's the most coveted
job in all of the league. And it's the greatest
job of all. You got to go to the Steelers if
you're a head coach, blah, blah, blah, blah,
blah. You gotta, gotta, gotta. Yes and no. Let
me explain why. So for starters, the Steelers
don't have a franchise quarterback. And it also
doesn't help that you're approaching a draft
class that doesn't have a lot of quarterback
prospects. And the only two prospects that everybody
is going to be clamoring over are going to be
drafted high up in the draft. So there's no point
in you giving up a boatload of picks to try to
get Fernando Mendoza or Ty Simpson. Just build
out the rest of your team and go for it in 27.
Now, the cap space, that's not really a problem,
honestly. They can work around. They can, you
know, make some restructures, cut some people,
trade some people. That's not a problem, right?
But when we really look at the situation in itself,
we also have to factor in that parts of this
defense is getting old. So with that being said,
the Steelers have a lot of decisions that they're
going to have to make this offseason. And some
of them are going to be very uncomfortable, but
they're going to have to be made. Do you let
Cam Hayward hit free agency? Do you entertain
possibly trading away T .J. Watt? Do you try
to get younger on the defense and try to allocate
more money on the offense? These are the conversations
that need to happen now so that they can get
an understanding on how they want to approach
this thing. Because for all intents and purposes,
they may still bring in a defensive coach. Or
they may bring in an offensive head coach. Who
knows? And whoever the next head coach is, they
need to expand this coaching staff. Because right
now, having this small coaching staff doesn't
benefit anybody. A lot of times, the reason why
the Steelers lost certain games was because they
were out -schemed. It wasn't because of players.
It wasn't because they scored more points or
made more plays. It was schematics. The few times
that Mike Tomlin has faced the Colts, what has
happened? He's always been out -schemed. Whenever
he faces some of the top teams in the league,
what happens? He gets out -schemed. That's a
problem. And the crazy thing is, coaches don't
count against the salary cap. Now, I understand
that Art Rooney isn't a Jerry Jones or a Shad
Khan or Cronky or all those other owners that
have multiple streams of incomes. But at the
same time, when you look at some of the best
teams in the league, they have a decent sized
coaching staff. Now, I'm not saying you need
to have the biggest coaching staff in the entire
league, but you need to make those investments
because what continues to happen year after year
after year when you face these great teams? You
get outcoached. in every single form on offense,
on defense, on special teams, and everything
in between. And you wonder why certain players
aren't playing to the best of their abilities
because a lot of times they may be in the wrong
situation or they could be used in the wrong
way. We've seen multiple times how Mike Tomlin
has tried to fit square pegs into circle pegs
thinking that it's going to work and it doesn't.
Perfect example, Kevin Dotson. Kevin Dotson said,
I don't play this position. My natural position
is this position. They traded him away to the
Rams and now he's one of the best guards in the
league. Now, one of the benefits of the Steelers
job is you're going to be given a chance. They're
going to let this thing play out. But if they
see that you're not making a lot of progress
and you're starting to lose the locker room and
fans, then they're going to make a move. And
we also have to mention that Art Rooney is a
patient owner. He's not somebody that listens
to the fans or listen to the media or this person
or that person. He moves to the beat of his own
drum. Although I don't think the Steelers job
is the best job, I do believe that there's some
pros and cons with it. And I think if you're
somebody that values stability from the top all
the way down, I think this is the perfect place
for you. Because let's be honest here. Everybody
knows this. The Steelers don't fire their coaches.
They just let their contracts play out. Now,
we all know they fired Matt Canada, but I mean,
that was bad. That was really bad. That was really,
really, really, really, really bad. But outside
of that, they usually give their coaches a chance.
Now, with that being said, let's talk about some
candidates. So the first few people that come
to mind are Chris Shula, Brian Flores, Jesse
Mentor, Robert Sala. Now, I'll be honest here.
I feel like the defensive candidates are better
than the offensive candidates this cycle. And
the reason why I say that is because Jesse Minter
is proven. Brian Flores is proven. Chris Shula
is proven. Clint Kubiak, to me, and this is my
personal opinion, is not proven. And the reason
why I say that is because Clint Kubiak is just
having one good year. Anybody can have one good
year. We see that in free agency all the time.
One player that nobody is talking about, that
a lot of people have just shrugged off, has one
amazing year, and next thing you know, they're
resetting their positional market. I don't want
that. What I want is consistency, and he doesn't
have consistency. Because if we can be honest
here, you can't just talk about his tenure with
the Seahawks and not mention his tenure with
the Saints. It doesn't go like that. I think
the best thing for him is to stay as an offensive
coordinator, continue to build up his reputation,
continue to develop some players, then go for
a head coaching job. Now, I think Brian Flores
is a good option as well because he has familiarity
with the organization and players. He's very
creative with his blitz schemes and whatnot.
But Jesse Minter, to me, is very interesting.
And the reason why I say that is because when
we look at the Chargers defense, everybody benefited
from the coaching. From Adafio Way to Khalil
Mack, of course, Derwin James, Dante Jackson,
I can continue to go down the list. I think if
you really want to maximize what you have on
this defense, Jesse Minter is the way to go.
Now, if you want to take things another level,
you could get Chris Shula. And the reason why
I mentioned Chris Shula is because, for starters,
he's the grandson of Don Shula, which we all
know the Steelers love legacy and whatnot. If
you get him, you could also get the past game
specialist and make him the offensive coordinator.
So you kill two birds with one stone. The next
head coach in some way needs to be like a Mike
Tomlin. And when I mean a Mike Tomlin, I mean
somebody who is able to motivate their players
despite the circumstance. You could be on a two
-game losing streak, and that coach is going
to motivate your players to play their best ball.
You need a head coach that has a CEO mindset
and not a backup manager mindset. Now, Robert
Sala is an interesting name as well because although
a lot of people are going to criticize him for
his time with the Jets, the one takeaway we can
all agree upon is he made that defense better.
From Sauce Garner to Quinton Williams and even
Quincy Williams, everybody on that defense under
Robert Siler played better. And since then, they
haven't been playing their best ball, aside from
Quinton Williams, which that's another story
for another day, right? I think if you bring
in any of these guys, your team is going to be
great. There's no need for you to go on the offensive
side because there's not a lot of good options,
okay? And that's the part that upsets me because
you could have done this a couple years ago.
See, if you would have done this in the window
when Ben Johnson was available, Jim Harbaugh,
Mike Vrabel, Raheem Morris, you would have had
way better options because right now it looks
like the best candidates are for the defense.
So if you're trying to go a different way, you
really can't do it this time. Are you going to
go with Mike McDaniel? Hell no. Are you going
to go with Kevin Stefanski? Hell no. Are you
going to go with Clint Kubiak? Hell no. You might
as well want to stay with the defense. Have them
bring in a really good offensive coordinator
and just go from there. And one more thing we
need to talk about and then we'll end the episode.
The Steelers are going to hire somebody young.
They're not going to hire a 42 or 45 or 50 year
old. They're going to hire somebody that is young.
My guess is Chris Shula, Jesse Minter, Brian
Flores, maybe Robert Sala comes to mind because
those are some of the youngest candidates right
now. Now, could they surprise us? Yes, but I
don't think they will. With that being said,
I think we need to take a moment and celebrate
Mike Tomlin. Because all I've been seeing is,
oh, Mike Tomlin quit on the team. And oh my God,
I'm so happy that Mike Tomlin is gone. Oh my
God, I can cry right now. I'm just going to pull
over and just cry and celebrate. But we need
to give his flowers. Because I don't know a lot
of coaches that can do the things that he's been
able to do in the past few years. So Coach Tomlin,
thank you. As a black kid growing up, seeing
you on the sideline coach the Pittsburgh Steelers
was an honor. From your consistency to your high
expectations, you continue to prove the naysayers
wrong season in and season out. From your crazy
wordisms, to your swag, to the way that you carried
yourself each and every season. Thank you. And
with that being said, I'm going to end this episode
here. If you guys like what you were listening,
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