Despite Recent Struggles, Steelers' Mike Tomlin Fully Backed By Rooney Family: 'You Never Hear A Bad Word'
The Pittsburgh Steelers have had only three head coaches since Chuck Noll's first season with the team in 1969. Bill Cowher followed him (1992-2006) and Mike Tomlin (2007-present) will be entering his 18th season with the Steelers. Considering the three-year extension Tomlin signed in early June of 2024, it isn't looking like he will be gone anytime soon. Despite the longevity of his tenure in Pittsburgh, Tomlin tends to be a polarizing figure in the media.
It didn't take Tomlin long to make his mark on the Steelers after Cowher's retirement following the 2006 season. By 2010, Tomlin had taken the Steelers to two Super Bowl appearances, winning one championship, but his group hasn't won a single playoff game since the 2016 AFC Championship loss.
While the lack of recent postseason success has fans in Pittsburgh divided, Tomlin isn't heading into the 2024 campaign on any kind of hot seat. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo was on Friday's The Joe Starkey Show on 93.7 The Fan, where he made it quite clear that Tomlin isn't going anywhere until he wants to.
"As long as Mike Tomlin is motivated to be this team's football coach, I think the Rooney family will have him. You never hear a bad word, on the record or off the record, coming from that front office when it comes to Mike Tomlin, not once."
Following a 2023 season that tested Tomlin's squad both on and off the field, there was no guarantee that the head coach would remain in Pittsburgh for much longer. Injuries alone derailed the 2023 campaign, as Cam Heyward's Week 1 injury became extensive missed time, and the interior linebackers group was decimated by several season-ending injuries.
However, what caused most of the struggles that defined the Steelers' 2023 season was the combination of Kenny Pickett and Matt Canada, neither being with the team in 2024. It seems like there is a corresponding positive for every negative that is brought up against Tomlin. While it was a necessary and jarring decision to fire Canada mid-season, a historic move for the franchise, it was only because of Tomlin's refusal to budge that Canada kept his job for as long as he did.
Pickett turned in 13 passing touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his two NFL seasons, neither of which proved the Steelers right for spending a first-round 2022 pick on the quarterback.Tomlin hasn't been able to rekindle that spark that got him eight postseason victories and a Super Bowl win from 2007 to 2016, with four playoff appearances since then, all resulting in a loss.
Art Rooney II showed confidence in the head coach with a surprising three-year extension, but now Tomlin has to reward that move with success. At some point, there has to be accountability for a lack of postseason production, but if Tomlin can make 2024 the springboard to competing for Super Bowls again, he could put all the negatives behind him.
Steelers Set Up For Success In 2024
Everything about the 2024 offseason seems to be geared toward putting the 2023 campaign as far in the rearview mirror as possible. The quarterback room has been gutted with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields brought in to change the energy at the most important position in the NFL. After a brutal stretch with the horrifically under-qualified Canada, Arthur Smith represents a desire to put the reins of the offense into the hands of someone who will actually know what to do with it.
Games are won and lost in the trenches; something Omar Khan and Andy Weidl have imparted into the Steelers' front office recently. Isaac Seumalo began the foundational change in attitude, with several high draft picks going directly to the offensive line. Those were Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick.
Weidl experienced firsthand how vital the offensive line is to compete for championships in the NFL during his time with the Philadelphia Eagles, and that energy has been behind many of the moves made by the team since.
With Smith, a rebuilt quarterback room, a strong, gritty offensive line, and a dangerous dual-backfield with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, the Steelers have already made headway toward forgetting the frustrating 2023 season. If TJ Watt can finally feel what it is like to win a playoff game, Pittsburgh will be well on the way back to the top of the league.
How many playoff games with Mike Tomlin win during his three-year extension?
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