Hall-of-Fame coach Tony Dungy explained why the Steelers could move on from Mike Tomlin, but also argued why they shouldn't.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin had another disappointing exit in the playoffs. Although he's never had a losing record, Hall-of-Fame head coach Tony Dungy thought that the Steelers could fire Tomlin. At the same time, he wouldn't understand why they would fire him. He explained his rationale on the Dan Patrick Show.
“Let me ask this, ‘Who am I going to get that’s better'? Dungy said. “That’s the thing that’s going to go through Art Rooney’s mind. I can move on from Mike Tomlin, but what’s my next plan? And when you look around out there, there’s no guarantee that you are going to get somebody who knows your organization. Who can build this and do it any better? So I think that’s what’s going through their mind right now.”
Despite Tomlin never having a losing record, Pittsburgh has only won once in the Super Bowl. They've been twice under Tomlin, with the first coming as a win against the Arizona Cardinals. The second was a loss against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
The franchise has only had three head coaches in the last 70 years. Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Tomlin round-up that group. However, the latter has fewer Super Bowls than those coaches ever had.
Tony Dungy says the Steelers have no reason to fire Mike Tomlin
While the playoff success is not there, Tomlin's model of consistency is unparalleled. Furthermore, the AFC North has grown drastically in its competition. The Baltimore Ravens won the division, the Cincinnati Bengals were close to a Wild Card spot. Although the Cleveland Browns had a three-win season, they made the playoffs last season.
Dungy emphasized that Tomlin's seat might be heating up if playoff victories don't come soon.
“It has been a while and you do have to win,” Dungy said. “Eventually you’ve got to come into the playoffs hot, You’ve got to build this, and you’ve got to win a couple of games in the playoffs. The last three or four years have been very disappointing.”
The head coaching market is quite thin. Names like Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn have emerged as top candidates. Former Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has floated the idea of coaching again. However, the Steelers' culture is imperative for a head coach to have.
Pittsburgh will have some tough decisions to make. For instance, Mike Florio hinted that the Steelers could float the idea of trading Tomlin. However, he has a no-trade clause so a lot would have to happen to make that deal work. Regardless of the lack of playoff success, Tomlin is capable of winning. As Dungy said though, time might be ticking if playoff success is never found.
