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Emergency episode: Mike Tomlin steps down · Football Junkies podcast

0:00
Mike Tomlin is stepping down as the head coach
0:02
for the Steelers. I know this is a joyous time
0:04
for a lot of people, but I feel like in this
0:06
moment, we need to peel back the layers on why
0:09
this is happening now. And we need to talk about
0:11
potential head coach candidates, what's going
0:14
to happen moving forward, what I think they need
0:16
to do, and how is this going to affect the players
0:19
moving forward, okay? All of this and more on
0:22
this breaking news episode of the Football Junkies
0:24
Podcast. I'm not going to do no intro, not going
0:27
to do no outro. We're just going to get into
0:29
it, okay? So here's the statement from Steelers
0:31
president Art Rooney II, and I quote, During
0:34
our meeting today, Coach Tomlin informed me that
0:36
he has decided to step down as our head coach.
0:39
Obviously, I am extremely grateful to Mike for
0:41
all the hard work, dedication, and success we
0:44
have shared over the last 19 years. It is hard
0:47
for me to put into words the level of respect
0:49
and appreciation I have for Coach Tomlin. He
0:51
guided the franchise to our sixth Super Bowl
0:54
championship and made the playoffs 13 times during
0:57
his tenure, including winning the AFC North eight
1:00
times in his career. His track record of never
1:02
having a losing season in 19 years will likely
1:05
never be duplicated. My family and I and everyone
1:08
connected to the Steelers management are forever
1:10
grateful for the passion and dedication Mike
1:12
Tomlin has devoted to the Steelers football,
1:14
end quote. Now here's the statement from Mike
1:17
Tomlin and I quote, After much thought and reflection,
1:20
I have decided to step down as head coach of
1:22
the Pittsburgh Steelers. This organization has
1:25
been a huge part of my life for many years and
1:27
has been an absolute honor to lead this team.
1:29
I am deeply grateful to Art Rooney II and the
1:32
late Ambassador Rooney for their trust and support.
1:34
I am also thankful to the players who gave everything
1:37
they had every day and to the coaches and staff
1:40
whose commitment and dedication made this journey
1:42
so meaningful. I want to also thank Steelers
1:45
Nation. Your passion, loyalty, and high expectations
1:48
represent what makes this franchise truly special.
1:51
Coaching in Pittsburgh is unlike anywhere else,
1:53
and I will always take great pride in having
1:55
being a steward of this team. While this chapter
1:58
comes to a close, my respect and love for the
2:01
Pittsburgh Steelers will never change. I am excited
2:04
for what the future holds for this organization,
2:06
and I will forever be grateful for my time in
2:08
Pittsburgh." Mike Tomlin's overall record with
2:11
the Steelers is 193 wins and 114 losses. Now
2:16
that we've read all the statements and whatnot,
2:18
let's talk about this situation. I don't think
2:20
Mike Tomlin made this move after the Texans'
2:22
loss. I think Mike Tomlin had been thinking of
2:25
this move for a very long time. Because let's
2:28
be honest here. The last few years with the Steelers
2:31
have not been great. They haven't done well in
2:34
the playoffs. And just overall, they're not a
2:36
good team. Now, sure, we can play the blame game.
2:39
We can point fingers at this person and that
2:41
person, this decision and that decision. But
2:44
the fact of the matter is this. The Steelers
2:47
are trying to do something that is very difficult.
2:49
And that is they're trying to retool while remain
2:52
competitive. Now, I'm not saying this is impossible,
2:55
but the part that the Steelers continue to fail
2:58
on is not consistently hitting on their draft
3:00
picks. And the other part we need to talk about
3:02
is the Steelers continuing to sign these old
3:05
players. I understand that these are some really
3:08
great names and these are going to be potential
3:10
first ballot Hall of Famers and whatnot. But
3:13
you guys are signing these old ass players thinking
3:16
that you're going to get the same production
3:18
that you saw with other teams when you're not
3:20
even using them the same way that they were just
3:22
used. So when you factor all of this in, of course,
3:26
the Steelers were not going to be competitive.
3:28
Now, I know the media is spinning this story
3:30
and talk about how Steelers fans are ungrateful
3:32
and they need to appreciate Mike Tomlin and all
3:36
this crazy things. And he's never had a losing
3:38
season. Let's really talk about this. All right.
3:41
Yes it is an achievement that he's never had
3:43
a losing season but at the same time that doesn't
3:46
mean that he's greater than all the other coaches.
3:50
Because anybody can be great in the regular season.
3:53
What really defines your legacy is the postseason.
3:56
In the last few years Mike Tomlin has not had
3:59
a lot of success in the postseason. The last
4:02
time they won the playoffs was in 2017 and since
4:05
then they haven't done anything. In 2020, you
4:08
lost to the Browns 48 -37. In 2021, you lost
4:12
to the Chiefs 42 -21. In 2023, you lost to the
4:16
Bills 31 -17. In 2024, you lost to the Ravens
4:20
28 -14. In 2025, you lost to the Texans 30 -6.
4:25
Now, sure, people can play the blame game and
4:27
say, oh, we didn't have this person in the playoffs,
4:29
or we didn't have this quarterback in the playoffs,
4:32
and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah,
4:34
blah, blah. Doesn't matter, okay? The fact of
4:38
the matter is, this has been an accumulation
4:40
over time of not getting it done. And let's also
4:44
be honest here. The Texans game was probably
4:46
their best chance of winning a playoff game.
4:49
Because C .J. Stroud wasn't playing his best
4:51
ball. He kept fumbling the ball over and over
4:54
and over again. The defense was putting the offense
4:57
in great positions on the field. But the offense
5:00
couldn't do anything. Because why? They have
5:03
a stagnant offensive coordinator and they don't
5:05
have any weapons. Now as much as I want to praise
5:08
Mike Tomlin for all of his achievements and whatnot,
5:10
I also have to be very critical. Bro, you wasn't
5:14
getting it done in the last few years. And I'll
5:16
be honest, I'll be very transparent with you
5:19
guys. Mook, you know exactly what I'm getting
5:20
ready to say. The only time this offseason where
5:23
I was actually really excited to be a Steelers
5:26
fan was when we acquired Jalen Ramsey. Because
5:29
at that moment, I'm thinking, oh, we only gave
5:31
up a couple picks and maybe a player that's not
5:34
going to make the roster to acquire Jalen Ramsey.
5:36
But then once I found out that we traded away
5:39
Minkah Fitzpatrick, I was done with the team.
5:41
Because at that point, that had already let me
5:43
know that you're choosing names over value. Let's
5:47
go a little bit deeper. I've been one of the
5:49
main people that have been beating on the table
5:51
that the worst trade they ever made this offseason
5:54
was getting Jalen Ramsey for Minka Fitzpatrick.
5:58
Because I know everybody was being critical of
6:00
Minka saying, oh, he's not making the same splash
6:03
moves that he used to do. He's not getting picks.
6:06
He's not getting this. He's not getting that.
6:08
Why are we paying Minka Fitzpatrick all this
6:11
money? But the fact of the matter is this. You
6:13
need Minka. Because what you have on this roster
6:16
right now is a more expensive, less athletic
6:19
version of Minka Fitzpatrick. And this is no
6:21
way of me shooting a shot at Jalen Ramsey. I
6:24
love Jalen Ramsey, love his game, love everything
6:27
that he bought to the Steelers. But you traded
6:30
down to get a name. Then you give $10 million
6:34
to Darius Slade when you know he can't play man
6:37
coverage anymore. And understand this here, folks.
6:40
There is not one player on this roster that Mike
6:43
Tomlin does not give the green light on. This
6:45
isn't Omar Khan's working. This is Mike Tomlin's
6:48
working. And don't get it twisted. I'm not one
6:50
of these crazy fans out here that are saying,
6:52
fuck Mike Tomlin. Mike Tomlin's gotta go. I'm
6:55
so sick of Mike Tomlin. I could just cry right
6:58
now. I'm gonna drink my life off. I'm not one
7:01
of those fans, okay? If you're looking for the
7:03
Steel Hero Podcast, you're not gonna get that
7:05
over here. You're gonna get real people, real
7:07
information, real facts. If you're looking for
7:09
that delusion crap over there, you go over there
7:11
and you look for it, but not over here. We're
7:14
gonna talk about this situation. We're gonna
7:15
unpack this situation like professionals. I can
7:19
be critical of somebody while at the same time
7:21
appreciating the work that they do. What coach
7:24
do you know that can go through the things that
7:26
Mike Tomlin has gone through within the last
7:28
five to ten years and still remain competitive?
7:31
Name me one coach that can still remain competitive
7:34
without having a franchise quarterback. I don't
7:38
know a lot of coaches that can do it, but Mike
7:40
Tomlin can say that he did it. And before we
7:42
go any further, huge, huge, huge shout out to
7:44
Josina Anderson because she was one of the first
7:47
people that actually talked about a significant
7:49
move like this happening. Now, this is what Josina
7:52
Anderson tweeted out on October 13th, and I quote,
7:55
Spoke to a league source who tells me they're
7:57
currently expecting five NFL head coaching changes
8:00
that includes the Titans. One of said teams has
8:02
a star player expressing frustration to ownership.
8:05
Another team no one is really talking about now
8:08
could be looking for new scenery next year. We'll
8:10
keep you posted. Some top personnel changes already
8:13
simmering, as well as on a couple of teams minimum.
8:16
One in each conference." And since we're giving
8:19
out shoutouts, we also have to mention Albert
8:21
Breer because he was the one that made the connection
8:23
of Chris Shula possibly being the next head coach
8:26
for the Steelers. So this move was already in
8:28
play a long time ago. It's just now it's finally
8:31
come to fruition. Now, with that being said,
8:34
I know a lot of people are overhyping the Steelers
8:36
job. Everyone's saying, oh, it's the most coveted
8:38
job in all of the league. And it's the greatest
8:41
job of all. You got to go to the Steelers if
8:44
you're a head coach, blah, blah, blah, blah,
8:45
blah. You gotta, gotta, gotta. Yes and no. Let
8:48
me explain why. So for starters, the Steelers
8:50
don't have a franchise quarterback. And it also
8:53
doesn't help that you're approaching a draft
8:54
class that doesn't have a lot of quarterback
8:56
prospects. And the only two prospects that everybody
9:00
is going to be clamoring over are going to be
9:02
drafted high up in the draft. So there's no point
9:05
in you giving up a boatload of picks to try to
9:07
get Fernando Mendoza or Ty Simpson. Just build
9:10
out the rest of your team and go for it in 27.
9:13
Now, the cap space, that's not really a problem,
9:16
honestly. They can work around. They can, you
9:18
know, make some restructures, cut some people,
9:20
trade some people. That's not a problem, right?
9:22
But when we really look at the situation in itself,
9:25
we also have to factor in that parts of this
9:27
defense is getting old. So with that being said,
9:30
the Steelers have a lot of decisions that they're
9:32
going to have to make this offseason. And some
9:34
of them are going to be very uncomfortable, but
9:36
they're going to have to be made. Do you let
9:38
Cam Hayward hit free agency? Do you entertain
9:40
possibly trading away T .J. Watt? Do you try
9:43
to get younger on the defense and try to allocate
9:46
more money on the offense? These are the conversations
9:49
that need to happen now so that they can get
9:50
an understanding on how they want to approach
9:52
this thing. Because for all intents and purposes,
9:54
they may still bring in a defensive coach. Or
9:57
they may bring in an offensive head coach. Who
9:59
knows? And whoever the next head coach is, they
10:02
need to expand this coaching staff. Because right
10:04
now, having this small coaching staff doesn't
10:07
benefit anybody. A lot of times, the reason why
10:09
the Steelers lost certain games was because they
10:11
were out -schemed. It wasn't because of players.
10:14
It wasn't because they scored more points or
10:16
made more plays. It was schematics. The few times
10:20
that Mike Tomlin has faced the Colts, what has
10:22
happened? He's always been out -schemed. Whenever
10:25
he faces some of the top teams in the league,
10:27
what happens? He gets out -schemed. That's a
10:30
problem. And the crazy thing is, coaches don't
10:33
count against the salary cap. Now, I understand
10:36
that Art Rooney isn't a Jerry Jones or a Shad
10:39
Khan or Cronky or all those other owners that
10:42
have multiple streams of incomes. But at the
10:45
same time, when you look at some of the best
10:47
teams in the league, they have a decent sized
10:49
coaching staff. Now, I'm not saying you need
10:51
to have the biggest coaching staff in the entire
10:53
league, but you need to make those investments
10:55
because what continues to happen year after year
10:58
after year when you face these great teams? You
11:01
get outcoached. in every single form on offense,
11:06
on defense, on special teams, and everything
11:09
in between. And you wonder why certain players
11:11
aren't playing to the best of their abilities
11:13
because a lot of times they may be in the wrong
11:15
situation or they could be used in the wrong
11:17
way. We've seen multiple times how Mike Tomlin
11:20
has tried to fit square pegs into circle pegs
11:24
thinking that it's going to work and it doesn't.
11:25
Perfect example, Kevin Dotson. Kevin Dotson said,
11:29
I don't play this position. My natural position
11:31
is this position. They traded him away to the
11:34
Rams and now he's one of the best guards in the
11:36
league. Now, one of the benefits of the Steelers
11:38
job is you're going to be given a chance. They're
11:41
going to let this thing play out. But if they
11:43
see that you're not making a lot of progress
11:45
and you're starting to lose the locker room and
11:47
fans, then they're going to make a move. And
11:49
we also have to mention that Art Rooney is a
11:51
patient owner. He's not somebody that listens
11:54
to the fans or listen to the media or this person
11:57
or that person. He moves to the beat of his own
12:00
drum. Although I don't think the Steelers job
12:02
is the best job, I do believe that there's some
12:05
pros and cons with it. And I think if you're
12:08
somebody that values stability from the top all
12:10
the way down, I think this is the perfect place
12:12
for you. Because let's be honest here. Everybody
12:15
knows this. The Steelers don't fire their coaches.
12:18
They just let their contracts play out. Now,
12:21
we all know they fired Matt Canada, but I mean,
12:23
that was bad. That was really bad. That was really,
12:28
really, really, really, really bad. But outside
12:30
of that, they usually give their coaches a chance.
12:33
Now, with that being said, let's talk about some
12:35
candidates. So the first few people that come
12:37
to mind are Chris Shula, Brian Flores, Jesse
12:39
Mentor, Robert Sala. Now, I'll be honest here.
12:42
I feel like the defensive candidates are better
12:44
than the offensive candidates this cycle. And
12:47
the reason why I say that is because Jesse Minter
12:49
is proven. Brian Flores is proven. Chris Shula
12:52
is proven. Clint Kubiak, to me, and this is my
12:55
personal opinion, is not proven. And the reason
12:59
why I say that is because Clint Kubiak is just
13:01
having one good year. Anybody can have one good
13:04
year. We see that in free agency all the time.
13:07
One player that nobody is talking about, that
13:10
a lot of people have just shrugged off, has one
13:12
amazing year, and next thing you know, they're
13:15
resetting their positional market. I don't want
13:17
that. What I want is consistency, and he doesn't
13:20
have consistency. Because if we can be honest
13:23
here, you can't just talk about his tenure with
13:25
the Seahawks and not mention his tenure with
13:28
the Saints. It doesn't go like that. I think
13:30
the best thing for him is to stay as an offensive
13:33
coordinator, continue to build up his reputation,
13:36
continue to develop some players, then go for
13:39
a head coaching job. Now, I think Brian Flores
13:42
is a good option as well because he has familiarity
13:44
with the organization and players. He's very
13:47
creative with his blitz schemes and whatnot.
13:49
But Jesse Minter, to me, is very interesting.
13:52
And the reason why I say that is because when
13:54
we look at the Chargers defense, everybody benefited
13:57
from the coaching. From Adafio Way to Khalil
14:00
Mack, of course, Derwin James, Dante Jackson,
14:03
I can continue to go down the list. I think if
14:05
you really want to maximize what you have on
14:07
this defense, Jesse Minter is the way to go.
14:10
Now, if you want to take things another level,
14:12
you could get Chris Shula. And the reason why
14:14
I mentioned Chris Shula is because, for starters,
14:16
he's the grandson of Don Shula, which we all
14:19
know the Steelers love legacy and whatnot. If
14:22
you get him, you could also get the past game
14:24
specialist and make him the offensive coordinator.
14:27
So you kill two birds with one stone. The next
14:29
head coach in some way needs to be like a Mike
14:32
Tomlin. And when I mean a Mike Tomlin, I mean
14:34
somebody who is able to motivate their players
14:36
despite the circumstance. You could be on a two
14:39
-game losing streak, and that coach is going
14:41
to motivate your players to play their best ball.
14:43
You need a head coach that has a CEO mindset
14:46
and not a backup manager mindset. Now, Robert
14:49
Sala is an interesting name as well because although
14:52
a lot of people are going to criticize him for
14:54
his time with the Jets, the one takeaway we can
14:57
all agree upon is he made that defense better.
15:00
From Sauce Garner to Quinton Williams and even
15:02
Quincy Williams, everybody on that defense under
15:05
Robert Siler played better. And since then, they
15:08
haven't been playing their best ball, aside from
15:10
Quinton Williams, which that's another story
15:12
for another day, right? I think if you bring
15:15
in any of these guys, your team is going to be
15:17
great. There's no need for you to go on the offensive
15:19
side because there's not a lot of good options,
15:22
okay? And that's the part that upsets me because
15:24
you could have done this a couple years ago.
15:27
See, if you would have done this in the window
15:29
when Ben Johnson was available, Jim Harbaugh,
15:32
Mike Vrabel, Raheem Morris, you would have had
15:34
way better options because right now it looks
15:37
like the best candidates are for the defense.
15:39
So if you're trying to go a different way, you
15:42
really can't do it this time. Are you going to
15:44
go with Mike McDaniel? Hell no. Are you going
15:47
to go with Kevin Stefanski? Hell no. Are you
15:49
going to go with Clint Kubiak? Hell no. You might
15:52
as well want to stay with the defense. Have them
15:54
bring in a really good offensive coordinator
15:56
and just go from there. And one more thing we
15:59
need to talk about and then we'll end the episode.
16:01
The Steelers are going to hire somebody young.
16:03
They're not going to hire a 42 or 45 or 50 year
16:07
old. They're going to hire somebody that is young.
16:10
My guess is Chris Shula, Jesse Minter, Brian
16:13
Flores, maybe Robert Sala comes to mind because
16:16
those are some of the youngest candidates right
16:17
now. Now, could they surprise us? Yes, but I
16:21
don't think they will. With that being said,
16:23
I think we need to take a moment and celebrate
16:25
Mike Tomlin. Because all I've been seeing is,
16:28
oh, Mike Tomlin quit on the team. And oh my God,
16:31
I'm so happy that Mike Tomlin is gone. Oh my
16:34
God, I can cry right now. I'm just going to pull
16:37
over and just cry and celebrate. But we need
16:40
to give his flowers. Because I don't know a lot
16:43
of coaches that can do the things that he's been
16:45
able to do in the past few years. So Coach Tomlin,
16:48
thank you. As a black kid growing up, seeing
16:51
you on the sideline coach the Pittsburgh Steelers
16:53
was an honor. From your consistency to your high
16:56
expectations, you continue to prove the naysayers
16:59
wrong season in and season out. From your crazy
17:03
wordisms, to your swag, to the way that you carried
17:07
yourself each and every season. Thank you. And
17:10
with that being said, I'm going to end this episode
17:12
here. If you guys like what you were listening,
17:14
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