Mike Tomlin, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach, is safe, according to team president Art Rooney II, who stated this during his season-ending press conference on Monday.
“I think when you look at how many games Mike has won in this league, you don’t win that many games if you’re not a good coach,” Rooney told the BBC. “I know he’s unhappy, as are we all, about not being able to take that next step, but we still like him as a leader and believe he has the same skills as before in terms of leading a team. The other side of the coin is the reality that six, seven, or eight teams change coaches each year. When you have a terrific coach, you simply aim to continue developing with them.”
Nonetheless, the Steelers have not won a postseason game in eight years, one of the longest droughts in franchise history. It is almost unprecedented in today’s world. Rooney believes that while Tomlin’s message is getting across, something needs to alter.
“We need to figure out how to do better,” Rooney said. “Mike understands what the goal is. He’s equally disappointed as I am… It’s reasonable to question it after losing five games in a row, but when I speak with the players, I believe they still want to play for Mike. I’m not bothered about his message or that type of issue.”
Tomlin has now lost six consecutive postseason games, setting a Steelers franchise record and the longest active drought in his tenure. His last playoff win came in 2017.
Tomlin now joins four other coaches in NFL history to have lost six or more consecutive playoff games. Jim Mora, Marvin Lewis, Marty Schottenheimer, and Shane Owen are the only other coaches who have reached that milestone. Lewis owns the record for seven consecutive playoff losses.
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