Steelers great Ben Roethlisberger said Wednesday that it could be time for coach Mike Tomlin to depart Pittsburgh.
Roethlisberger stated on his podcast that Tomlin would be better off with a new job and the Steelers just might benefit with a new head coach.
Tomlin is in his 19th season as Pittsburgh coach. Roethlisberger was the quarterback for 15 of those seasons and played his entire 18-year career with the Steelers.
Roethlisberger even suggested the Penn State college coaching vacancy as something that might fit Tomlin, who has a record of 189-113-2 (.625) as a head coach, 8-11 in the postseason, including the Super Bowl title in 2008.
“It’s being talked about around here a lot: Maybe it’s a clean-house time. Maybe it’s time,” Roethlisberger said. “I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin. But maybe it’s best for him, too. Maybe a fresh start for him is what’s best. Whether that’s in the pros, maybe go be Penn State’s head coach. You know what he would do in Penn State? He would probably go win national championships. Because he’s a great recruiter.”
The Steelers (6-6) have lost five of their last seven games after a 4-1 start despite having four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers as quarterback. Pittsburgh is tied for first place in the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens.
The Steelers visit Baltimore on Sunday.
Roethlisberger said he doesn’t want to see Pittsburgh fire Tomlin. He feels it’s best to seek a split where both sides can start over.
“Here’s what you don’t do: You don’t fire a guy like Coach Tomlin,” Roethlisberger said. “He’s a Hall of Fame head coach, he’s respected. What you do is you come to an understanding and agreement, and it’s like, ‘Hey, listen, I think it’s probably best for both of us.'”
The Steelers have dropped six straight playoff games, starting with a loss to the New England Patriots in the 2016 season AFC Championship Game.
A 13-win Pittsburgh team was upset by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the following’s season divisional round and the Steelers have gone down in the wild-card round on four occasions, including last season’s 28-14 loss to the Ravens with Russell Wilson as quarterback.
Roethlisberger pointed out the Steelers have seen longstanding coaches go before. Chuck Noll was on the job for 23 seasons before Bill Cowher spent 15 seasons in Pittsburgh prior to Tomlin.
“You go, ‘Hey, coach, listen, it’s probably best for all parties involved, let’s start over.’ It happened with Chuck Noll, it happened with Coach Cowher,” Roethlisberger said. “Coach Tomlin’s been here a long time. You’d give him a statue, whatever you’ve got to do, because he deserves it, he’s earned it. But it’s time to find that next guy. Who’s that next guy that could be here for the next 20 years?”
Roethlisberger mentioned how the Philadelphia Eagles faced a similar fork with Andy Reid as coach. The two parted ways after the 2012 season after 14 seasons and no Super Bowl titles.
The Eagles have since won two crowns and Reid has won three as coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I think he might say it’s time for a fresh start,” Roethlisberger said of Tomlin. “Andy Reid, when he got let go in Philadelphia … do you think he for one minute regrets it? And now the Eagles have won since he left, and he’s won.”
The Steelers last won the Super Bowl in the 2008 season when Roethlisberger was quarterback and Tomlin was in his second campaign as head coach. Roethlisberger also won the Super Bowl in the 2005 season when Cowher was head coach.
Roethlisberger passed for 64,088 yards, 418 touchdowns and 211 interceptions in 249 games (247 starts) with Pittsburgh. He stands sixth in career passing yards, eighth in career touchdown passes and was a six-time Pro Bowl selection.
