After Saturday's wild-card loss to the Baltimore Ravens marked the Pittsburgh Steelers' sixth straight playoff loss, coach Mike Tomlin has been the center of a conversation around what the team needs to do to improve in the future.
Could the Steelers actually start the 2025 season with a new coach? Reports indicate the Steelers don't intend to move on from Tomlin, who just signed a three-year extension in June. However, some NFL analysts still think the coaching situation should be something the Steelers need to ponder and not completely ignore.
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, who is a notable Steelers and Tomlin fan, pointed out on Wednesday's First Take that if it was any other coach rather than Tomlin, the question of keeping him around wouldn't even be contested this much. But, because Tomlin has 18 consecutive non-losing seasons in Pittsburgh, the organization and fan base remains loyal to him.
"He has not won a playoff game since 2016. He's been one-and-done at least five times," Smith said. 'When you take that into consideration, if it were any other coach, we would be asking the same question."
"You know what we say about mediocrity? It's the worst position you could be in." 😳 @stephenasmith says Mike Tomlin's playoff record with the Steelers would be questionable if it was "any other coach." pic.twitter.com/s0KHfTWIkO
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 15, 2025
Smith used legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick as a similar example to Tomlin's situation. Belichick won six Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots and went to a total of nine Super Bowls, but once the Patriots began being "mediocre" after Tom Brady left, Belichick was on the chopping block. And, no other NFL teams hired him as he now will become the head coach at North Carolina.
We'll see what happens this offseason. Tomlin wouldn't fully address the rumors on Tuesday when speaking to media, telling reporters to "save their time" as he had "no message" to give them.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Stephen A. Smith Argues If Mike Tomlin Was 'Any Other Coach,' He'd Be Questioned More.
