Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a loyal outfit. Until Mike Tomlin turned in his his whistle and headset in January, the team had followed the direction of only three head coaches in 57 seasons. That narrative was one their fanbase grew tired of with the absence of playoff wins, a stretch that’s lasted nine years.
Prominent radio host Colin Cowherd doesn’t back the Steelers’ patient approach.
“Other than the Pittsburgh Steelers, in the NFL, if you don’t win big playoff games, you get fired as a GM or a coach,” Cowherd said this week on his show. “The Steelers are different. Winning record, everybody stays. Thirty-one of 32 teams. Sean McDermott’s a great example. Got to two conference championships, ended that 18-year Buffalo Bills playoff drought, won a bunch of big games, even beat (Patrick) Mahomes and the Chiefs several times, got whacked.
“Why? Because the standard of the owner in Buffalo was higher than eventually McDermott could meet. … Everybody in the NFL runs business that way, except the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
Before hiring Mike McCarthy — a Pittsburgh native — Steelers president Art Rooney II said Tomlin’s tenure was “a winning era. As I said before, always in contention. I think when you start with that, you have the opportunity to take the next step. I can’t explain kind of the more recent history there. It’s hard to explain, given the overall
track record. Frustrating for all of us, mostly for Mike. But all in all, I’ll take being in contention every year and having a shot at it.”
Tomlin tied Chuck Noll’s team record with 193 regular season wins.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Prominent Analyst Sounds Off on Steelers Longstanding Philosophy
