Behind the Steel Curtain
Eighteen years is a long time with one organization. If the Steelers and Tomlin want to right the ship, they should learn from two of his peers: Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll.
“You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” — Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight (2008)
As the curtain closed on Pittsburgh’s 2024 season, the unrest throughout Steelers Nation was palpable. The defeat in Baltimore marked the franchise’s sixth straight playoff loss, a streak that began with a loss in the 2016 AFC Championship game. With each passing year, the voices calling for a coaching change have grown in number and volume.
Perhaps aware of this, head coach Mike Tomlin promised “big changes” at his end-of-season press conference two weeks ago. What will those changes be? Tomlin left that undefined. The rest of his presser was full of the usual declarations that he and his staff will be hard at work this offseason but did little to dissuade allegations his team is stuck in a cycle of mediocrity.
The fanbase’s frustration has only grown since.
If it wasn’t clear already, comments made by owner Art Rooney II and the presence of Arthur Smith and Teryl Austin at the Senior Bowl ended any hopes of significant coaching staff changes. Instead, it seems the “big changes” will be the replacement of a few staff members — of which inside linebackers coach Aaron Curry became the first — and maybe some malcontents among the roster will be released or traded away.
Everything else? Business as usual. Cue the groans in the comments.
When Tomlin extended his contract last summer, I brought up the firings of Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick in Read & React. As Tomlin's peers, I find it hard not to see the similarities between the three men’s careers.
Belichick, Carroll, and Tomlin all cut their teeth as a defensive coach. Among them, Carroll’s 14-year run with the Seahawks is the shortest. Each man was lauded for the cultures they established within their team. Each coach has won a Super Bowl — and lost one. Each finds themselves among the top-20 winningest coaches in NFL history.
And yet, two of the three — after becoming the greatest coach in their franchise’s history —eventually wore out their welcome.
Regardless of how you feel about Tomlin, for now, he still has ownership’s confidence. Setting those feelings aside, the fact is Tomlin has a contract through the 2027 season. We know how the Steelers are with contracts — Tomlin has a decently high chance of making it to the end of that deal.
But even Art Rooney II will reach a point where he needs to sell change if the Steelers remain among the NFL’s also-rans. For this thought exercise, we’ll be operating under the assumption that Tomlin is coaching for his next contract. With that in mind, I wanted to look back at where things ultimately went wrong for Belichick and Carroll....
