So No Head?
The Pittsburgh Steelers are head coach-less for the first time in 19 years.
Today, at 28 years old, my childhood ended.
Mike Tomlin has stepped down as the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach after 19 years in the job dating back to January 22nd, 2007. His departure from the team means the only players or coaches who joined the team before I legally became an adult are Cam Heyward (2011) and Chris Boswell (2015).
This change comes as a seismic shift in this organization that has had 3 head coaches since 1969, each appearing in multiple Super Bowls and winning at least one. The unparalleled consistency of regular season successunder Tomlin that was seen as a mark of a great coach and stable organization that eventually deteriorated into a barren plateau of slightly above .500 seasons ending in embarrassing WildCard losses. 7 straight playoff losses, 5 of which were blowouts and the other 2 as upsets, were a crushing streak connected to coach Tomlin in a career that had started off with 2 Super Bowl appearances in his first 4 seasons.
Coach T was know as a players coach that was able to hold the locker room together even with some of the most interesting characters on the roster. Famously the Killer B’s era saw some of the best on field success combined with the most chaotic off-field antics between Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Le’veon Bell, and Martavis Bryant. He always kept the drama in house and converted all the extra attention into fuel for the field.
Mike Tomlin created a Standard and that Standard is the Standard Steeler fans have come to expect. When this team stopped raising the Standard, it became time to make a change. Coach T will be successful and entertaining in any realm of football he chooses to pursue and I hope the Steelers are able to jump into the present with a new head coach who can live up to the Standard of his three predecessors. Noll (1969), Cowher (1992), Tomlin (2007), ??? (2026).
Coach Cowher made me into a winner. Coach Tomlin made me into a man.
Accolades:
Super Bowl 43 Champion
Super Bowl 45 Runner-up
19 winning seasons in a row
8 AFC North Titles
201 career wins (regular and post season combined)
Infinite “Tomlinisms”