Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger suggests ‘fresh start’ for Mike Tomlin amid recent struggles
Pittsburgh Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger suggested that it might be time for the team to move on from head coach Mike Tomlin after 19 seasons.
Tomlin is the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach. In the Steelers’ 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, fans booed and called for Tomlin’s job, and it seems Roethlisberger doesn’t disagree with the Steelers’ faithful’s sentiment.
“Maybe it’s a clean-house time. Maybe it’s time,” Roethlisberger said on a recent episode of “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger.”
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Roethlisberger, who played 15 of his 18 seasons under Tomlin, said he likes his former coach, but a fresh start could be what he needs.
“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,” Roethlisberger said.
Penn State has still not hired a full-time head coach since they fired James Franklin in October.
Roethlisberger is not the only Steelers’ legend to suggest a change might need to be made, as linebacker James Harrison said “something has to be done.”
“I have never been a person that thought Coach Tomlin was a great coach,” Harrison said on his “Deebo and Joe” podcast.
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“I thought he was a good (coach)…. A good coach gets you to play to your potential. And right now, the players we have on that team I have seen play, they’re not playing up to their potential. A great coach gets you to play to your potential.”
The Steelers are 6-6 and tied for first place in the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens, but they have struggled as of late. They have lost five of their last seven games as their once-seemingly big lead in the division has vanished.
The Steelers had a chance to run away with the division after a 4-1 start. The Ravens were 1-5 and the Cincinnati Bengals were struggling to find their footing after losing Joe Burrow, but now the Steelers’ path to the playoffs looks murkier than ever.
They did take a 7-3 lead into halftime over the Bills, but things quickly unraveled in the second half. On the first play from scrimmage, Bills edge rusher Joey Bosa crushed an unsuspecting Aaron Rodgers to force a fumble, which was recovered for a touchdown.
The Bills never looked back, and the Steelers’ offense never got anything going.
While the outside noise about Tomlin’s job has gotten louder amid the team’s struggles, he has never had a losing season as a head coach. In 304 games, Tomlin has a 189-113-2 record.
The Steelers will look to quiet the outside noise about Tomlin’s job when they take on the Ravens in a pivotal matchup on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
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