The shock of Mike Tomlin’s resignation from the Pittsburgh Steelers remains an important topic. Pittsburgh will now hire only its fourth head coach since the 1969 season, and the search is something new for a franchise that had stability as its biggest mark in the past two decades.
Which Type of Coach Should the Steelers Pursue After the Resignation of Mike Tomlin?
Fans and analysts are taking this as the perfect opportunity for the franchise to reset some of its beliefs. Tomlin is a legendary coach who has never had a negative record in 19 seasons; on the other hand, he has not won a playoff game since 2016, and the Steelers seem to be stalled.
No one is better positioned to give an opinion on Tomlin and the Steelers than Ben Roethlisberger. The former quarterback spent his whole career in Pittsburgh, overlapping with Tomlin from 2007 until his retirement in 2022. And he thinks that it’s time for new ideas.
In a recent episode of his own show, Channel Seven, Roethlisberger points out how he wants a head coach with a different background than Tomlin, who came from a defensive point of view.
“My first thought is, I want an offensive-minded head coach. That’s what I would do if I was the general manager. We had defensive-minded coaches, that’s what they’ve all been, I’m ready for an offensive guy, I wanna score more than six points in an offseason game. I would love a younger head coach, a McVay-ish […]”, while also pointing out that he would pair him with a veteran defensive head coach with full reigns on the defense.
One of the possibilities being mentioned in this idea is Nathan Scheelhaase, currently the pass game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams. But if he’s not available yet, an experienced name such as Mike McCarthy would also please the former quarterback:
“My next choice would literally be Mike McCarthy. An offensive veteran with Pittsburgh ties, he understands the Steeler way, the Rooney family and how it works. He could bring a younger coordinator to help. The downside for this is how long he wants to coach,” Roethlisberger says.
The third and final option that would please Roethlisberger is Brian Flores, calling him a “great coach”, but still points out that he prefers a coach with an offensive background. The Steelers ranked 14th in PFSN’s NFL Offense Impact Metric this season.
To fill Tomlin’s shoes would be extremely difficult for any coach. But the Steelers have a golden opportunity to go in a new direction and modernize their approach. Will they take it?
