Chapter 1: Why did Mike Tomlin step down as Steelers head coach?
So without further ado, I'm very pleased to introduce the next coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin.
Good afternoon. I think first and foremost, my wife and I would like to give honor and thanks to God for opening this door for our family and bringing us to this great city of Pittsburgh. Without a doubt, we'd like to thank the Rooney family for having interest in us and allowing me to take part in this process and naming me head coach.
It's a great honor to be a part of one of the most storied franchises in all of professional sports.
Picked off Polamalu. Palomaru going right. The field is open. Aaron Smith shields. Flacco. Polamalu takes it home. Super Bowl 43. Pittsburgh might be bound for that next to number 43. Miller's slot left. Washington outside left. Roethlisberger, pass time, throws to the back of the end zone, and it is caught for a touchdown by Holmes!
And the Pittsburgh Steelers become the first franchise in history to win six Super Bowls. One more and it's official. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the AFC champions again. Second and two. As we start the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh with the ball down by four. Mendenhall. Loss of football. Picked up by Bishop. Matthews and Pickett combined on the tackle to knock it out.
And it's the third Steeler turnover of Super Bowl 45. A lot of contact. This ball is incomplete, but it was a fourth down pass. And Green Bay will take over. Mike Wallace, the intended receiver. There was contact at the top of the route, but no flag was thrown.
To the end zone. Touchdown, Pittsburgh! Jesse James! Two plays, they take it the distance. I don't know why this has taken so long to review it because clearly Harmon's nowhere close to him. Unless they're looking at the football, did it wiggle or anything to the ground? Well, it looks like a touchdown to me. After reviewing the play, the receiver in the end zone did not survive the ground.
It's an incomplete pass. It will be Pittsburgh's ball.
Second down and 10 at the 10-yard line. This is second and goal. As somebody that's in charge of that, I don't drive carts and things of that nature.
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Chapter 2: What impact did the playoff losing streak have on Tomlin's decision?
Fellas, we got a bombshell. What? After a historic 19-season run, Mike Tomlin just informed his team he is stepping down.
Oh, my God, dude.
As big a story, I would say, as we've had pretty much on this station since it opened in 2010. It's certainly right up there. Mike Tomlin resigning. And Bob, as I listen to that, and a great job by City Limits putting that together.
A lot of stuff in there from over the years. Yes, absolutely. To keep it all, know where it is, and put it together.
Yes, right from the introductory news conference when we barely knew who Mike Tomlin was. I would say my predominant feeling right now, just mine, is even if I thought this was necessary and I have since last year's, pretty much since last year's playoff loss to Baltimore, even though I was swayed back to believing in the Steelers a little bit. Certainly now, I believe this had to happen.
It's still tinged with sadness. You know, the passing of time. I was thinking about some people I've worked with over the years that maybe I didn't want to work with anymore. And yet when they leave, it's still sad because it marks a passage of time. And also there was some big winning early in the Tomlin tenure.
And it's just a familiar face, you know, every week, that good afternoon that he started his introductory news conference with, we would hear on this station. And I think of sitting here every Tuesday with John Seibel, with Chris Muller, with Josh Miller, with Ron Cook. And now with you, although you're over there on Tuesdays, I hear you introduce him and that's what he says.
It just feels like for me that, yes, this absolutely had to happen. And it was a year late. By any means necessary, it was time to move on. It still tinged for sure with sadness. Your thoughts, Bob, and welcome to Pomp and Joe, everybody.
Good morning, Joe. Good morning, Austin. And good morning, everyone out there. I tend to agree with everything you said there, but I'll add more to it. I've had a chance to work with Mike Tomlin over the past seven years doing this show. And I've learned a lot about football. You can say what you want about game day antics, his X's and O's, or whatever you want to break down.
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Chapter 3: How did Bob Pompeani and Joe Starkey react to Tomlin's resignation?
A lot of people believe he'll get into TV. Based on what he's told me over the years, I don't think he's interested, although that can change. But whatever he does, I think he'll move back. He is a football coach first and foremost, and somebody will be out there. Whether or not it's now or down the road,
If it's soon, there will be some compensation involved because of the part of his contract that says that. But he'll be back in this game. Unlike Bill Cowher, who I thought he would be and never returned, I think he will return.
I do too. And I hear what you're saying there and you have personal experience with him. It's interesting for me. I think the longest conversation I had with Mike Tomlin was right after he got hired. I was commissioned to do a story for ESPN.com on the Steelers' new coach. And so I talked to a bunch of the guys they talked about, uh, he would run clips of people.
I forget they had a name for it and sort of call them out. This was real early in his tenure, um, during camp, like not long after he got here. And, um, Somewhere in the hallways, I ran into him and we talked. We talked about how he was going to live in the East End of Pittsburgh and where were good places to live. And then after that, never, almost never did I ever talk to Mike Tomlin.
And then by midway through his tenure here, I don't think he ever wanted to talk to me anyway, because I was critical of some of the things that were happening. But I never really got to know him. In some ways, I wonder if Pittsburgh ever really got to know the true Mike Tomlin because he seemed to open up way more nationally with national media types, things like that.
I thought the best stuff he did here was right before the games at 1240. I would hear him talking to Bob Labriola, and it was unbelievable, the football stuff that would come out.
of him during those times and and during his tuesday news conferences i felt like we didn't get a whole lot of what mike tomlin really was bob maybe you saw more well i saw i saw more of a personality more of a this guy has a tremendous sense of humor i'll tell you that uh and some of the banter before we ever start taping a show that we did uh you saw that he also like i said has a amazing understanding of not just his team and his roster but the rest of the league and he will
He can tell you a lot about every player because he went through that scout. I think if you ask Mike Tomlin, the best part of what he liked about his job was the actual going and pre-draft dinners, pre-draft scouting with whatever staff he's bringing with him. That's what he liked the most.
Now, I think he's going to miss that for a little bit if he doesn't get into this, and that will eventually drive him back into it. I just think he's that way. But I think if you got to know him, and I think that's the case with most people, You know, Derek Shelton, you had a chance to talk to Derek Shelton. You did his thing, but you saw more of him away from it.
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Chapter 4: What are the implications of Tomlin's departure for the Steelers organization?
So let me ask you, was he pushed or was this completely of Tomlin's volition?
In my view, it's completely of Mike Tomlin's volition. I just think it got to the point where it was wearing on him. What was? Just the pressure of trying to win in postseason when it hasn't happened. And that becomes a snowball effect that keeps moving. He wants challenges. I think the guy enjoys every challenge he gets. But I think he also got to the point where he understands how this works.
And he just needed a break. I really believe that. And I think I somewhat sensed that a little bit as time went on. Just the need to step away, regroup, reset. And if you're going to ask me, my answer is he did it on his own. I do not believe there was any
And you think he knew he was going to do this for a long time?
Because when you do it 16 hours later... I do. I don't think you do it just hergy-jerky. We always talk about guys who say, I don't want to make an emotional decision. He doesn't want to do that either, but I think it's just been building in that direction. For whatever reasons there may be, I'm not sure what those all are, but I do think it was sort of building that way.
Listen, 19 years is a long time at any place you can do it. To do it that long is an amazing accomplishment, I think. Like I said, the longer this goes away, 10 years from now, you'll look back and think of that career as an outstanding career. You'll forget about a lot of the nuances. Some people won't.
I don't call seven-game playoff losing streak a nuance.
I call it annual failure. Fine. You could remember that if you want. But I'm going to remember 19 years is a long time. 13 playoff seasons. Playoffs are still important. You got to get there. Yeah. Did they underachieve? Yes, they did. They weren't ready for some of those games. In fact, most of those games. Why is that? It's his responsibility to get them there.
But I also know that it's difficult to get there in the first place, and that's just my choice. That's how I'm going to remember this whole 19 years.
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Chapter 5: What factors contributed to the end of the Tomlin era?
Would Art have picked up that option?
You know, I believe he would, yes. I mean, it's in there for that reason, and they've done it before. This playoff losing streak spans a decade, basically, and there have been options in there that he's picked up before. So, I mean, my gut tells me, yes, he would have picked it up.
Well, Art speaks to the media today at noon. Yeah, you'll find out more then. Well, or less.
It's a little bit unusual for him to come out with a press conference.
It sure is. He usually speaks. I mean, you have to after Mike Tomlin resigns. You have to. And those would be among my questions for him would be, did this take you off guard or did you know it was coming? Did you get any sense that Mike was disgruntled in any way with anything? Was the plan to move ahead with him and trigger that option? Was that your organizational plan?
Was the plan to have him remain in full control of your defense? What was the organizational plan moving forward? He's probably not going to tell you. But man, I'm curious about all of that. I suppose in a lot of ways it doesn't matter. But if somebody had the real story, it would sure matter, wouldn't it?
Yeah. It would be a great story. But I think if there is a real story, which you're suggesting, it'll come out eventually, but it won't be anytime soon. I think it takes time for that to happen. I just don't know the answers to any of those questions. I don't think any of us really do. They have conversations all the time, I'm sure, about a lot of things.
We've speculated for all these years about the draft and how it works, and it's a tight-knit secret over there. They don't tell you a lot about who does what.
Tomlin controls the picks. He has the final word.
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Chapter 6: How do fans perceive Tomlin's legacy with the Steelers?
There was a lot of reporting for other people. What I do think may happen here is that you're going to see Omar slash Andy White will have a little bit more control over what's going on because you may have someone in here who's going to be younger, looking for his first head coaching job, and willing to understand how that works. But I would want a very, very good young offensive mind.
I think you absolutely need that, and there are a lot of them out there. And regardless if that guy is the head coach or not, I still think that guy has to hire someone who has the autonomy to run his offense the way he should fit. Sure, you have a say. Sure, you have a game plan as a head coach, but you want the guy who knows the offense to call the offense.
I disagree. I think a couple of the really good younger coaches in the NFL right now, and they might darn well meet in the Super Bowl, D'Amico Ryans and Mike McDonald are both defensive guys. And then I look at Mike Vrabel. Obviously, you need an offensive mind somewhere.
You can satisfy both. The head coach could be a defensive coordinator.
Sure, and hire Josh McDaniels. I mean, that's the dynamic in New England right now. You have a defensive guy in Vrabel, and he just hands the offense to Josh McDaniels. Quarterback development, scheme, everything else. To me, it can work. People seem really bent on the offensive-minded head coach. I'm open to that.
But I think the head coach, and I think they think the head coach, based on their history, is more about force of personality. More about we need to go out and hire that guy who has it, who's a CEO type. Marcus Freeman is a guy who fits that profile for sure. This guy, Nate Steelhouse, Bob. Everybody here can call him Nate Steelhouse. The Seattle or the Rams pass game guy.
Yeah, he's been talked about a lot. He's an interesting, yeah. Very interesting guy. And there's lots of them. But I think for me and for them, I'm mostly interested in that, in the force of personality, the CEO, the general, the guy who commands a room. And then I can get the offense and defense taken care of. One of Tomlin's main problems is he couldn't let go of the defense.
And they wouldn't make changes to their staff. It took a lot of people. And when he did, they were the wrong people. Right. And Matt Canada is a good example of that. He hung with them a long time before it finally came to shove. So, yes, you have to be able to be that guy. There's enough on your plate as a head coach to do.
You don't need to be changing everything, making changes during the game, calling, overshadowing your own coordinators. I don't think you want that. So there are a lot of guys who fit that profile, I think, on a potential list of candidates.
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Chapter 7: What are the potential candidates for the Steelers head coach position?
No. I'll tell you one thing I thought, though. because he's one win away from eclipsing the Chuck Noll record. But this confirms what he said about he doesn't care about records and all these things. If that mattered to him, I don't think he would have done this to eclipse the record. I think he was close enough to a one win away, but he didn't care about that.
He cared about what the state of his team was, and it wasn't good right now.
So you think that the fan base turning on him Didn't play any role in this.
I think he's aware of it. I don't think he just looks at that one specific instance and say, oh, that's it, I'm done. No, I don't think. I just get the feeling he's not made up that way. So again, then, what do you think led him to this conclusion? Again, for me, it was just years after years of going through this process, and it finally probably came to just, I need a break. I think it's okay.
But you think he's going to go right back into coaching? At some point. I don't know if it'll be immediately. What do you think he's going to do for the next year? I don't know.
But not TV, huh?
He's, again, in just conversations back and forth, I mention TV a lot because I think he would be excellent at it, don't you? He knows how to handle all this stuff and he comes at you with a different kind of a flair. Maybe. He handles all those situations well. I think he does. And I think Yes, he'd be good at it, but I just don't think he wants to do it. Now, can that change? Has it changed?
Would money sway him? No, I don't think he has enough money. We'll see. But I just don't think I'll see that. I may be wrong because things do change. Because Bill Cowher, I thought for sure he'd be back in it. I remember talking to him about there were offers every year that came, and he was always named.
But for some reason, he just really enjoyed the TV aspect of it much more than I think he thought he would originally.
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Chapter 8: What should fans expect moving forward after Tomlin's resignation?
We have the big boy, Mark Kabaly, who didn't think that this change was necessary. He was against the idea of Tomlin leaving. He thought he didn't think that this would be a good thing for Tomlin to leave.