Famously, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been a model of coaching consistency as they have engineered their way to a streak of incredible longevity in the head coach’s office over the past 56 years.
Consider …
Dating back to 1969, when Chuck Noll took over for Bill Austin, who went 11-28-3 in three seasons from 1966 to 1968, Pittsburgh has had just three coaches.
Noll marched along the sidelines for 21 seasons, winning four Super Bowls, with just seven losing seasons in that time. Bill Cowher took over in 1992 and stormed those same sidelines and won a Super Bowl with just 3 losing campaigns in 15 NFL seasons.
Cowher retired after the 2006 season when Mike Tomlin took over. Tomlin is entering his 19th season for the Steelers with one Super Bowl under his watch, with an astonishing zero losing seasons.
But … one Steelers legend now says there is a “but.” … claiming that Tomlin’s voice in the locker room has grown “stale.”
“I believe Mike Tomlin should coach in another organization,” Ryan Clark said. “Mike Tomlin should be a fresh voice somewhere else. … I believe his voice has run stale there.”
Make no mistake; Clark, now an ESPN analyst, is a supporter of Tomlin’s.
Said Clark: “I believe he’s allowed that team to reach the highest of heights they’re going to reach unless they can get a top-tier quarterback. I’ve said time and time again, I do believe that should be the decision he makes.”
The “get a quarterback” thing is … a problem.
And yet Tomlin isn’t likely going anywhere in the immediate future.
The coach signed a new deal back in 2024 that will take him through until the end of the 2027 campaign.
Entering his season 19, Tomlin might have his biggest challenge ahead of him since … well, since last season. The team managed a 10-7 mark and made the playoffs without top-notch play quarterback, and split the season between Justin Fields and Russell Wilson.
They’re both gone now, and Tomlin and the Steelers are in trouble under center. Unless the Aaron Rodgers saga turns out positively, with the four-time league MVP not only suiting up in the black and gold for the first week of the season but also playing at a high level …
Tomlin’s streak might be up.
And according to Clark, maybe his time should be up, too.
