Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger says "fresh start" might be best for Mike Tomlin
As the Steelers continue to fight for their playoff lives, as well as a possible AFC North division title, the calls from many fans and NFL pundits have grown louder that the team might be best served to move on from the longest-tenured head coach in North American professional sports.
That included former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who said on his Footbahlin podcast that a fresh start could be what's best for Mike Tomlin and the Steelers.
"Maybe it's clean house time, maybe it is, and I like Coach Tomlin," Roethlisberger said. "I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin, but maybe it's best for him, too. Maybe a fresh start for him is what's best, whether that's in the pros or not."
Along with voicing his opinion that it might be time for the Steelers and Tomlin to part ways, the former two-time Super Bowl winner also floated the idea of Tomlin staying somewhat local. As the college football season winds down, Penn State is still operating with an interim head coach after the dismissal of James Franklin, and Roethlisberger kicked around the idea of Tomlin heading to Happy Valley to take over that program.
"You don't fire a guy like Coach Tomlin," Ben said. "He's a Hall of Fame coach, he's respected, what you do is you come to an understanding, an agreement, 'Hey, listen, I think it's probably best for both of us.'"
Since becoming head coach of the Steelers, Tomlin has a record of 189-113-2 and is just four wins away from passing Chuck Noll's franchise record in wins.
"Fire Tomlin" chants ring out during loss to Bills
As the Steelers found themselves on the losing end of another game, this time against the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium, fan frustration came to a head in the fourth quarter as chants of "fire Tomlin" could be heard ringing throughout.
Tomlin was asked after the game what goes through his mind during moments like those at the team's home stadium.
"I share their frustration tonight," Tomlin said after the game. "We didn't do enough. That's just the reality of it."
Tomlin continued his understanding of the fans' frustration during his usual Tuesday press conference.
"In general, I agree with them, from this perspective: Football is our game, we're in a sport entertainment business," Tomlin said. "And so if you root for the Steelers, entertaining them is winning. And so when you're not winning, it's not entertaining."