The rampant internet speculation about whether the Steelers should part ways with longtime head coach Mike Tomlin received a significant, personal endorsement this week from a source some may characterize as unlikely: Legendary star QB Ben Roethlisberger.
Speaking on his Footbahlin podcast with former FS1 personality Emmanuel Acho, the two-time Super Bowl winner endorsed the idea that it might be time for his former team and former head coach to part ways.
“It’s been talked around here a lot. Maybe it is time to clean the house. Maybe it is, and I like coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for coach Tomlin, but maybe it’s best for him too,” said Roethlisberger.
Tomlin and Roethlisberger made three trips to the Super Bowl together and brought back two Lombardi trophies during their 15 years together before Roethlisberger’s retirement in 2021.
“Maybe a fresh start for him is what is best. Whether that is in the pros [or] go be Penn State’s head coach. Do you know what he would do at Penn State? He would probably go win national championships because he is a great recruiter.”
Acho began the discussion about Tomlin’s future by encouraging the Steelers to part ways with their coach of 19 years.
“Tomlin, he has to go because he’s not going to win another Super Bowl in Pittsburgh,” Acho said. “I believe the last time he was in a Super Bowl, James Jones was beating him in that Super Bowl 2011 in Dallas when the Packers played the Steelers. It’s been a long time since Mike Tomlin even sniffed the Super Bowl, let alone sniff multiple playoff wins.”
Discontent with Tomlin reached a loud crescendo on Sunday when the Bills thoroughly handled the Steelers, 26-7, in a home defeat that knocked them out of the division lead and dealt a brutal blow to their playoff hopes.
The crowd could be heard shouting, “Fire Tomlin!”
Tomlin is in year two of a three-year deal he signed with Pittsburgh last year.
The embattled coach will have a chance to change the conversation around him on Sunday, when the Steelers clash with the Ravens, with first place in the AFC North on the line.
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