Report: Pittsburgh Steelers to retain Mike Tomlin
According to NFL Network and NFL.com National Insider Ian Rapoport, Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin will return for an 8th season in 2014.
From Total Access pregame show: I'm told #Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's job is safe for the 2014 season, despite the struggles.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 14, 2013
Pittsburgh lost their first four games of the season before coming out of their week 5 bye to win two straight.
The hope for a turnaround was quickly dashed with consecutive losses to the Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots.
The Steelers won last week – a 23-10 victory over the Buffalo Bills – but sit at just 3-6 on the season, a year after going 8-8.
Still, Tomlin holds a sterling 66-39 record with Pittsburgh and won the 2008 Super Bowl in just his second year as head coach — which apparently will be good enough to keep him around another season.
The Steelers have never finished below .500 during his tenure, but that streak is in real jeopardy this year.
Pittsburgh has made the playoffs in 4 out of the previous 6 seasons that Tomlin, just 41 years old, was the coach.
While some Steelers’ fans may not like the idea, it may behoove them to look at what happened with Andy Reid this season.
Tomlin has had success in the NFL – head coach of a Super Bowl champion – just like Reid did — without the Super Bowl of course — before leaving Philadelphia, and another team would undoubtedly pick him up.
Sticking it out with Tomlin may just be the best thing for Pittsburgh.