The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly parting ways with offensive coordinator Todd Haley this offseason, but Haley may not be the only member of the team’s coaching staff that Ben Roethlisberger has had questions about. Apparently, not all is well between Big Ben and his head coach, either.
Colin Cowherd of FOX Sports Radio said Wednesday that sources have told him Roethlisberger is “massively frustrated” with Mike Tomlin. Big Ben was once again critical of Pittsburgh’s coaches during his weekly radio show Tuesday, and Cowherd said that was the quarterback’s way of seizing the opportunity to bash Tomlin now that the Steelers’ fan base is so angry with the head coach.
"Big Ben is massively frustrated with Mike Tomlin… It's not that he called out Tomlin, it's when he called him out." — @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/3Dr848WgxF
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) January 17, 2018
“Ben, I’ve got it sourced, isn’t happy,” Cowherd said. “He saw this as a rare opportunity — he’s so frustrated with a lack of discipline — to pile on. … By the way, limited partners are now pushing for a new coach and also concerned about the team’s lack of discipline. Ben is telling those close to him, ‘We’re not a group of grownups, the Patriots are.'”
Cowherd was referring a report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, which stated that some minority owners with the Steelers want Tomlin to be fired.
By Cowherd’s calculations, the comments Roethlisberger made this week about not being able to run certain plays marked the seventh time since October 2016 that he has publicly called out Tomlin. Roethlisberger also threw his coaches under the bus over a terrible play call earlier this season.
Tomlin made a number of situational mistakes in last weekend’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he has also been criticized for not being able to keep his players focused. Some would say Le’Veon Bell’s tweet last week about a rematch with the Patriots was a great example of that.
