Mike Tomlin has faced a lot of criticism in the wake of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ shocking loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars last weekend, and some of the people who own pieces of the franchise are reportedly calling for the head coach to lose his job.
A source with knowledge of the situation told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that some of the Steelers’ limited partners — a small group of fans who own equity in the team — plan to pressure Art Rooney to fire Tomlin. Florio notes that the partners, who became involved with the team back in 2009 when the NFL ordered the Steelers to restructure their ownership to come into compliance because of their dealings with horse and dog racing, do not have any say in management decisions. However, they have a line of communication to Rooney and are planning to use it.
Tomlin, of course, has taken the blame for several in-game blunders in recent years. Most recently, the Steelers had a pair of questionable play calls on 4th-and-short situations against the Jaguars. They also attempted an ill-advised on-side kick with 2:18 remaining in the game when they were trailing by a touchdown and had two timeouts left. Tomlin, who has made similar mistakes in the past, was blasted after the loss.
In addition to the complaints about situational football, the limited partners are also reportedly concerned about a lack of discipline from Tomlin’s players. Le’Veon Bell made it clear on social media last week that he was already looking ahead to a rematch with the New England Patriots that never came. There have been several incidents like that in addition to the embarrassing situation with Antonio Brown and his Facebook locker room video last year.
The Steelers have had just three different head coaches since 1969, and they pride themselves on continuity. Tomlin is unlikely to be fired, but he needs to prove he can keep his team focused and advance past the Patriots when the postseason comes around. If his plan is to wait until Tom Brady and/or Bill Belichick retire, he may not have a job by then.
