The Pittsburgh Steelers maintained their lead atop the AFC North division on Monday night by handing the Miami Dolphins a 28-15 defeat. While the Steelers have gotten themselves back on the right track after a recent rough stretch, rumors are still circulating that suggest this could be head coach Mike Tomlin‘s final season in charge of the team.
Tomlin is in his 19th season as Pittsburgh’s head coach, and while the team has remained competitive during his tenure, it has struggled to advance deep in the playoffs as of late. Even with the Steelers righting the ship, some folks still want Tomlin gone. According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, though, it sounds like Art Rooney II has no plans to move on from Tomlin anytime soon.
“I don’t anticipate Art Rooney is going to come to the conclusion that the Mike Tomlin era has run its course,” Pelissero said on “The Rich Eisen Show.”
Even when Pittsburgh appeared to be in the process of falling apart, it always seemed unlikely that the team would move on from Tomlin. If the team makes the playoffs, that will almost certainly buy him some leeway with the team, but even if they miss the postseason, it seems like the only way Tomlin isn’t back with the Steelers next season is if he decides it’s time to leave.
Two big wins have cooled the chatter surrounding Tomlin for the time being, but Pittsburgh still has a lot of work to do if it intends to go on that elusive deep playoff run this season. The Steelers will face a tough task in Week 16, as they will be taking on the high-powered Detroit Lions on a short week.
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