PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – You can make the argument to fire Mike Tomlin. It might be a good decision, but it won't be the decision that will turn this franchise around.
You can bring in any head coach you want, until they find another franchise quarterback, the results will remain the same.
The last year the Steelers won a playoff game, they actually won two and the reason they did is because franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was in his prime. You don't have a franchise quarterback in his prime, you are what the Steelers have been, especially in the last three seasons, living in a house where the ceiling is just qualifying for the playoffs.
There have been four times since 2000 where teams won a Super Bowl without having a franchise quarterback. Let's examine those:
· 2001—Ravens had Trent Dilfer and Tony Banks as quarterbacks, but one of the greatest defenses in the history of the game. In that AFC playoff run they beat Denver with Gus Frerotte at QB, Tennessee with Steve McNair and the Raiders where Rich Gannon and Bobby Hoying quarterbacked
· 2003—Brad Johnson was the Tampa Bay quarterback and they had a bye in the first round, beat Jeff Garcia and the 49ers and then Philly's Donovan McNabb in the NFC title game. They won the Super Bowl beating Gannon and Oakland.
· 2013—Ravens Joe Flacco had one of the greatest playoff performances of all-time (11 touchdowns and no interceptions) as they beat Andrew Luck with Indy, Peyton Manning and the Broncos and Tom Brady with New England
· 2018—Nick Foles was one of those crazy stories as the Eagles beat Matt Ryan and Atlanta before Case Keenum and Minnesota in the NFC title game
Even in these cases where it wasn't a franchise quarterback, and Joe Flacco might be a stretch on this list with 257 career touchdown passes, look at the quarterback competition they played.
For the Steelers to make a run in the AFC over the next few years they will have to deal with Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow in their division, then Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen with CJ Stroud, Drake Maye and Bo Nix showing promise early in their careers.
Let's put this another way. How many NFL teams have knocked down Bill Belichick's door since he's been apart from Tom Brady? None. Zero teams in need of a head coach in the NFL thought Bill Belichick would make a difference. If Brady, now 47-years-old, came out of retirement, he would have more interest from NFL teams than what some believe to be the greatest head coach of all-time.
Fire Mike Tomlin. It might make you feel better, but it's not the decision that will make the Steelers a championship team again. It's what this team does at quarterback that matters.
