PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – There wasn’t a questioning of Mike Tomlin from his boss on Monday, rather an affirmation that he is still the right head coach for the Steelers organization.
“When you look at how many games Mike has won in this League, you don't win that many games if you're not a good coach,” said Steelers President Art Rooney to a group of Steelers beat reporters including 93.7 The Fan. “And I know he's frustrated, like we all are, just not being able to take that next step. But we still feel good about him being a leader and still think he has the strengths that he always had in terms of being able to lead a team.”
Rooney believes Tomlin’s message still resonates. He said he knows that through first-hand accounts of talking to players. These guys still want to play for and believe in Tomlin, according to the owner.
That being said, Rooney expects to see some turnover with the coaching staff, probably announced within the next few days. Rooney said ‘there are probably going to be a couple of changes’, but nothing wholesale. He said they have conversations about the staff ‘all the time’ and he didn’t want to disclose specifics, but are always looking for ways to improve.
For years one of the smallest coaching staffs in the NFL, Rooney defended the size of their group, saying they have 27. Even if he conceded it was small in today’s game he doesn’t believe that is what is holding the team back. He also said the organization has invested into analytics and have more people than they’ve ever had, but they are open to bettering themselves on that front.
Rooney said both are disappointed with how the season unfolded. But, there is a long-held family philosophy.
“You look at the fact that we have six, seven, eight teams a year that turn their coaches over,” Rooney said. “It's never a good strategy.”