The Pittsburgh Steelers want their longtime head coach to lead the franchise into the post-Ben Roethlisberger era.
The team announced on Tuesday that they signed Mike Tomlin, the third-longest tenured head coach currently in the NFL, to a three-year contract extension that runs through the 2024 season. As a result of this deal, Tomlin will remain at the helm in Pittsburgh following the inevitable departure of Roethlisberger, who's entering the final year of his contract at the age of 39.
During Tuesday's show, Tiki and Tierney discussed Tomlin's extension, as well as the Steelers' expectations moving forward.
"I think the pressure is coming internally from Mike Tomlin, because he knows he's putting together good products in the regular season," Tiki said. "It's just, once he gets to the postseason -- and again, it's all circumstances -- but there are circumstances that cause him to lose. Whether it was a slow start against the Jags, remember three seasons ago... They made it a game, ultimately, but they just started so bad. It was like, 'Jacksonville's not this good.' So, it wasn't like they were getting beat. They were beating themselves. And I think that's been the issue, that they've beaten themselves a lot more than they're getting beat.
"And that reeks of preparedness. I don't want to throw that on Mike's doorstep, but it's just the reality of what we've seen over the last couple of years -- especially in the postseason. Not in the regular season. Regular season, they're phenomenal. It's just when they get to the postseason, something always short-circuits."
Tomlin, who turned 49 in March, has compiled a 145-78-1 career record in 14 seasons with the Steelers. In his second year on the job in 2008, he led the team to a thrilling Super Bowl 43 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, and since then, Pittsburgh has reached the playoffs seven times and won five AFC North division titles. Under Tomlin's watch, the franchise has never finished a season with a losing record.
Despite the Steelers' constant regular season success, their shortcomings in the postseason can't be ignored, according to Tierney, and Tomlin deserves a fair share of the blame.
"I definitely like Mike and support Mike a lot more than I don't, but I think it would be naïve not to lump some of their malfunctions at his doorstep," Tierney said. "If we talk about teams that never beat themselves, like the Patriots, and laud [head coach Bill] Belichick in the process -- rightfully so, there's a correlation there, how you prepare and how you practice is how you play -- when you short-circuit at the most inopportune time, that level of preparedness has got to trace back to somebody. And when you've won three of your last nine playoff games, it's got to trace back to the head coach. And it does, if you're being objective...
"I'm not saying you can't find somebody better than Tomlin. Maybe there's a handful better. I personally view Mike Tomlin as maybe the sixth or seventh-best head coach [in the NFL]..."
Since 1969, Pittsburgh has had just three head coaches: Hall-of-Famers Chuck Noll (1969-91) and Bill Cowher (1992-2006), and Tomlin (2007-present).
The entire Tomlin-Steelers conversation between Tiki and Tierney can be accessed in the video and audio players above.
You can follow the Tiki and Tierney Show on Twitter @TikiAndTierney and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.