PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – He would say they are early in the process and have procedures to go through, but Mike Tomlin did say Thursday it is time to find an offensive coordinator from outside of the organization.
He said he is lining up candidates and obviously didn’t go into names. Tomlin wanted to point out he is appreciative of the job running backs coach Eddie Faulkner did as the interim offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan did calling plays. But he will go in a different direction.
What was interesting to hear from Tomlin on Thursday is him seemingly being willing to change. He said he was open to learning through the process and listening to what people from the outside say about their system, their players, the state of the game, their vision for what the Steelers could be. We really haven’t heard that from him before, where he knows they need to change.
Tomlin said it’s a small group who will talk to potential candidates. Along with himself, he said team President Art Rooney and GM Omar Khan will be a part of interview process. He wants someone with NFL coaching experience, obviously Matt Canada had only been an offensive coordinator in college previously.
Trying to get the best of out the quarterback is job one in who they hire. Right now, that would be with Kenny Pickett as the starter, but said Pickett will have to earn it. They are interested in bringing Mason Rudolph back, but the sixth-year QB is a free agent.
“The game is quarterback driven,” Tomlin said. “Offenses are quarterback driven. Their expertise in that area is a significant component of the search from my perspective.”
I could bring up a number of offensive categories, but just looking at the NFL ranking in points per game by the Steelers offense over the last few seasons:
· 2023--28th at 17.8 points per game
· 2022—26th at 18.1 points per game
· 2021—21st at 20.2 points per game
“I want us to be versatile and dynamic,” Tomlin said. “Obviously, we have to score more points. We have to be able to keep defenses off balance. I want to utilize all of the talents at our disposal. I’m excited about the process and the talent pool out there.”
He is also willing to expand his coaching staff. The Steelers have typically had one of the smallest coaching staffs in the league and now they would look into adding. They have never had a senior consultant like several teams do. He said that is a component of them reviewing what they are doing and what they could do better.
You will hear many names over the next few weeks, some have local ties like former Bears offensive coordinator and Steel Valley HS QB Luke Getsy or former Browns offensive coordinator and Pitt record holding QB Alex Van Pelt. There will be others you don’t know.
Over the 17 years he’s been head coach he has never had a more important coaching decision. This offense is sputtering. They are trying to figure out if their first-round pick, in-house quarterback is good enough. Tomlin has to get this right and move the organization forward on offense.
The defense is ready and the clock is ticking.