Former Steeler James Harrison drops the hard truth about Mike Tomlin's job security
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is a polarizing figure among Steeler Nation. For every fan who thinks he is one of the best head coaches in the NFL and should be the Steelers head coach for life, there's another who thinks he should have been fired years ago and this team will never win another Super Bowl as long as he's in charge.
But how do players feel about this? Current players aren't going to offer much in the way of an opinion on it one way for another but former Steelers linebacker and legend James Harrison has nothing to lose so when he was on The Nightcap Podcast with Shannon Sharpe, he told everyone the truth that we all already knew but didn't want to say out loud.
"Mike Tomlin ain't going nowhere," Harrison said. The only person can get Mike Tomlin fired is Mike Tomlin."
This might come as a shock to some of you but this is the reality of being a head coach in Pittsburgh. This franchise has had only three head coaches since hiring Chuck Noll in 1969. Not every season under Noll was great, nor was it for his replacement, Bill Cowher. But just like when Cowher replaced Noll and Tomlin replaced Cowher, it was because their predecessor stepped aside and it wasn't ownership's decision to move on.
There's no reason to believe the Rooneys won't extend Tomlin the same courtesy. If Tomlin strings together two or three losing season, we could see him deciding to step away and retire and say all the right things about it being the right time for him and the right time for the franchise and the Rooney's hands stay clean.
If you are a Steelers fan who is hoping a bad season or two will prompt a Tomlin firing, you will continue to be disappointed.
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