ESPN’s Ryan Clark on Mike Tomlin’s Uncertain Future as Steelers’ Head Coach | The Rich Eisen Show

What is it like to be coached by Mike Tomlin and hear maybe in the community that fans don’t want Mike Tomlin to be the coach anymore? Uh, crazy enough, uh, on social media, one of my favorite people in Pittsburgh. Um, she does security and she’s always done security there. Her name’s Chrissy. Uh, shout out Chrissy. Yeah, Chrissy’s always done security there and um you know uh she has cereble pausy I believe and she’s like one of my best friends at camp just awesome young lady and uh she messaged me and she was like you know I miss the old days you know the days when you would stay out and sign autographs for people and until they left and you don’t have that connection anymore and and she asked me she’s like I wonder does do the fans or the fans screaming in that manner for coach Tomlin to be fired Do you have to listen to them? Mhm. And my answer to that was unequivocally, no, you don’t. Like fans are important to the game. We play the game so and for their enjoyment and we love to share in winning with them, but fans are called fans because they’re fanatics. People who know football know that you shouldn’t be calling for Mike Tomlin’s job. Now, I also understand from the standpoint of team building where you have to be in the decision-making process with Mike Tomlin because for the last 10 years, you’ve been in Super Bowl purgatory and the Pittsburgh Steelers are never supposed to be in Super Bowl purgatory. The Pittsburgh Steelers are supposed to be competing for championships and this team can’t and this team won’t. So, where do do you go from here when you’ve invested in your defense that much? And I said this a year ago and I was called by someone in the organization that said the things I the reasonings I had about what’s going on in the locker room were fair, but they disagreed with the point. I felt like Mike Tomlin should have a conversation about going have his Andy Reed second run somewhere else to be able to say, “Hey, look, I feel like what we’ve done here has been special. I’m forever indebted to this organization. Where we are right now when we talk about the standard being the standard isn’t the standard for either of us. And maybe a new voice is needed. Maybe you need to be able to be as bad as you could possibly be to rebuild. Or maybe there’s another voice that could get you over the hump. because right now it doesn’t seem that his style of coaching, his way of coaching, and his voice is the one to get you to another championship. And you may have to part ways in that way. But I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again here on Rich Eisen show. I believe that Mike Tomlin is unfireable in Pittsburgh. That doesn’t mean he should be there forever. So, let me follow up by asking you this because you know him better than I would. I mean, I’ve interviewed him. I’ve had moments with him off camera. Um, and I’ve interviewed him also prior to games. Um, and I’ll share it as well. Uh, he was kind enough when my my father passed away in 2019 and talked about it on the year. He sent me a note. It’s awesome. You know, so I I I that’s but that’s all I know of him personally. You know him better. What would it take for him to actually endeavor that thought process though? What and when would he when would he go through that, do you think? and and and I can’t speak for him. In my estimation, he wouldn’t because the one thing he always stressed to me is that he’ll never run from coaching. This team still needs to be coached. This team still needs to be led. And the way I internalize that or comprehend that when he says that he won’t run from coaching, he knows people do sometimes is that he would feel like he’s running from the adversity that he’s possibly had a hand in creating. Mhm. Right. It it’s it’s his decision making on the players, his decision making on the coaches, his decision making on what he feels like is the best way to approach winning. And so when you’ve had a hand in all of those things and those things aren’t working to leave and say maybe somebody else will be better or maybe there’s a better place to me would feel like I’m running from the adversity that I’ve created myself that I need to help this team and these people find a solution from which is a fair way to look at it and an honorable way to look at it. But people who truly know football know that it’s not always a fair and honorable occupation. Hey, you made it all the way to the end. Thanks for that.

ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark and Rich Eisen discuss Mike Tomlin’s future as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach, and more.

Tune in to the Emmy-nominated Rich Eisen Show live weekdays from Noon to 3PM ET on Disney+, ESPN+, ESPN Radio, and streaming on SiriusXM channel 80.

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23 comments

  1. Let mediocre Mike move in with Eisen. They can finally come out and celebrate their relationship in public.

    They aren’t in Super Bowl purgatory. They are in mediocre Hell. He is in Marvin Lewis territory now. NHALS, except in the one season that matters. The postseason. He’s 8-11 and hasn’t won a game in 8 years and counting.

    Why is he “unfireable” again? Tell us, Ryan… what’s the REASON? Because it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the team’s performance.

  2. If you're a Steelers fan, ask yourself "How long would Mike Tomlin be unemployed if we fire him?". If the answer is 'Less than a day" you're a damn fool for letting him go.

  5. NOT FANS!! SOME FANS!! ALL THE FANS YALL HEAR OUT HERE ARE PPL WHO JUST WANTS TO SEE A NEW COACH. THESE PPL ARE JUST INCREDIBLY SPOILED🤷‍♂️ WHATEVER HAPPENS, HE SHOULD GO ON HIS OWN TERMS..NOT BECAUSE SOME SPOILED BRATS WANNA CRY….TF OOOOOOOOUTTA HERE!!

  7. I would love him for the raiders. Get him in, give him 10 years, build the same thing but in silver and black. Fans pushing him out are just flat out wrong, be careful what you wish for.

  8. Yes even great head coaches can over stay their time. Look at what happened to Andy Reid and the eagles. After many years of being with the eagles he went on to KC and became a 3 time Superbowl champion. The eagles went on to become 2 time Superbowl champions. So it worked out for both organizations. People are like well if Tomlin leaves who are you going to replace him with? If every team had that mindset then no one would get let go and would be stuck in the same rutt year in and year out.

  11. Just shows you how the media carries water for Tomlin. To counter the sheer disgust of a fan base that hasn’t won a playoff game in a decade they decide to bring on the biggest Tomlin apologist in all of the media Ryan Clark. The media and Rich Eisen are a total and complete joke. On any other NFL team Tomlin is out the door. He is the longest tenured coach in all major sports baseball, basketball, hockey and football. You can’t win a playoff game in over a decade and those you did play in you were out of those games before halftime. In any other professional sports team and any other NFL team your gone! So please spare me the no losing seasons b.s. Good Grief 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

  13. I think Ryan Clark makes some great points here and has some great insight. I've been calling for Tomlin to be fired for a while now, but it's not because of him as a person. I used to love Mike T, and I have never doubted his ability to be a great human being. He's likable for a reason. But the question is whether or not he is the right answer for the Steelers. No-one should be unfireable in such a competitive environment. Belicheck and Pete Carrol show that very clearly. The Patriots and Seahawks are much better off now that they're gone. That's doesn't mean that they're bad coaches. It doesn't matter how short of a period before another team signs him. He's not the right answer for us, and you can very clearly see that in the way we are playing. You can very clearly see that in the amount of drama we have had in the locker room. Even when we have all the right cards (like we have this season) we are not contenders. If this is what an all-in season looks like, then we are failing. 

    I hate that this mediocrity has gotten to a point where I have to start bashing on Mike T, and calling out all his flaws as a coach. It's because of all the media talk and the fans covering him in wool, praising him like he is an all-time great, that I have to continue to argue against him. As long as he's the coach we will not compete for a Super Bowl, and I'm very sure of that. Therefore he's not the answer.

    The pride and duty that Clark mentions is the exact reason we have to fire or trade him. He himself will never see that he's not the answer.

  17. I've always liked Tomlin after the Cowher years. As a Steelers fan the problem with Tomlin is not his style of coaching and leadership, it's his lack of being able to evolve with the way the game is played. Offensive and defensive schemes are totally predictable by most teams that play them. These are mostly great schemes, but the only way they work is to have a complete (especially defense) roster of Pro Bowl players…without elite talent at every position, the holes it the schemes rear their ugly head.

  18. Ryan Clark AND The Rest of the AFC North KNOWS that When Mike Tomlin Leaves Pittsburgh will NEVER Win Another AFC Title Never Alone be Successful.. Ryan WANT those Fans to Learn Where the Steelers Came From.. Bad News Bears.. The IDIOTS who consistently "THINK " No Playoff Wins Since 2017 is So Bad Obviously Missed Franco Harris is in the Airport because He Scored their 1st Playoff TD in 1974.. 33 Years is Much Worse than 8..😂😂😂

  19. There’s two types of Steelers fans the tomlin lovers with no football knowledge.
    Don’t know crap about the team . Or history with out google.
    And the real Steelers fans that want overrated tomlin gone 😂

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