Mike Tomlin steps down

[triplets_93]

 

[CT Dal Fan]

There goes Ephraim Banda.

Son of a....

Relax, Aaron Whitecotton is already here. They didn't even have to do a Zoom interview!

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

no, i'm not I have polls to prove that YOU ARE wrong.. this latest poll 33 zoners selected flores, NOT ME..huh

https://cowboyszone.com/threads/who...r-for-the-cowboys.541992/page-2#post-14660067

this one 28 selected flores, NOT ME...

https://cowboyszone.com/threads/who...or-of-the-cowboys.541914/page-3#post-14652857

That's just here which maybe you don't know this or not but the internet's much bigger than this place it covers all Facebook and everywhere they talk about sports content creators and media have discussed Brian Flores more than I have and I've never said that he was coming here not once so maybe you mixed it up and I'm offended that you would accuse me of something and then be wrong about it but show me show me where I've said that I thought he was coming here and I'm the only one across the entire landscape of the Internet that said this?

You realize one of those polls asks who people want….and the one that asks who people think will be the DC have Aaron Whitecotton with more votes than Flores? You do understand that?

Flores has only got one team interested so far in interviewing him as a head coach. Pretty unusual for a guy that has performed so well as a DC.

All I have said is I don’t think Jerry will entertain him as a candidate due to the lawsuit. Personally I would love to have him but I literally see no chance. And what would be the benefit for him to come here? Our defense needs a complete rebuild, he already has a team that is very successful in his system. Dallas does have more visibility and Jerry COULD blow him away with money…those seem like the only positives for him. I predict if he doesn’t get a HC job, he uses these interviews to get himself a big pay raise in Minny.

As you yourself stated, Jerry previously said he wasn’t interested in doing things the same way he has in the past. He said he doesn’t want a recycled HC. Flores is that. Most of the guys we have interviewed have never been a HC.

The Pittsburgh opening might be another that Flores would get a look from since he was on Tomlin’s staff at one point.

 

[Mr_437]

Tomlin had a great run. He should take a break and relax a bit.

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

Tomlin would get another opportunity and is a great coach regardless how some may feel.

His downfall was Mason Rudolph, Mitchell Tribusky, Kenny Pickett, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and semi retired Aaron Rogers.

How much of the blame does he deserve for those moves?

 

[dupree89]

sounds like if everything else is equal, tomlin would prefer a warm weather city for his next gig

https://nypost.com/2026/01/13/sport...in-his-next-coaching-job-after-steelers-exit/

 

[stuckindc]

would love to have him as DC so he could focus all his energy on just the defense

but he'll get the call to be HC somewhere

Agreed. He may need a year off to recharge. It’s not like he won’t be able to call his shots. I would love if he was our coach and JJ let him do it…sadly neither will ever happen

 

[KingCorcoran]

Tomlin would get another opportunity and is a great coach regardless how some may feel.

His downfall was Mason Rudolph, Mitchell Tribusky, Kenny Pickett, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and semi retired Aaron Rogers.

Pickett was 15-10 as a starter for Tomlin. Someone on that staff could coach.

 

[BoyzBlaster]

He'd be perfect for a franchise mired in years of losing that needs a solid hire - giants, jets, cowboys, etc

 

[CWR]

Steps down so they can say he wasn't fired.

He may have legitimately stepped down.

After 19 years he may feel his message in Pittsburgh has gone stagnant. Its time to move on.

I dunno...

 

[CWR]

Tomlin would get another opportunity and is a great coach regardless how some may feel.

His downfall was Mason Rudolph, Mitchell Tribusky, Kenny Pickett, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and semi retired Aaron Rogers.

Yeah they gave him a ton of trash quarterbacks.

 

[VaqueroTD]

Harbaugh and Tomlin available. Would be nice to have a vacancy this year. About as close as you'll get to another Andy Reid second life.

 

[CowboysSpursandAstros]

Simply needs a change of scenery. Would love to have him over Jason Garrett 0.5

 

[ErikWilliamsHeadSlap]

Watt is getting older and is wearing down. Heyward is old even though he had a good year. Ramsay is older. All the money is tied up on a defense that isn't that good. Tomlin's success was born from the team that Cowher built. His defense never reached the heights after Lebeau left. He was unable to build a real contender himself. And has had years to replace Ben properly. That's on him. One and done. Repeat. He lead Pittsburgh to the worst place possible year in, year out. Stuck in the middle between bad and great.

 

[Miller]

Saw this today from a David Syvertsen

“One of the biggest misconceptions about Mike Tomlin that some can't seem to understand. Since 2020, Tomlin is 60-40-1

His #1 QBs over that span?

37 and 38 year old Ben Roethlisberger
1st and 2nd year Kenny Pickett
36 year old Russell Wilson
42 year old Aaron Rodgers?

Who else is producing a .600 winning percentage over that time?”

 

[cowboyec]

our next dc.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

sounds like if everything else is equal, tomlin would prefer a warm weather city for his next gig

https://nypost.com/2026/01/13/sport...in-his-next-coaching-job-after-steelers-exit/

Who wouldn't?

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

Saw this today from a David Syvertsen

“One of the biggest misconceptions about Mike Tomlin that some can't seem to understand. Since 2020, Tomlin is 60-40-1

His #1 QBs over that span?

37 and 38 year old Ben Roethlisberger
1st and 2nd year Kenny Pickett
36 year old Russell Wilson
42 year old Aaron Rodgers?

Who else is producing a .600 winning percentage over that time?”

McCarthy was 36-15 over 3 yrs and people here wanted him fired...

 

[Rayman70]

McCarthy was 36-15 over 3 yrs and people here wanted him fired...

For me, I liked him. But hated the post season results. Seemed unprepared time and time again. We also got exposed defensively. Everytime.

 

[SpaceCowboy99]

Great coach that volunteered to step down because he was done. He's been doing this for near 20 years since his mid-thirties. Imagine all the stuff he missed family wise during those years. He is going to take a year off and do nothing. People keep saying he's interested in TV... Maybe but I think he's just taking off all together.

Not one losing season in 19 seasons.
13 playoff appearances out of 19.
3 AFC championship appearances
2 Superbowl appearances.
1 SB win.

Played in the same conference as Tom Brady/Patriots, Peyton Manning, and Patrick Mahomes.

Has had 5+ Average QBs in the last 5-6 years.

Time and time again, it's proven that to win SBs you have to have a good QB or a "hot" QB and good coaching combined. Rarely is a SB won without both. See Bellichick, Reid, McCarthy.


He had his Rothlisberger but hasn't found one since.

He will reset, take time off, find a team that checks some boxes and has a good outlook at the QB position and have a great part 2 of his career.