On Tuesday, the all-time great Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger essentially held a fireside chat on football in the Keystone State, as he had some ideas for both his old team and the most popular college football team in the area, the Penn State Nittany Lions.
During a candid moment on his podcast, “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger,” the legendary quarterback broke down the Steelers’ latest setback, a 26-7 home beating by the Buffalo Bills.
As the conversation turned, Roethlisberger floated a bold thought: maybe Mike Tomlin’s run in Pittsburgh has reached its limit, and perhaps he’s primed to excel in a high-profile job that just opened up nearby, without ever crossing state lines.
Of course, that would be the Penn State head coaching job, making the entire state of Pennsylvania start wondering what could be. One way or another, it doesn’t appear like Tomlin will be in Pittsburgh long. And not necessarily to his fault – he’s been coaching the teams for 19 seasons.
Let’s take a deeper look into what Roethlisberger said exactly, and if there’s some validity to seeing this all go down.
What Did Big Ben Actually Say About Tomlin & Penn State?
The quote referred to earlier, with Ben Roethlisberger saying Mike Tomlin would be a good fit as the head coach at Penn State:
“It’s being talked about around here a lot,” explained Roethlisberger. “Maybe it’s a clean-house time. Maybe it’s time… I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin, but maybe it’s best for him, too. Maybe a fresh start for him is what’s best. Whether that’s in the pros, maybe go be Penn State’s head coach. You know what he’d do at Penn State? He’d probably go win national championships. Because he’s a great recruiter.”
Roethlisberger: It’s Time for a “Clean House” in Pittsburgh
About 48 hours earlier, the Bills had just put the finishing touches on the Steelers’ hopes of taking sole possession of first place in the AFC North. And the fans are seemingly starting to feel the pain, breaking into “Fire Tomlin!” chants echoing throughout the stadium, as a 4-1 start has now tumbled into a 6-6 record, with a matchup against the hated Baltimore Ravens looming.
Tomlin was hired at 34 years of age and became the youngest head coach ever to win a Super Bowl (2009). Currently, he’s got a streak of 18 straight non-losing seasons; with five games left, the streak is hanging on by a thread.
Penn State’s Coaching Search: From Franklin’s Firing to Desperation Mode
Two hundred miles east of Pittsburgh, you’ll find the tight-knit community of Happy Valley looking to get back to prominence. And it looked like they were almost there, as Penn State was ranked as high as #3 in the nation at one point this season.
James Franklin was fired on Oct. 12, after three straight losses capped off what would have been an impressive resume at most schools – but Penn State isn’t most schools. The Nittany Lions made it all the way to the CFB Semifinal last season before losing to Notre Dame, still leaving them looking for their first national title since 1986.
Penn State struck out on high-profile targets like Dan Lanning, Sherrone Moore, Kalani Sitake, really putting them behind the eight-ball as Tuesday was the first official day of early signing for recruits.
The idea of Tomlin going a step down back to college sounds crazy, but he is a William & Mary grad who began his career coaching college DBs. Could you imagine Tomlin walking into a family’s living room, denying a piece of cake, and getting straight down to business? This needs to be a reality show – like yesterday.
