After being eliminated from the playoffs in the wild card round at lose 31-17 against the Buffalo Billsthe coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlinson waited for a reporter to finish her question and decided to leave the press conference.
In the interview room Highmark StadiumTomlin was asked: “Mike, you have one year left on your contract…”, when the head coach suddenly decided to leave the press room, without even waiting to see where the question was going.
Tomlin’s contract expires in 2024
Tomlin has a contract with the Steelers through the end of the 2024 seasonand has an impressive NFL record of 17 consecutive seasons without a losing recordDespite that, the coach’s future has been questioned, he reported. ESPN.
As in previous seasons, Tomlin, 51, is expected to have a talk about his future with his family and Steelers owner, Art Rooney IIas the organization enters the offseason.
Strongly supported by its players
Tomlin, often a coach defined by his carefully chosen words, offered none to address the rumors. His players, however, had many things to say.
“That’s above my pay grade,” the safety said. Patrick Petersonanswering a question about the uncertainty of the Steelers’ offseason.
“I love it here. I love Coach Tomlin, everything he has done to motivate this team and put us in a position to be successful. I have no doubt that he is the right person for this job,” he added.
The veteran defensive lineman Cameron Heywardwho battled groin injuries in his 13th season in the NFLalso advocated for Tomlin’s return.
“I feel like Mike T is coming back, but that’s not my decision,” Heyward said. “I’m not going to speak for him. I just know: I think the group here collectively is a strong group that can win a Super Bowl.”
When asked about Tomlin’s role in leading the Steelers to the playoffs, Heyward added:
We put a lot into it, he put a lot into it, and I think all the players there would be nothing without Mike T. This group doesn’t even work to make the playoffs without Mike T. He keeps us accountable from top to bottom, and I don’t want to play for any other coach.
Tomlin guided the team through a tumultuous season that saw the unusual midseason firing of offensive coordinator Matt Canadaand significant injuries to Heyward, the quarterback Kenny Pickettthe deep star Minkah Fitzpatrick and two starting inside linebackers.
Under Tomlin’s leadership, the Steelers righted the ship after a three-game losing streak to earn the No. 7 seed in the AFC. After inserting Mason Rudolph As the starting quarterback, the team won three games in a row to close the regular season.
Against Buffalo, however, Steelers dug a 21-0 hole in the first halflargely as a result of defensive errors and two turnovers.
“Mike T is a great coach,” Pittsburgh running back Najee Harris said. “But we can’t make too much of Mike T. Sometimes you just have to look at the players. Sometimes you can’t even look at the coaches. You just have to look at the players, and we didn’t, we couldn’t execute. “
2024-01-16 19:48:20
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