Another day, another wild spin of the NFL coaching carousel.
Not even 24 hours after his team suffered its latest playoff disappointment, getting trounced at home in the wild-card round by the Houston Texans, Mike Tomlin is stepping down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers after 19 seasons − none of the sub-.500 variety. It ends the longest active marriage between an organization and HC.
Pittsburgh becomes the ninth franchise in need of a new head coach in what's still an unfolding hiring cycle. The Steelers' next hire will become just their fourth coach since 1969, Tomlin preceded by Hall of Famers Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher, that trio bringing six Lombardi Trophies to the Steel City.
Tomlin's departure becomes the headliner of a wild week-and-a-half of coaching turnover. The Giants and Titans made changes during the season. The Falcons fired head man Raheem Morris (and GM Terry Fontenot) on the final day of the regular season. Black Monday claimed two-time NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski, former Super Bowl-winning coach Pete Carroll and ex-Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon. John Harbaugh was fired by the Baltimore Ravens and Mike McDaniel by the Miami Dolphins in the days after Black Monday.
