Annually among the top coaches in the NFLPA\u2019s report cards, stories of Tomlin\u2019s leadership are legendary<\/a>. He was the coach everyone wanted to play for, and his Steelers teams were always competitive.<\/p>\n But did his standards become limiting? This season, they led to a playoff appearance and immediate loss. Again. After seven consecutive postseason losses, both Tomlin and Pittsburgh needed fresh starts. In my colleague Mike DeFabo\u2019s story on the move<\/a>, he explains the breaking point:<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcac \u201cIt came in Week 13 of this season. During a blowout loss to the Bills in November, fans chanted, \u2018Fire Tomlin.\u2019 The coach has heard calls for his job before, but never like this inside his own stadium.<\/p>\n \u201cSeveral prominent Steelers also came forward, suggesting it was time for Tomlin to move on, including James Harrison, Ryan Clark and even Ben Roethlisberger.\u201d<\/p>\n His exit isn\u2019t exactly shocking, but it is startling. Tomlin is\u00a0a giant in NFL history<\/a>, and it\u2019s often difficult to replace such long-tenured coaches.<\/p>\n An unconventional hire, Tomlin was 34 years old when, after just one year as the Vikings\u2019 defensive coordinator, he replaced Bill Cowher. There are two chapters to Tomlin\u2019s story in Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n 2007-2016:\u00a0He went 55-25 across his first five seasons with the Steelers. That led to two Super Bowl appearances and a title in 2008; then 36, he was the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl. Things tapered off, though in 2016, Pittsburgh was one win from reaching another Super Bowl.<\/p>\n 2017-2025:\u00a0Nada. Since that 2016 run, the Browns have more playoff wins than Pittsburgh. You read that right. The Steelers have the league\u2019s sixth-best regular-season record (90-57-2) but the worst playoff mark (0-6).<\/p>\n Could the Steelers again turn to Minnesota, where defensive coordinator\u00a0Brian Flores is an obvious candidate<\/a>?\u00a0More on that below.<\/p>\n Coaching cycle: Flores worth another shot?<\/p>\n This NFL coaching cycle has been a blitz of firings. No candidate is better versed in that chaos than Flores, the architect of a magical, terrorizing defense in Minnesota<\/a>.<\/p>\n He actually might be the ideal candidate, too. A 2010 story<\/a>\u00a0outlined four characteristics of successful NFL head-coaching hires, based on findings by the league and independent researchers.<\/p>\n Flores checks all of that study\u2019s boxes.\u00a0He\u2019s in his 40s (44), has at least 11 years of NFL experience (22), was an assistant on a team that won at least 50 games over five years (2000s Patriots) and had only one previous head-coaching gig (Dolphins, with two winning seasons in three years).<\/p>\n It makes sense!\u00a0As the author of that story, Seth Wickersham, noted, \u201cmany once-over retreads will identify the external pitfalls that contributed to their firing while addressing the personal traits that caused them to fail.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s exactly Flores. His tenure in Miami didn\u2019t end well, but he\u2019s since studied under Tomlin and Vikings coach Kevin O\u2019Connell, both lauded for positive cultures.<\/p>\n Yet only one team has announced it interviewed Flores for a head-coaching role\u00a0(Baltimore, though as suggested above, I\u2019d expect Pittsburgh is interested). Here\u2019s a tracker of just the retreads, after yesterday\u2019s look at\u00a0potential first-timers<\/a>:<\/p>\n Flores joins several other once-overs in this hiring cycle, with only Raheem Morris and Mike McCarthy having had multiple head-coaching gigs.<\/p>\n As for Tomlin, he has\u00a0plenty of TV options<\/a>\u00a0(to participate in, not necessarily to watch) while the Steelers maintain his coaching rights until the end of 2027, since they didn\u2019t fire him. Over to Mike Sando for a quick look at Tomlin\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n This article is from Scoop City, The Athletic\u2019s NFL newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive it directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n Sando\u2019s Pick: Is Tomlin a Hall of Famer?<\/p>\n His resignation from the Steelers makes him eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027, unless he returns to an NFL sideline before then.<\/p>\n Does he have a strong chance? He once did, but he might not now.\u00a0That actually has nothing to do with anything that transpired on the field in recent seasons.<\/p>\n Tomlin is tied for ninth on the all-time regular-season wins list and has won a Super Bowl. That historically would put him in strong position for a gold jacket.<\/p>\n But the Hall\u00a0raised the bar for enshrinement in August 2024<\/a>, making it tougher for coaches to earn entry. Before that change, coaching candidates such as Tom Flores and Dick Vermeil made it in. Since the change, we\u2019ve seen Mike Holmgren, Mike Shanahan, Tom Coughlin and others fall short, at least for now.<\/p>\n Tomlin never had a losing season, winning at a rate (.628) better than Tom Landry or Chuck Noll, among others. He was a model of consistency, by all accounts a great leader and a perfect Steeler.<\/p>\n But there are some warts that could complicate his chances.\u00a0His postseason results were subpar. He did not call plays, innovate with scheme or produce a meaningful coaching tree to expand his impact on the game beyond the 412 area code.<\/p>\n Tomlin still might deserve a bust in Canton, but the\u00a0current rules for enshrinement<\/a>\u00a0mean any candidate with drawbacks can be more vulnerable than before.<\/p>\n Back to you, Jacob.<\/p>\n Extra Points<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc4b OCs fired.\u00a0The Eagles moved on from Kevin Patullo yesterday, and Zach Berman shared\u00a012 potential replacements<\/a>. In L.A., the Chargers parted ways with Greg Roman and now\u00a0need to modernize the offense<\/a>, writes Daniel Popper.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfc8 Sam Darnold\u2019s\u00a0immediate success has been an understated part of the\u00a0Seahawks\u2019 record-setting season<\/a>, which saw Seattle post the most regular-season points in franchise history.<\/p>\n \ud83c\udfc6 Sean Payton\u00a0is chasing history in Denver, where he could become the first coach to ever win Super Bowls with two different franchises. Nick Kosmider explores\u00a0how Payton\u2019s done it<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u25b6\ufe0f Yesterday\u2019s most-clicked:\u00a0I didn\u2019t want it to end. But it\u2019s over.<\/p>\n After six consecutive days of the\u00a0Colts in punt formation on first down<\/a>, we have a new champion: Michael Silver\u2019s story on Aaron Rodgers\u2019 passionate defense of Matt LaFleur, which\u00a0left Green Bay\u2019s coach speechless<\/a>.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udceb Enjoyed this read? 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