There's been a lot of talk this week about Mike Munchak leaving to be the head coach of the Denver Broncos. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk floated the idea of the Steelers getting rid of Tomlin to keep Mike Munchak around as head coach.
The Steelers aren't going to fire Mike Tomlin this year. It could happen if they don't make the playoffs next year, though. Keeping Mike Munchak around as a possible coach in waiting sounds like a good idea, right? Until you do some digging.
Mike Munchak is a GREAT offensive line coach. The Steelers need discipline, and he sure looks like a guy that can provide it. Hell, he’s an NFL hall-of-famer that would garner a lot of respect.
On the surface it's great!
But how’d it go in his first go around coaching an NFL team? Like the food at a graduation party: Eh.
He went 22-26 overall with his second two years being worse than the first. He didn't make the playoffs in three seasons.
Mike Tomlin has missed the playoffs 4 times in 12 seasons. Munchak has had two losing seasons. Tomlin has had zero.
People want to point out that Tomlin has just 3 playoff wins in 8 years. Munchak has ZERO. Ever.
Why are some so eager to replace Tomlin with a guy who got his shot and failed?
Munch spent 33 years with the Oilers/Titans organization, and they fired him. That tells you how they felt about his performance as coach. Three years ain’t a lot of time to figure it out.
For those of you who celebrated Joey Porter's firing and were critical of his antics in the Cincinnati playoff game, Munch was fined for grabbing Reggie Nelson’s hair.
The “head coach in waiting” thing sounds like a good idea, until you examine it further.
Not to mention, do you really want the next coach of the Steelers to come from the Steelers?
I don’t.
I think Mike Tomlin’s going to be here for a few more years at the very least. Next year is make or break, but I think they’ll bounce back and make the playoffs.
But if he again fails to do that, do you really want his replacement to come from the same underachieving locker room?
I don’t.
When Cowher retired, the Steelers could have gone with an in-house hire.
They had just won the Super Bowl two years before that for God’s sake. But instead of going with Ken Whisenhunt or Russ Grimm, they went with Tomlin and it worked out for the best. He won the Super Bowl in his second year.
If Tomlin does go after next year, it should be someone from outside the organization who can put a new spin on things.
The Steelers job should still be one of the most coveted jobs in all of sports. If you get it, you’ll be around for a freaking decade. It’s built in job security.
The Steelers can likely hire anyone they want.
Why just grab the low hanging fruit with Mike Munchak? Why hire the dude who was 22-26 as a head coach?
Thumbnail image courtesy of Getty Images.