Fichtner - No Longer OC
- Thread starter TheSpecialSauce
- Start date
He never should have got the job. I wonder if they are thinking about promoting Canada?......probably not.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
I don’t say that lightly - I think tomlin is a top 5 nfl coach -
But he needs to be an executive here
No promotions
I agree 100%, be an executive, put together a solid team of interviewers and go get the best you can afford. If you want to minimize drop-off, get better coaches, and prepare for a new era in QB and RB. Oline is far easier than finding a QB, and right now, we have 1/2 a QB.
Tomlin checks all the other boxes -
But these hired will determine his fate long term in pittsburgh
Maybe done with an eye to ease Ben into thoughts of retirement? Can't imagine he'd want to stick around for one more year under a new OC, and surely not under Matt Canada. He wouldn't even run Canada's plays.
I like Tomlin.......I think hes a the kind of guy you need to lead an NFL team. Said it a while ago his big mistake was the OC and DC hires hes made recently......Dumping Fichtner is a good start to correcting that......he now needs to can Butler
It’s time to pull off that bandaid .
He and pouncey should walk off
Be told - retire or be cut
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I can’t stand Tomlin. Has squandered tons of talent. Speaks in platitudes. Reliably underperforms when it matters. But never has a losing season (so what?). I thinks he’s totally overrated as a coach.
Agree, if they feel Canada is an offense of the future, and Ben says no - see Big guy, thanks for the memories
I don't know anymore if Tomlin is "top 5". Before, it was a slam dunk. But with a franchise QB only have 3 playoff wins in a decade, and 2 of them because the other team imploded, a whole lot of talent, end of season collapses, some of the likes are historic and just a litany of goofball antics by players that seemed to reflect their caring about everything else but winning. The cronyism hires, the failing to hold coaches and players accountable. Maybe it has run its course here.
I think he would have his choice of jobs if he and the Steelers would part ways, but just wondering if this marriage works anymore.
I think he would have his choice of jobs if he and the Steelers would part ways, but just wondering if this marriage works anymore.
But what was this talent level actually ?
I mean particularly in the playoffs
Stiller fans always overestimate their talent relative to other teams
One name I wouldn’t be surprised to here pop up: Scottie Montgomery. He’s very close to Tomlin, was previously a WR Coach for the Steelers, and most recently the offensive coordinator at Maryland after previously being an OC at Duke and the head coach East Carolina.
This round of hires should be his last if things don’t turn around. I don’t care how many wins they had this year, the final stretch and playoffs says it all. Too many empty playoffs.
Particularly on defense, and at DB. William Gay was the first DB Tomlin drafted. He picked off 13 passes as a Steeler. The 22 DBs that have been taken since Gay have combined for 23 picks as Steelers. I know INTs are somewhat luck. But that is lousy production when you consider the guy overseeing their development and with a significant say in drafting used to be a DB coach.
I mean sure... a few stand out, but if there’s one thing the Steelers do better than just about everybody it’s nail the draft. I mean look at WR alone in the Tomlin era— Emmanuel Sanders, AB, JuJu, Diontae, Claypool. Not a single one of them was a first rounder. Sure you have Artie Burns, Sean Davis, and Jarvis Jones, but they have nailed many, many picks. This is not the issue.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
Doesn't a HC have a hand in finding and evaluating the talent? Personally, I don't think Tomlin is good at evaluating talent. He's gotten lucky a few times but how many cracks did it take to find a CB and a Safety? TE hasn't been a great position for this club since Heath Miller retired and the RB position is a mess. Plus he has to figure out how to rebuild the line AND find a franchise QB. How did it get this out of whack all at once?
The talent level was pretty damn high when they had Brown, Bell, and a younger OL. The results the Steelers got in that time period with that talent was unacceptable any way you look at it.
Now not so much, talent probably still in the top half of the league, but nothing spectacular.
Now not so much, talent probably still in the top half of the league, but nothing spectacular.
Another name I’d be interested in: Luke Getsy. He’s “only” the QB Coach and Passing Game Coordinator in Green Bay. Could convince him to leave if you name him full time OC + play calling duties.
I have no personal feelings toward MT at all. Just see him for what he is. As you note with the arcane platitudes, he just has mostly gone along for the ride. He was lucky to land with an organization that has one of the best normative systems in ALL of sports AND a HOF QB.
People are right that if there was a parting of the ways he would get hired to be HC somewhere else in the league, and he would last five years before unceremoniously being fired like 95% of other HCs.
Now, any HC hire is a crapshoot, so I am not saying they will or could easily to do better. Just that he is really over rated.
I don't agree that the Steelers drafting has been bad. It's the NFL draft, you miss way more than you hit. BUT, to what extent that they have missed in some spots in the draft, the last few years they have been more active in FA than they historically have been, made a splash move in the draft to get Bush.
Matt Canada is in the running for the Dolphins OC position. I think he'd be the perfect fit there with Tua.
Luke Getsy is an interesting name for OC. He's been the WR and QB coach in GB and I remember him being praised very early on for his innovative coaching style. They definitely could use an outsider, and a little youth, in their coaching staff.
I don't think they change OC unless Ben told them he's done. Either that or they plan on cutting him. I can't imagine they'd hire another Ben lackey moving forward.
Luke Getsy is an interesting name for OC. He's been the WR and QB coach in GB and I remember him being praised very early on for his innovative coaching style. They definitely could use an outsider, and a little youth, in their coaching staff.
I don't think they change OC unless Ben told them he's done. Either that or they plan on cutting him. I can't imagine they'd hire another Ben lackey moving forward.
I can think of a couple instances in which they hire another OC without Ben telling them he's done.
A. here are the two I can think of, Tomlin tells Ben:
1. "This didn't work, we have to get a running game going to help the passing game, hopefully you are on board." basically saying, "I am on the hot seat" and "we" "need to get an offense that can get a yard when we need it".
2. "This didn't work, we need an offensive over haul." Hoping than Ben retires and the team/offense goes an entirely different direction. Tomlin may like the newer more mobile qb concepts around the league.
Yeah, it is not Steeler fans that were overrating talent, it was pretty much everyone. Now, yeah, the offensive line alone and RB is questionable. But the defense when healthy starts 10 out of 11 who were 1st or 2nd rd picks. And back when the line was great, with AB, Bryant, Lev Bell and a Ben in his prime. Sure Tomlin never had losing season, with that roster he shouldn't have.
But they were too many times unprepared or outcoached.
I would be hiring the best minority candidate possible for that OC job. If he leaves for a HC job they get two 3 round picks. That’s a pretty nice compensation. Same as what they will likely get for BOTH Dupree band JuJu if the sign elsewhere.
Bell missed the playoffs half the time with injuries
But of course that’s only 1 side of the ball-
The defense folding in the playoffs has been the problem
Right. I'm just not sure Ben has the tolerance to change or listen to anyone at this point, given he's probably got one year left anyways. He was essentially co-coordinator this season.
Looking past actual coaching the Steelers biggest problem has been success. They have almost exclusively picked late in drafts. They also have been paying the franchise qb, franchise qb money, which means less of it to spread around to other players. Then in the last few years they have had significant cap losses from guys not on the team. 2018 it was bell he was tagged so they couldn't spend the 16 million just had to sit on it. 2019 ab and a 17 million dollar hit. And quite possibly 2021 ben 22 million hit. Those cap hits are two good players. Add in ben making a lot of money and you have a mediocre team, especially when the franchise qb doesn't play like one. I do think tomlin has squandered a few years where the Steelers had a team good enough to win in the playoffs. The loss to Denver was horrible, the loss to Jacksonville was also pretty bad as was cleveland
Kaboly has a piece on the Athletic saying that canning Fichtner may nudge Ben into retirement.
