The Pittsburgh Steelers face a defining moment after Mike Tomlin‘s decision to step aside, and franchise legend Jerome Bettis has claimed that the path forward requires more than a familiar blueprint built on defence and the running game.
Speaking on Colin Cowherd‘s radio show, Bettis delivered a pointed assessment of where the Steelers have fallen behind.
For a team long associated with physicality and discipline, he said the modern NFL has shifted too far for those traits to carry the load on their own.
“The philosophy when I was playing, that you run the ball and you play great defense, that has totally changed,” Bettis said. “Now, you’ve gotta put points on the board, and that’s the problem that the Steelers are having – they’re not putting points on the board. And so that, you have to fix, because you’re not gonna win football games with seven points, 10 points, 13 points. … Fifteen years ago, it was different.”
Tomlin‘s departure on Tuesday closed a 19-year chapter defined by consistency, stability, and respect across the league.
He never posted a losing season and delivered a Super Bowl title, yet recent playoff failures and offensive stagnation exposed limits that Bettis feels the organisation can no longer ignore.
His career ended with a Super Bowl XL victory and eventual induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Few players symbolise Pittsburgh football more clearly, which makes his call for evolution especially striking.
A rare crossroads for a historically stable franchise
As the Steelers begin the search for their next head coach, president Art Rooney II has indicated the organisation is approaching the process with an open mind rather than forcing a familiar template.
“For now, I don’t wanna sort of put any real parameters around it,” Rooney said. “We’re gonna be an open book in terms of who we look for and the list that we build. Can I sign up for another Chuck Noll or another Bill Cowher or another Mike Tomlin? Sure. Somebody that we feel fits that mold would be great, but, for now, we’re not gonna narrow the box too much.”
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