There is a profile for the Steelers and hiring head coaches, if you can say that about something that happens every 19 years.
Three coaches in 57 years is amazing. The Vatican has twice as much turnover. The Supreme Court has swapped out six of nine justices — all on lifetime appointments — since the Steelers last hired a head coach.
But if you look at their history, all with the Rooney family guiding the franchise, it’s a clear pattern:
- Chuck Noll was 37 and the Indianapolis Colts’ defensive coordinator when Pittsburgh hired him in 1969.
- Bill Cowher was 35 and the Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive coordinator when Pittsburgh hired him in 1992.
- Mike Tomlin was 34 and the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator when Pittsburgh hired him in 2007.
Younger, defensive minds who’ve by no means been a head coach. All three gained Tremendous Bowls with the Steelers, so it is laborious to query their judgment or the longevity that comes with the job. Noll went 1-13 in his first yr and had a shedding report his first 4 seasons, however there was persistence. Neither Cowher nor Tomlin required any, discovering fast, sustained success.
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For those who’re making an attempt to comply with that sample to the letter, the reply might be Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, a little bit older at 42, nevertheless it seems like Minter has a historical past with the Ravens, the place he coached from 2017-20. Possibly it is Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, 39, whose title and roots could lead on him, in sheer poetry, to the Dolphins.
However for those who’ll drift a little bit from that profile, the candidate who makes essentially the most sense is perhaps Brian Flores.
Flores is 44 and has been the Vikings’ defensive coordinator for the final three years. Minnesota has had a top-10 protection every of the final two years. It was tied for second within the NFL with 60 sacks this season, and his contract is up, making him out there and coveted by many groups.
Mike Tomlin steps down as Steelers HC
Flores spent a yr on Tomlin’s employees in 2022 as linebackers coach and senior defensive assistant, and Pittsburgh completed that season by profitable six of its final seven video games and holding all seven opponents to 17 factors or fewer. This yr’s Steelers had simply 5 such video games, holding groups to 17 or fewer all season.
The scenario with Fores is a bit sophisticated, although, as a result of in 2022, he filed a lawsuit towards the NFL and three groups, citing racial discrimination. The go well with continues to be lively, however for those who have been on the lookout for the fitting place to land, why not Pittsburgh, the place the Rooney household that owns the crew has its title on the league rule requiring groups to interview minority candidates earlier than making main hires?
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Flores gained 4 Tremendous Bowls as a New England Patriots assistant, so he is aware of how championship groups are constructed. The final time the Steelers made the AFC Championship Recreation — that is again within the 2016 season — they bumped into New England and the protection Flores helped coach, holding Pittsburgh to 9 factors till the ultimate 5 minutes in a 36-17 rout. Flores was underwhelming as a head coach in three seasons with the Dolphins, going 24-25 and lacking the playoffs yearly.
However Flores’ abilities as a defensive coach are clear. His Vikings have been seventh in scoring, third in whole protection, fourth on third down and second within the purple zone. Minnesota gained its final 5 video games, holding opponents to 10.4 factors per recreation in that remaining push, barely lacking the playoffs at 9-8 regardless of beginning three completely different quarterbacks.
Brian Flores was the Steelers’ linebackers coach for a season in 2022. (Photograph by Joe Sargent/Getty Photographs)
Star edge rusher T.J. Watt is 31 and veteran defensive lineman Cam Heyward is 36, however Pittsburgh’s prime two defenders in sacks — Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig — are 28 and 24, respectively, nonetheless very a lot of their prime. There are younger gamers to construct round, and the Steelers have two further third-round picks this yr — one from buying and selling George Pickens and the opposite as a compensatory decide, giving them 5 picks within the prime 100.
The Steelers have many important points past simply discovering a head coach. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is 42, his future unsure, and a brand new coach will need to know whether or not he has to inherit him as a part of his new crew. Since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement 4 years in the past, Pittsburgh quarterbacks have mixed for 72 landing passes (solely the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans have fewer), and people two groups have mixed for 41 wins, barely greater than Pittsburgh’s 39 in that span. In these 4 years, the Steelers have scored 30 or extra factors simply 9 instances. Solely 4 groups have fewer such video games, and groups just like the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Payments have 35 every.
The Steelers may also have to interchange Aaron Rodgers at quarterback this offseason. (Photograph by Joe Sargent/Getty Photographs)
It is unfair to count on Pittsburgh’s subsequent coach to reside as much as the ridiculously excessive requirements they’ve set. Two hires in the past, they wanted a cellphone line to search for coaches on the Web, however Flores would give them an opportunity to reset as a franchise with the identical excessive expectations the franchise has at all times had on protection.
The AFC North as an entire has a full reset this offseason, with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns additionally trying to find new head coaches and the Cincinnati Bengals coming off a 6-11 season that was their worst in 5 years. Tomlin’s legacy in Pittsburgh has been perennially good groups, avoiding a shedding report each season. However his groups even have misplaced their final seven playoff video games, so the cloud of complacency and stagnancy had hung over their middling success lately.
Until they discover a actual reply at quarterback this offseason, Pittsburgh may need to take a step again earlier than they re-establish themselves as a menace past the primary spherical of the playoffs. Flores is the type of coach who may construct the Steelers again as a defensive energy, and that long-awaited playoff win may not be far off as soon as they get different issues solved.
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports activities. He beforehand spent a decade overlaying the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Occasions and The Athletic. You may comply with him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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