The Pittsburgh Steelers were lucky enough to have a Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback for 18 years in Ben Roethlisberger. The two-time Super Bowl Champion was thrown into an unexpected starting role during his rookie season after being drafted 11th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft. The franchise would never look back and was right not to. Following his retirement at the end of the 2021 campaign, the quarterback started his own podcast, while also making occasional appearances on others. He joined his former backup, Bruce Gradkowski, on a recent episode of Alpha 5 Method.
The focus of the episode was resiliency, but the two also talked a lot of Roethlisberger's playing days with the Steelers. Former Head Coach Bill Cowher was not anywhere close to easy on Roethlisberger during his rookie season, despite the team winning all of his regular season starts. He detailed how and why his first professional head coach was hard on him.
"He treated me like a crappy rookie," Roethlisberger said. "He's admitted it and we've talked about it. He's like, 'Ben, I could have treated you like the greatest thing since sliced bread and put you up there because you were winning games, or I could have treated you like I did, and I chose that route because I felt like that was what was best for you.'"
What came out of Roethlisberger's mouth next was even more interesting. Mike Tomlin is commonly recognized as a player's coach, which has made several wonder if he is too easy on the team and doesn't hold people accountable enough. Roethlisberger may not have fully meant it, but came across as if Cowher was all business, but Tomlin wasn't to be taken as seriously.
"It wasn't like you were with [Mike] Tomlin. You were like, kind of buddies, could go talk to him or whatever. The old open door policy, I never went in the open door. I didn't want go in and talk to Coach Cowher. That was the last thing I wanted to do."
Take it as you wish, but it definitely seems as if Roethlisberger recognizes the coaches in different lights. One is a Hall of Famer and the other likely will be, but fans have been critical of Tomlin's "buddy-like" approach, and Roethlisberger all but confirmed it.
The Steelers have a well-respected loyalty that is scarcely seen throughout professional sports. The organization has only had three head coaches since 1969 and while Chuck Noll has four of the franchise's six championships, his two predecessors are just as appreciated. The current state of the team is in question, however. Pittsburgh has not won a playoff game since the 2016 season and Tomlin's time may be running short.
There are certainly positives and negatives to every leader, but one of the best-kept secrets throughout Tomlin's tenure is if he tends to get in players' faces or not. Cowher was known to do that to his players and referees alike. The fact that a young Roethlisberger was terrified to enter Cowher's office may speak to his youth at the time, but also may shine light on Tomlin's inability to strike fear into the guys on his roster.
Pittsburgh's patience is running thin when it comes to Tomlin and his lack of postseason success since a Super Bowl appearance at the end of the 2010 campaign. Roethlisberger's comments confirm what many have already believed. Cowher wasn't in the business of being friends with his players while he focused on the ultimate goal, while Tomlin gives his some sort of comfort.
Steelers' Tomlin Needs To Worry More About Winning, Less About Relationships
It's almost nice to compete on the field for a guy who has your back. Tomlin has earned that from his players. However, the Steelers are about winning championships. That hasn't happened in over 15 years and a chance at one hasn't really been within reach since almost a decade. Roethlisberger played for both and his stance of being fearful of Cowher, but buddy-buddy with Tomlin is not exactly a refreshing concept.
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