Time for Steelers to Clean House

The Pittsburgh Steelers have more or less skated by over the past few years while finding only remedial success, but owner Art Rooney II can't wait much longer to institute major changes.

The type of loss the Steelers suffered at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in Week 13 has become increasingly common for an organization that isn't used to being embarrassed on the field, and there's no way forward without tearing it all down.

Unless Pittsburgh turns it around in borderline miracle fashion and finds a way to make a playoff run, the team should look completely different from top to bottom once the offseason comes around.

Time to Say Goodbye to Tomlin

To kick things off, not even the staunchest of Mike Tomlin detractors should take away from what the Steelers' head coach has accomplished in his 19 seasons with the team.

Though his streak of 18 non-losing seasons may very well be snapped this year, that's a feat that has almost never been replicated across the history of the NFL.

The goodwill he earned from leading Pittsburgh to a Super Bowl XLIII victory over the Arizona Cardinals during the 2008 campaign ran out a long time ago, though, and the franchise's current six-game losing streak in the playoffs is jarring, to say the least.

Tomlin is still well-regarded across the league, and for good reason, but it's become apparent that he and the Steelers need to part ways. He's set a strong culture, but it seems like his messaging has become a bit stale and his impact has lessened, at least from the outside looking in.

The defense, which he presides over next to Teryl Austin, is among the worst units in the league this year when it has no right to hold that title given the amount of talent on the roster and money invested into the group.

Tomlin is a Pittsburgh legend and would get scooped up in two seconds if the organization were to let him go, but it's a move that seems necessary at this point in time.