Time for Steelers to Finally Make The Decision

Now, let's start by saying this - the Steelers won't do it. Not by themselves.

The Steelers have no intentions of firing Tomlin, at least that's what those inside the building is saying. But they don't know what Tomlin is thinking, and maybe a nudge in the direction of leaving leads to a mutual departure where both sides start over.

"I'm not even in that mindset as I sit here tonight. I'm more in the mindset of what transpired in this stadium and certainly what we did and didn't do. Not a big-picture mentality as I sit here tonight," Tomlin said about his future after the game.

Aaron Rodgers thinks talk of change in Pittsburgh is ridiculous.

"I mean, this League has changed a lot in my 21 years," Rodgers said when asked about Tomlin. "You know, when you hear conversation about the Mike Tomlins of the world, Matt LaFleurs of the world, those are just two that I've played for. When I first got in the League, there wouldn't be conversation about whether those guys were on the hot seat.

"But the way that the League is covered now and the way that there's snap decisions and the validity given to the Twitter experts and all the experts on TV now who make it seem like they know what the hell they're talking about, to me that's an absolute joke. For either of those two guys to be on the hot seat is really apropos of where we're at as a society and as a League because obviously Matt has done a lot of great things in Green Bay, and we had a lot of success. Mike T. has had more success than damn near anybody in the League for the last 19, 20 years. More than that, though, when you have the right guy and the culture is right, you don't think about making a change. But there's a lot of pressure that comes from the outside, and obviously that sways decisions from time to time. But that's not how I would do things and not how the League used to be."

But again, the Steelers wouldn't fire Tomlin, the two sides would just "agree" that it was time to end things. That they are better off trying something need.

Maybe Tomlin wants to find another opportunity. Maybe the Steelers nudge him in that direction.

It's Not a Firing, It's a Decision

See, the locker room hasn't been lost in Pittsburgh. The players and coaches believe in Tomlin, and really, so does Art Rooney II. The decision isn't about trying to move on from a stale product or relieve growing tension.

No, it's simply about success. Everyone can dance around the non-losing record streak all day, but the playoffs are where it counts, and if you aren't a real contender, you're only trying to become one.

That's why the decision should, and maybe could, be made. To give the Pittsburgh Steelers and Mike Tomlin opportunities to become contenders again - separately. It's a decision that makes sense at this point in time, and if both sides are trying to salvage the next chapter of their NFL careers before they waste them with eachother.

There should be nothing but respect between Tomlin and the Steelers, and their entire fanbase. It's been 19 years of getting the opportunity to believe. Now, after a loss that adds hopefully the last log to the fire, it feels like it's time for both sides to move on.