Ben Roethlisberger was very critical of Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers after the Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The team legend pointed out that, during the second half, the offense looked better when Aaron Rodgers called plays instead of Arthur Smith.
It all happened in a new episode of his podcast Footbahlin. “I’ve heard some things that Aaron, this last game, when they finally moved the ball, Aaron was just calling plays. Maybe it’s one of those situations where we unhook the helmet and let Aaron do his thing.”
After hearing these comments, many fans recalled that in Roethlisberger’s final years as the Steelers’ quarterback, the veteran often called plays on certain drives that were more successful than what the various offensive coordinators of that era were sending in. Aaron Rodgers might be in a similar situation.
Will Steelers fire Mike Tomlin?
The Steelers won’t fire Mike Tomlin since he still has a contract with the team, but in the latest episode of his podcast, Ben Roethlisberger suggested that Art Rooney II should start considering the possibility of trading him to another team.
Big Ben said that if Tomlin leaves, the Steelers will have to honor him the way he deserves, but looking ahead, they need to start searching for the next guy who can lead Pittsburgh for at least the next 20 years.
“So, therefore it tells me you go: ‘Hey coach, listen, it’s probably best for all parties involved. Let’s start over.’ It happened with Chuck Noll. It happened with coach Cowher. Now coach Cowher was a little bit different because of family things. Coach Tomlin has been here a long time. You would give him a statue and do whatever you got to do because he deserves it. He’s earned it. But, it’s time to find that next guy. And who’s that next guy that could be here for the next 20 years.”