Former Steelers Safety Ryan Clark Calls Out Mike Tomlin For His 2 Biggest Coaching Failures

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been stuck in football purgatory for several years now. Many fans have pointed the finger at Head Coach Mike Tomlin, and some analysts have started to lean in that direction as well, including former Steelers safety Ryan Clark. Clark has gone viral quite a few times for criticisms of his former coach, as well as the team as a whole during his time with ESPN. When a Super Bowl champion and respected leader is detailing the issues of the head honcho, there may be some merit to it. 

While making an appearance on Green Light with Chris Long, Clark and Chris Long were talking about the coordinators that Tomlin had back when he made two Super Bowls in three years. The former Steeler brought up the issues after both were let go, as well as another issue that came up many years later.

"[Mike Tomlin] hasn't found two guys on each side of the ball that has learned to excel in the most important moments, and the other thing I'd point to is not having a Ben [Roethlisberger] replacement while you still have him," Clark explained.

When Tomlin was seen as one of the greatest coaches in the NFL at the time, he had a legendary defensive coordinator in Dick LeBeau that ran the then-revolutionary zone blitz defense, the quarterback whisperer known as Bruce Arians, and a young gunslinger in Ben Roethlisberger. Tomlin had nothing to worry about with Xs and Os. However, all good things must unfortunately come to an end, just like that cohesive group.

Arians reportedly retired from the Steelers, even though it was more of a firing. LeBeau's contract also expired later on, as his scheme had become outdated. This is where Tomlin's biggest question mark would come: how could he regroup and replace some of the best coordinators a team could have? 

His first offensive coordinator choice was Todd Haley, who's ego clashed with Roethlisberger. Clark said that the Steelers couldn't find a coach that could excel in the most important moments, and that was exactly Haley. His constant screens weren't a problem, as they worked. However, running a two-yard drag route followed by a fake spike over the middle of the field did not work. That was the kind of 5D chess Haley would play with himself, and he routinely lost.

Defensively, Tomlin has reportedly been the main play-caller ever since the end of the LeBeau era. While he has had elite talent on that side of the ball since 2019, his schematics have been part of the reason the team has failed to get over the playoff hump in recent years. Despite that, there are no signs that he is willing to give up Xs and Os to any defensive coach on the team, including the supposed coordinator. 

There have been a few great position coaches to come to Pittsburgh, such as Mike Munchack and Aaron Curry. However, a couple of position coaches are not going to make an entire offense or defense great. It doesn't matter how good the tight ends coach is when someone like Matt Canada is employed and dictating everything that goes on offensively. 

Steelers Still Have Regrets From Years Ago

As Clark also mentioned, the Steelers failed to bring in Roethlisberger's heir while he was still playing. While that would have made the star QB angry, sports can be a cruel business, and he would have to deal with it. Instead, they focused on keeping him happy and used a first-round pick on a luxury pick to help with that. Some would argue Mason Rudolph was initially the plan, but that clearly didn't work out for the long haul.

It's the year 2025 now and fans are hoping Arthur Smith can change things offensively. Only time will tell, but it appears overall that the Steelers are still playing catch up on both sides of the ball.

What do you think about Clark calling out Tomlin for his failures to hire quality coaches and finding a replacement for Roethlisberger? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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