If an NFL team is going to be consistently successful, it takes a team effort. Whether it is the players, coaches or front office, everyone has a job to do and that job is vital. Unless of course you are the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is according to former Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger.
Roethlisberger noted on his podcast that there is a power imbalance with head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan with Tomlin holding the final say in roster decisions. Perhaps beyond what is typically the case with other teams.
“I know Omar Khan is the general manager,” Roethlisberger said. “Mike Tomlin makes decisions… Mike Tomlin has decisions and makes most of the decisions in Pittsburgh. He can say he doesn’t and this, that, and the other – we all know that he’s got a lot of pull. He’s been here for 18 years. You wouldn’t be here that long if you didn’t have pull and say.”
We already knew that Tomlin did this with his coaches and now it appears it extends to the front office as well. Tomlin has obviously kept his coordinators under his thumb, hence no real changes during his tenure but the idea he’s not working with Khan and Andy Weidl as a team could explain the struggles to build this roster.