Bear Digest

Deal makers: Bears fans yearn for coach who can't win in playoffs

While Steelers fans wanted to trade Mike Tomlin after another playoff loss, Bears fans were saying please do.
Gene Chamberlain|
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin looks on in the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC wild card game, a 28-14 Pittsburgh loss.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin looks on in the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC wild card game, a 28-14 Pittsburgh loss. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Pittsburgh Steelers' playoff loss Saturday to the Baltimore Ravens set off a social media storm of Steelers and Bears fans, and even some fans of other teams.

The object of the ire: Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.

The thought Tomlin's time has come and gone in Pittsburgh grew over the course of the last few years as the Steelers continued losing in the postseason.

It all boiled over Saturday night when the Baltimore Ravens dominated a wild-card round game over Pittsburg 28-14. It wasn't as close as the score says, as the Ravens charged out to a 21-lead.

It marked Pittsburgh's fifth consecutive defeat. The Steelers were 10-3 at one point and then finished the regular season with four straight losses, followed by Saturday's road playoff defeat by Baltimore. They have now lost six consecutive playoff games, the last win coming in 2016 over Kansas City 18-16 in the divisional round.

The Bears coaching search continues and there is plenty of respect among fans in Chicago for Tomlin, even if he hasn't had postseason success in quite a while. In fact, the comments on social media have ranged from pleas for the Bears to trade for Tomlin to calls for the Bears to be ready to suspend the coaching search to hire Tomlin if he is fired in Pittsburgh.

Conversely, angry Steelers fans are all but ready to see their team offer Tomlin up in a trade.

It's hardly common for coaches to be traded but Bill Belichick and Jon Gruden both were dealt. Belichick was traded by the Jets to New England in 2000, Gruden by the Raiders to the Buccaneers in 2002. Others traded were Herman Edwards, Bill Parcells and Mike Holmgren.

Tomlin is 52 years old, so plenty young enough to continue coaching. He started coaching Pittsburgh in 2007, won the Super Bowl for the 2008 season and lost in it to Green Bay after the 2010 season. They lost to New England in the AFC championship game after the 2016 season.

Tomlin has a 191-119-2 record.

The Bears are planning to interview someone from the Steelers. It's Arthur Smith, the Pittsburgh offensive coordinator and former Falcons head coach.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.