Steelers president Art Rooney II spoke a day after head coach Mike Tomlin resigned after nearly two years with the team.
Previous reports >>> Mike Tomlin resigns after historic 19 years as Steelers head coach
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Looney said at Wednesday’s press conference that Tuesday was an exciting day for everyone in the organization.
“Mike has been a great leader for our team for 19 years,” Rooney said. “[He] Lead with tenacity, integrity and always embody the values of our organization. The bottom line is we always have arguments with Mike and that’s all that matters. “
Rooney stressed that it was Tomlin’s decision to resign and repeatedly said it was a “family decision” and not a “football decision.” Rooney said Tomlin said he wouldn’t be coaching in the near future.
“I would say I’m not shocked, but I wasn’t expecting the conversation yesterday,” Rooney said.
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In fact, Rooney said he would “certainly be willing to try again next year” with Tomlin.
“That’s what I wanted to talk about yesterday, but obviously, things went in a different direction.”
Now, the Steelers’ focus turns to finding the team’s next head coach — their fourth since 1969. It will be led by Rooney and Omar Khan, with assistance from others within the Steelers organization.
“[I] Looking forward to starting the hunt and starting the next chapter of Steelers football. ” Rooney said.
Rooney did not give an exact timetable for the search for a new head coach, saying only that it would take a few weeks and they would begin immediately.
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As for what the team is looking for in a coach, Looney didn’t give any parameters, although he did confirm that no one in the organization is a head coaching candidate.
“We’re going to be an open book in terms of who we look for and the roster we build,” Looney said. “I could sign another Chuck Noll, or another Bill Cohwer, or another Mike Tomlin, certainly… right now we’re not going to narrow it down too much.”
There is one quality Rooney wants to see.
“I think there are a lot of things that go into being a successful head coach. The most important thing, in my opinion, is leadership and really believing in that person to be able to get in front of your team day in and day out, get their attention and inspire them to do what they do,” he said.
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Looney said the Steelers didn’t spend much time scouring the league for candidates. The organization will be conducting its search with an open mind, and a key question for the next coach will be the roster, specifically the quarterback position.
Rooney said the standard remains “to strive for championships every year”. He hopes to compete no matter what.
“We’ll try to play on day one if we can,” Rooney said.
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