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Mike Tomlin answers questions during his weekly press conference, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019, at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, Pittsburgh.
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Paul Zeise: Is coaching stability in the NFL overrated?

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Paul Zeise: Is coaching stability in the NFL overrated?

Welcome to Paul Zeise’s weekly mailbag, where the Post-Gazette columnist and 93.7 The Fan radio host answers your questions about sports, life and everything in between. If you want to ask a question, tweet him @paulzeise or email him at pzeise@post-gazette.com.

Let’s get started:

Jeremy: Is stability among head coaches in professional sports overrated, especially seeing if a team is not winning at a high level? See, Marvin Lewis with the Bengals.

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Paul: The Steelers wear stability like a badge of honor, and I suppose it has worked well for them., I would argue that stability allowed Chuck Noll to hang around longer than he should have, though, so I don’t know it is always the magic pill. By the same token, the Steelers stuck with Bill Cowher and he rewarded them with another Super Bowl. The same thing is going on with Mike Tomlin — he hasn’t been nearly as good the last eight years as he was the first four. But he is in no danger of losing his job. I think the idea of stability in the NFL is often far better than the actual execution of it. Messages grow stale, coaches can outlive their welcome and a fresh approach is not always a bad thing. I will say stability in college athletics is far more important because of the time it takes to build a program.

In this 1984 photo, Michigan state coach George Perles gets lifted on the shoulders of team members after a victory. Perles was an assistant for the dominant Steelers teams of the 1970s that won four Super Bowls.
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Bella: I see 2020 as a transition year for the Steelers to determine their plans going forward. A lot will depend on Ben Roethlisberger coming back healthy and improving the offense. What do you think the chances are that Ben is still the Steelers quarterback in the 2021 season?

Paul: I don’t think Ben will be the quarterback in 2021. I just can’t imagine at 39, coming off the surgery he had after another year of wear and tear, that he will be much more than a shell of himself. The Steelers have a year to figure out who Mason Rudolph is and whether or not he is their quarterback of the future.

Larry: Don’t know if you have addressed this one, but in watching the games this year, it seemed as if Steelers missed several opportunities to overturn rulings at key times during games and broadcasters commented on it. Was this deliberate on Tomlin’s part, or is there a deficiency in that part of the coaching staff?

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Paul: Coaches only get so many challenges, and I think they are selective as to when they use them. You don’t want to blow your challenge — and lose a timeout — on plays with marginal reward if they are overturned. That’s the biggest thing: getting a play overturned has to be worth the risk of trying. I think Tomlin has been bad at winning challenges, but for the most part he has challenged the right plays.

Rick: Being a year removed from Brown and Bell, don’t the Steelers have a lot of cap space?

Paul: No. They have a lot of big contracts. As of right now they have about $1.6 million to play with, according to Sportrac. They could free up like $26 million if they cut Alejandro Villanueva, Mark Barron, Vance McDonald, Ramon Foster and Anthony Chickillo. I don’t expect that they will cut all of those guys, but those are the ones that should be on notice because they all have contracts that are structured so that cutting them will save the Steelers a lot of cap room.

Albert: Like most Steelers fans, I’ve always considered Bill Belichick to be detestable, but I have to admit I was totally impressed with his performance on NFL Network’s Top 100 shows. His intelligence, loquaciousness and friendly personality were extremely impressive. Your thoughts?

Steelers outside linebacker Bud Dupree celebrates sack against the Ravens Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019, at the Heinz Field, Pittsburgh.
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Paul: Yes, he is impressive. His attention to detail and his ability to interact with players are two things you wouldn’t think of when you watch him from afar. Those behind-the-scenes looks are really good at bringing the human side of people out.

Zach: Does the Pitt men's basketball team's loss to Wake Forrest at home change your expectations?

Paul: No, not yet. I need to see a few more games. I look at it like this: They beat Florida State and nobody thought they would. They lost to Wake Forest and nobody thought they would. So they have basically just exchanged those two games. I think the two games against North Carolina that are coming up will tell me a whole lot more about them.

Zach: The small market Minnesota Twins just signed starting pitchers Homer Bailey and Rich Hill to one-year deals worth 10 million total. Why can't the Pirates have done that?

Paul: Zach, how long have you lived around here? Have you been paying attention? These are the Pirates, this is how they do things. They almost never sign players in the early part of the offseason. It is just the way it goes.

Jeremy: The Pirates should trade Marte for a starting pitcher. I think the Pirates can probably can only get a number 3 or 4 type or 2 good pitching prospects from the minors. Pirates should then experiment with Cole Tucker in center field. Generally best athlete on a baseball team is the shortstop. This would not be the first time a major league team made such a move. Tucker is a gifted athlete who I believe could make the adjustment. What are your thoughts?

Paul: Cole Tucker to the outfield ... I have actually heard this suggested before so it isn’t outlandish at all. I think they should keep him in the infield. That infield defense has been so bad for so long, it would be nice to have him and Kevin Newman up the middle.

Zach: Why are Pitt fans always more worried about PSU than their own pathetic athletic programs?

Paul: Why are Penn State fans always claiming they don’t care about Pitt yet spend more time talking about Pitt than any other team they play? These are things that make you go, “hmm ...”

Amy: Who will win the national championship in football and why?

Paul: Clemson is what I picked to start the season. It is what I picked before the playoffs began. And it is what I am sticking with. I am picking Clemson because they have the best coach in the country, they have the best quarterback in the country and they know how to win big games. 

Michael Newton, @Michael83371097:  NIT, NCAA tourney, or nothing? Where do you see the Dukes at end of year?

Paul: I like Duquesne to get to the NIT. I think they are probably one year away from being able to win the Atlantic 10 Tournament and get to the NCAA Tournament. And if they get into the NIT, they are dangerous and should make a run. This is a good team.

Nathan, @bigknuterockne: What is Ben Cherrington doing?

Paul: Please consult your friend Zach from a few questions above. He is doing what every Pirates general manager does this time of year: gathering facts and conducting studies, I suppose.

First Published: January 8, 2020, 5:31 p.m.

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