3 reasons why Mike Tomlin should not be fired

Over the past several months, there have been whispers that the Mike Tomlin era in Pittsburgh could be coming to an end. This isn't because the team wishes to get rid of him; quite the opposite, in fact. There were reports from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that the front office was considering extending Tomlin.

If the Steelers HC does decide to walk away it will be on his own terms. After yet again failing to garner playoff success for the seventh straight season, there's a large portion of the fan base that will likely be calling for Tomlin to lose his job.

While I would agree that things have gotten stale and that a change is probably needed, here are three reasons why Mike Tomlin should not be fired by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

1. Mike Tomlin is too good to be straight-up fired

I am well aware that the Patriots decided to part ways with Bill Belichick and that the Seahawks did the same with Pete Carroll. However, it goes without saying that Belichick and Carroll -- who are both in their 70s -- are in very different stages of their career (and in life).

Tomlin, on the other hand, is a 51-year-old head coach in the thick of his coaching career, and he probably isn't ready to hang it up anytime soon. Heck, if he chooses to coach as long as Belichick or Carroll, he's still got another 20 years left in him.

Longevity isn't the best reason to stick with a head coach (we've all seen plenty of examples as to why), but Tomlin offers stability and competitiveness year in and year out. Can you imagine the backlash the front office would receive if their next hire flops when Tomlin was still winning football games?

A change could very well be necessary in Pittsburgh, but firing Mike Tomlin isn't the way to go about it. Even with the lack of postseason success, he has been too good of a coach to simply throw back into the coaching carousel.