In a recent and well-publicized interview with, among others, former Steelers safety Ryan Clark, Mike Tomlin sounded nothing short of excited about seeing what lay beyond the certitude of having a franchise quarterback.
After all, as Tomlin's critics are quick to point out, he had Ben Roethlisberger to start every one of his previous 15 seasons. This, of course, overlooks the fact that other coaches who have had Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks such as Sean Payton in New Orleans or Mike McCarthy in Green Bay, have had losing seasons despite the presence of players at the position who are widely considered better than Roethlisberger.