Former Steelers OG Ramon Foster Hesitant To Buy Into Disillusioned Terry Bradshaw's Mike Tomlin Takes

Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger started a firestorm of controversy with his recent assertation that the Steelers' tradition might be dead. On his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, the 2x Super Bowl champ said that he blames poor coaching for this and pointed a finger right at his longtime coach, Mike Tomlin. He said that the Steelers used to strike fear in the hearts of their opponents and no longer do. This has led numerous current and former players to speak about the "Steeler Way" and to defend or attack Tomlin. 

One of those former players is Terry Bradshaw, who led the Steelers to four Super Bowl wins in the 1970s. While Bradshaw has never played for Tomlin, he has been highly critical of his coaching style, which is more of a "players coach" during Tomlin's 17 seasons at the helm. 

Another former player, Ramon Foster, took exception to Bradshaw's casting of Tomlin in a negative light. Foster was an offensive guard for the Steelers for 11 seasons and spoke about the situation on his own podcast. His show, The Ramon Foster Show, is co-hosted by reporter Dejan Kovacevic and aired via DK Pittsburgh Sports. As Foster and Kovacevic discussed Roethlisberger's remarks, a fan reminded Foster that Bradshaw has been saying this about Tomlin for years.  

Foster believes that fans should take anything Bradshaw says about the current Steelers organization with a grain of salt and Kovacevic agreed. While Bradshaw, who spent 14 seasons in the Steel City, admits that it was a tumultuous time for him, he did not always feel that he was treated fairly and left with quite a big chip on his shoulder. 

"I think it's different whenever you're that far removed and you never went back and actually met and shook the coach's hand," said Foster. "His difference, and Ben's difference is there's still some attachment, some coaches he was there with and I'm sure some people he's speaking to inside the building that's giving him information. Ben has talked to, whether it be staff members, there is a difference between what I think Bradshaw, and I'm telling you in my entire 11 years, I never saw him in the building, and what Seven [#7] is saying."

Kovacevic agreed with Foster. In his decades of covering Pittsburgh sports, he has never laid eyes on Bradshaw in any Steelers-related capacity. 

The rift that developed between Bradshaw and the organization is not a secret. Bradshaw has spoken very openly about it. Foster reminded listeners that Bradshaw was so bitter, he did not even attend former Head Coach Chuck Noll's funeral. 

While there was no love lost for Bradshaw in regard to Noll, he has been very open about how much he feared him. He has said repeatedly that they played harder because they were scared of the repercussions. While Tomlin might be a motivator in many ways, he has not had the success that he should have with some very talented teams. 

Can The Steelers Succeed With Mike Tomlin?

That is the real question that has presented itself to everyone talking about the Steelers. Is Tomlin mentally done? Is he burnt out or has time passed him by in the new offensive-minded NFL? 

The Steelers currently stand at 7-6 and the season is a long way from over. But after two embarrassing back-to-back losses against 2-10 teams, it does look a bit bleaker. Starting quarterback Kenny Pickett is out for the majority of the rest of the season and backup Mitch Trubisky has shown that he doesn't have what it takes to successfully lead this team up and down the field. 

While fans might not be totally objective with half vehemently defending the long-time coach and others calling for his immediate release, the national media seems to be pretty consistently on Tomlin's side. The majority of the media continue to talk about how he has never had a losing season and/or how he would have a new job within five minutes of resigning. None of that should factor into a decision about his current fate with the team. Football is very much a "what have you done for me lately" sport, and in the case of Tomlin, the answer feels like "not much." 

One thing is for certain, no matter how loudly fans yell and scream, the Rooney family will not succumb to pressure. They have shown time and time again that they do not bend to outside noise and they don't particularly like change. Take a look at how long it took to fire the atrocious Offensive Coordinator, Matt Canada, earlier this season. 

In the meantime, the Steelers are still in the playoff picture. Currently in third place in the AFC North behind the first-place Baltimore Ravens and second-place Cleveland Browns, they even have a shot to win it all. The next game against the Indianapolis Colts will be a solid indicator of how the rest of this season will proceed. Fingers crossed. 

What do you think about Foster's take on Bradshaw? Click to comment below!

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