This Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles take on Pennsylvania's other professional franchise. Like Philly, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a division leader. There are so many subplots in this one, one of which is how both teams view their head coaches.
Despite Philly being 11-2 after 14 weeks, some still question Nick Sirianni's job security. We're staring at you, Chris Canty. He believes a new search for a head coach should begin if the Birds don't enjoy a deep playoff run.
Sirianni's personality isn't everyone's cup of tea, but the man keeps winning in one of the toughest sports towns to coach. The Eagles have qualified for the postseason every year since his hiring. They have also represented the NFC in a Super Bowl.
Yes, last year was highlighted by the epic collapse, but the streak continued. That was one of the reasons why Nick survived for another year.
In the other corner is Mike Tomlin. He has never had a losing season in Pittsburgh. Since taking the reigns in 2007, he has led the Steelers to 11 playoff appearances and two Super Bowl appearances, winning one of them.
Tomlin's Steelers have missed the playoffs six times. They last won the Lombardi Trophy in 2008. They haven't made it to the second round of the NFL Playoffs since they did so in 2017 with an aging Roethlisberger. Their fans are worried.
Lurie is not afraid to fire proven winners who are not producing.
While comparing the resumes of Mike Tomlin and Nick Sirianni, we began dealing with hypotheticals. How would Philadelphia view Tomlin had he produced the same resume as Eagles head coach? Something tells us he wouldn't have remained at the helm for 18 NFL seasons.
Philly isn't, shall we say, as patient as the Rooney family, one of pro football's standards of successful ownership. Since 1969, the Steelers have employed three coaches. THREE! Each has taken Pittsburgh to the mountaintop.
Chuck Noll's era brought four of the six Super Bowl wins. Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin's regimes each landed one. Cowher and Tomlin both led their teams to the big game twice.
But, the NFL is a 'What have you done for me lately' league. Philly can be a 'What have you done for me lately' city.
It has been almost 14 years since Tomlin's Steelers have qualified for the Super Bowl. During the last seven, Pittsburgh hasn't made it out of the first round of the playoffs. He has enjoyed tremendous success, but in Philadelphia, nostalgia doesn't always equal extensions. That begs the question. Would Jeffery Lurie have given him more time?
Jeffrey Lurie fired Andy Reid, the winningest coach in Eagles franchise history after Reid led the team to five NFC Conference Championships and one Super Bowl appearance. He only missed the playoffs five times in 14 years, but it was believed his voice had gone stale.
Reid's final four years in Philly were similar to Tomlin's recent run. He didn't make it past the Wild Card round twice. He missed the playoffs twice. He and the Eagles parted ways after the 2012 season.
Jeffery Lurie gambled on Chip Kelly and lost. He then hired Doug Pederson. Some were shocked when Doug was fired so soon after winning a Super Bowl. In his five years at the helm, Pederson's Eagles only missed the playoffs twice, during his first season and his last.
We'll never know, but it seems safe to assume Tomlin wouldn't have lasted as long in the City of Brotherly Love as he has lasted as head coach in The Steel City.
Just think about how the fans and media would have treated him.
The pressure of the media and fans is on another level in Philadelphia.
The level of expectation is high in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but in the City of Brotherly Love, patience often wears thin. Recently, we have heard something we aren't used to, impatience with Mike Tomlin, but it doesn't feel like he's in any real jeopardy.
If we're being technical, Nick Sirianni hasn't produced a losing season either, but his leash is shorter. There's no denying that, so what type of guesses could we have made about Tomlin finding his way to Philadelphia?
It's doubtful that Mike Tomlin would have been granted the same level of grace. While the pressure to win in Pittsburgh is always present, there's a chance these two cities measure success rather differently.