The Redemption of Mike Tomlin
Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Surely the naysayers have learned their lesson at this point.
It seems like every year the narrative against Mike Tomlin tries to find a new angle, and each time he manages to defy that narrative and come out on top.
Just when it seems like there might be a chink in the armor, Tomlin manages to confound expectations again.
It looked shaky at times this season, especially during the three-game losing streak at the start of December. But with last week’s victory against the Seattle Seahawks, Tomlin locked in his 17th-straight season without a losing record.
Even facing a three-game losing streak, Tomlin never lost the locker room, and the players still continue to run through a wall for him. T.J. Watt reminded people of that earlier in the week when asked during a press conference about how the players have been able to stay resilient in the face of adversity.
“I’ve said all along my whole career here: ‘never too high, never too low, always consistent,’” Watt said. “The team meetings are incredible. I wish everybody had the chance to sit in those team meetings. I think it’s just him giving a great message to us, and us just running with it. Guys having true belief in this locker room and the guys in it. There’s been a lot of outside noise, but at the end of the day, the guys that have been working their asses off and trusting each other. It doesn’t matter how depleted we are. We understand that’s happening all over the league, but if we want to win games, it’s going to take the guys in this building.
“We’ve really taken it and run with it, and I think none of that’s possible without Mike T at the helm.”
What might be even more impressive than Tomlin’s record of longevity is that during his 17-year tenure in Pittsburgh, the Steelers have played exactly ONE game where they were eliminated from the playoffs.
His consistency is remarkable. The team’s recent turnaround just further reinforces how valuable Tomlin is as the leader of the Steelers’ franchise.
He never should have been on the hot seat, and in the eyes of the true decision makers — general manager Omar Khan and owner Art Rooney II — he probably never was. With just one year left on his current contract, the Steelers need to move forward with signing Tomlin to an extension.
In football, a sport where coaches are oftentimes stubborn to a fault, and to the detriment of their own team, Tomlin has shed the stereotype time and time again.
Look at the changes Tomlin and the Steelers have made just this season alone:
- With a continually stagnant offense, he fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
- After Kenny Pickett got hurt, he benched the much-maligned Mitch Trubisky for Mason Rudolph, and then stuck with Rudolph as the hot hand even after Pickett was cleared.
- The secondary has been riddled with injuries all season, especially at safety, but Tomlin and the defensive staff have still managed to string together competent play on the back end. This exists all over the field, as the Steelers have dealt with injuries to key players like Pickett, Cameron Heyward, and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
In an anonymous player poll done by The Athletic earlier this season, Tomlin was again the highest-ranked head coach that players wanted to play for. There’s a reason for that.
He knows how to win, and he knows how to win in the AFC North (the Steelers are 4-1 against the rest of the division this year), which has made a staunch argument as the best and deepest division in the NFL this season; as many as three AFC North teams could possibly be in the playoffs.
“Mike T has the game plan,” running back Najee Harris said during the team’s media availability last week. “He tells us what to expect, what we need to do, how to execute. How to beat this person, how to beat this team. This is my third year here, and ever since I got here, he always told us that the divisional play is what keeps you in Pittsburgh. He always gives almost the blueprint of how to beat teams in our division because he is so well in knowing the other teams because he’s been here for a long time. I think really just Mike T. That’s why he is who he is right now. He’s one of the best coaches. It’s him giving us the blueprint for how to beat these teams, is I think, why we’re winning.”
While Tomlin isn’t above criticism — he probably waited too long to fire Canada and bench Trubisky for Rudolph, and, yes, the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016 — the fact remains, he wins game with historic consistency and he has demonstrated the ability to adapt and get the most out of his players.
No other coach in the NFL can say that, not even Bill Belichick sans Tom Brady, which is why Tomlin should stay in Pittsburgh for the long term.
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