Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin certainly has done a great job this season and with two weeks remaining on the schedule he has his team poised to make the playoffs. Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher certainly has been paying attention to the great job that Tomlin has done so far this season and in an recent interview on ESPN U Radio on Sirius, he offered up a ton of praise for the coach who succeeded him in Pittsburgh.
“I’ve said this, I think this has been the best coaching job Mike has done in the time he’s been there,” Cowher said of Tomlin. “I know he’s won a Super Bowl, he’s won a lot of playoff games, but with what he’s done with this football team [this season], you know, he took what they were, they were an offensive team for some of the years, now they’re a defensive team. He’s done more with less and that’s the best way I can say it. He really has put them in the situation every week, and they’re going to have a chance to make the playoffs.”
Cowher is certainly not lying and he went to praise Tomlin for guiding a team this season that in recent years was mainly regarded as one with a strong offense, to one that is now being led once again by the defense due to offseason losses of key offensive players and the early-season-ending injury to starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
“And you know, it went from being one of the most potent offenses, with [Antonio] Brown and [Le’Veon] Bell and [Ben] Roethlisberger, to now having this defense with T.J. Watt leashing them, Minkah Fitzpatrick as a safety,” Cowher said. “They are dynamic. And like I said, they have got a dynamic defense, that’s who they are.”
That’s some strong, truthful and warranted praise of Tomlin from Cowher. While Tomlin should be in consideration for Coach of the Year honors after the season is over with, he’ll likely need to take the Steelers into the playoffs and win at least one game to ultimately garner that award.
The Steelers final steps at making the playoffs this season will begin on Sunday on the road against the New York Jets. The following week they’ll close out their 2019 regular season on the road against the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers control their own destiny entering Week 16 as two wins in the next two weeks will secure them a Wild Card spot. With that task now at hand, I’m betting that Cowher will be pulling for Tomlin to pull it off.
