While the 33rd Team may have snubbed active Steelers players from being named potential future Hall of Famers, they didn’t snub Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Tomlin was named a “Likely Hall of Famer” by the site.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers simply don’t have losing seasons. Not even the year after their Hall-bound quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retired and they used rookie Kenny Pickett. We’re giving full credit to the steady hand Tomlin always provides in the Steel City,” The 33rd Team staff wrote.
“He’s a commanding presence who has done the tradition of long-tenured, Super Bowl-winning coaches in Pittsburgh proud,” Hall of Fame voter Vic Carucci said. “Noll, Cowher, Tomlin.”
While former Steelers Head Coach Bill Cowher had a better postseason record, he’s in the Hall of Fame with career numbers very similar to what Tomlin currently has. Cowher was 140-90-1 in the regular season with one Super Bowl win and a 12-9 postseason record. Tomlin is 163-93-2 in the regular season with one Super Bowl win and an 8-9 postseason record. Given how similar their career marks are, and that Tomlin’s will surely rise in the next few years, it makes sense that he’s considered a future Hall of Famer.
Tomlin wasn’t in the locks category, as that was reserved for Bill Belichick and Andy Reid, who both have multiple Super Bowl wins to their name. While Tomlin won’t approach Belichick’s record six wins, adding another Lombardi to his resume would probably elevate him to the lock category.
He kept Pittsburgh grounded during the transition from Ben Roethlisberger to Kenny Pickett, and now the team is once again on an upward trajectory. The front office made moves to improve the offensive line and weapons around Pickett, and the Steelers future looks bright.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility for Tomlin to lead the Steelers to another Super Bowl win. He’s still pretty young at just 51 years old, and if he wants to keep coaching he’ll have a job in Pittsburgh for years to come. With a young offense on the rise and one of the best defenses in football, the Steelers could become legitimate contenders sooner rather than later.
One issue I have with the 33rd Team’s write up is the heavy emphasis on his lack of losing seasons. If Tomlin just led Pittsburgh to consistent 9-7 (or now 9-8 seasons), he wouldn’t be a Hall of Fame coach. Mediocrity doesn’t get you to the Hall of Fame.
In recent years, the lack of playoff wins has been a problem, but it would be nice if there was more of a mention of Tomlin becoming (at the time) the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl or his success navigating multiple difficult personalities in the locker room to double-digit win seasons.
Tomlin isn’t a Hall of Famer because Pittsburgh’s managed to win eight or nine games instead of seven in some seasons, it’s because he’s won a Super Bowl and had them towards the top of the AFC for much of his tenure.
But I’m not disputing that he’s going to likely find himself in Canton one day. If he gets a second Lombardi, he’s a lock and will go in pretty quick once he becomes eligible.
