Mike Tomlin has become well-known for his Tomlinisms over the course of his time in the NFL. His phrases including “The standard is the standard” and “We don’t live in our fears” have become expressions that many Steelers fans will reference when talking about Tomlin or their football team, taking on the speech of their linguistically gifted head coach.
Another sports personality has especially taken a liking to Tomlin’s choice of words over the years, appreciating how he relays his message to his football team as well as the fans and viewers at home. That sports personality would be Al Michaels, a television sportscaster currently working as the play-by-play announcer for Thursday Night Football on Prime Video. Michaels appeared on The Rich Eisen Show and spoke about Tomlin and his speaking ability, praising him for how he stacks up amongst the others coaches in the league.
“He puts words together in a way that very few people do,” Michaels said about Tomlin on the Rich Eisen Show with aired on the show’s YouTube channel. “And I’ve said it on the air. I said, if I had a debate team, I make Mike Tomlin my captain. I just do. He just, the way he phrases things. Look, I’ve had hundreds and hundreds of coaches’ meetings in my career, and most of the guys, they’re really good. Tomlin is special.”
Listening to Tomlin in a press conference after a game or on the sideline after a big win, it’s easy to see why Michaels is such a fan of Tomlin as a play-by-play announcer. Tomlin has been great for the game of football, not just from an X’s and O’s perspective, but also with how he has become the face of Pittsburgh as the leader of the Steelers franchise since 2007. He has become well-known as a player’s coach, bringing the best out of his roster as a quality leader of men that can rally the troops against the odds.
Apparently, Michaels likes Tomlin’s material so much that he will ask Tomlin for his input on the opening piece prior to when he calls the Steeler games.
“But every time I walk into the meeting with Mike, I say, ‘Okay, write the open for me,’ because I would always incorporate something that he said because it was so beautifully phrased,” Michaels said.
Michaels started sports broadcasting in 1967 and starting broadcasting for the NFL back in 1973. Since then, Michaels has spoken to numerous players and coaches in pre-production meetings, looking to gain a better understanding of the team as well as the individuals prior to calling the games. For Michaels to say that Tomlin sticks out from that crowd is quite the complement, considering that Michaels has covered some of the best coaches this game has ever seen.
As a head coach, it’s important that your message gets across to your team to create buy in to the culture that you are trying to establish. Tomlin picked up where Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll left off when he took the reins in 2007, becoming one of the iconic head coaches in the league, leading his men with conviction as a true football fanatic. Michaels can appreciate seeing what Tomlin is doing from the booth, seeing a man that is setting the example for the franchise and living out on a daily basis.
