Throughout his career, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has been labeled as a player’s coach as if that’s some sort of slap in the face.
Outside of the facility, it might be viewed as a negative on him as he doesn’t exactly fit the mold of an old-school coach for certain generations. Inside the facility though, it’s a major positive and why players want to play for Tomlin.
He cares deeply about his players on a personal level, knows how to connect with them, and also knows how to uniquely motivate each and every player, from the stars all the way down to fringe NFL guys.
That includes former Steelers’ tight end Jace Sternberger. The Texas A&M product spent parts of the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Steelers, sticking on the practice squad in 2021 then playing in the preseason with the Steelers in 2022 before being cut.
But his time with Tomlin stuck with him. Appearing on the Locked On Packers podcast with host Peter Bukowski earlier this week, Sternberger spoke glowingly of his time under Tomlin, stating that the longtime head coach just knows how to motivate players and get the most out of them.
“…He’s just trying to antagonize guys the whole time and just twisting words. That’s what he does. He wants you to be mad. He wants players to be mad at him. Like not in a mad, a hateful way, but like as motivation,” Sternberger said of Tomlin, according to audio via the Locked On Packers podcast. “Man, I know, ’cause it happened to me.”
Sternberger knows that from personal experience, having been needled throughout training camp in 2022 with the Steelers. According to Sternberger, Tomlin was always saying things to the young tight end questioning his place on special teams and not being able to make a tackle.
Then, in his first preseason game with the Steelers against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sternberger went down on one of his first snaps on special teams and made a solo tackle. He ran up to Tomlin immediately on the sideline to let him know.
“I just remember he was the first person I wanted to talk to, in a positive way. Like, ‘This is what we were talking about. This is good stuff.’ And he just knows how to motivate players in a different way that I’ve never been around with all the coaches I’ve been around,” Sternberger said.
For Sternberger, Tomlin’s ability to needle his own players is key. It helps him get the best out of his players because he’s a great motivator and can really push players to new levels.
It’s always great to hear behind-the-scenes stories from players — past and present — like Sternberger. It’s an inside look at how Tomlin operates, and how beloved and respected he is within that facility.
