This weekend, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur will coach against Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin for the second time in his career, with the two also coaching against each other in Week Four of the 2021 season. While LaFleur got the better of Tomlin the first time around, this weekend is a different matchup with different personnel. Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger are out, and Jordan Love and Kenny Pickett are in at quarterback. Ahead of the matchup, LaFleur praised Tomlin for being a model of consistency for coaches around the league.
“He’s a guy I’ve got as much respect for in this business as anybody. Not just how he handles himself, but when you look at the quality of teams he’s put out there, I don’t think he’s ever had a losing season, which is incredible. He’s a guy that if you ask any player, any coach in the league, I don’t think there’s anybody that’s not gonna respect him,” LaFleur said said via the Packers’ YouTube channel. “He’s the model of consistency in this league.”
While it’s never the goal and shouldn’t be something to really strive for, Tomlin never having a losing season since he took over in 2007 is impressive. But in Pittsburgh, nine-win seasons aren’t the goal, and it’s not a stat for Tomlin to hang his hat on (not that he does). But the fact that the Steelers are always a competitive team, regardless of injuries and changes to players and personnel is impressive. It’s not something easy to accomplish, and the best coaches around the league have dealt with down seasons. Even with Rodgers, LaFleur went 8-9 last season with Green Bay, his only losing season thus far in his four full seasons as a head coach.
Tomlin’s ability to just win regardless of circumstances is impressive even if the Steelers should do more than they have in past seasons. Even getting to 5-3 this season with a struggling offense is a testament to Tomlin and his ability to find ways to win. It’s something that other NFL coaches, who deal with the daily grind and know what it’s like inside the locker room and preparing each week, find a lot more impressive than the casual fan.
Players have also talked about their respect and admiration for Tomlin as a coach and a person. Patrick Peterson cited playing for Tomlin as one of the reasons he wanted to come to Pittsburgh, and he’s a coach whose players almost universally love him. That’s a hard thing to accomplish, but Tomlin’s interpersonal dynamics in the locker room are clearly appreciated by players and respected by coaches.
We’ll see if Tomlin can even the score with LaFleur with a win against the 3-5 Packers on Sunday afternoon.
