Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson has been in the league a long time and played for a lot of different coaches. In Pittsburgh, Peterson’s been impressed by Mike Tomlin, particularly in his ability to get the most out of guys and pull their best football out of them. During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Peterson talked about how that skill is something a lot of other coaches don’t have.
“When we walk into coaching meetings, he does a great job of outlining what they expect from us. And I’m not gonna get into one of the team meetings that we had, but it was one of the ones where he touched some guys and, in my opinion, he really forced some guys to look themselves in the mirror. And that’s what a coach is supposed to do. Forces guys to dig down deep to find their better selves. And Coach does a great job of doing that each and every week,” Peterson told Eisen. “For me, that’s why I love being around Coach because a lot of coaches don’t give you that hope or that inspirational fire that you may need to go into a game.”
Tomlin has a reputation for getting the most out of his players, and he’s also not afraid to call them out if that’s what it takes. Jace Sternberger recalled a time that Tomlin told Pressley Harvin III he made him want to “go shopping” after a poor performance, and Tomlin will bluntly tell players what his assessment is of them. But he’s not doing it to embarrass or belittle them. As Peterson said, it helps them dig deep and find that fire and help them become better football players to help the Steelers win.
Tomlin undoubtedly has his flaws as a coach, and the Steelers’ lack of recent playoff success is troubling. But he’s proven himself as a good coach in the NFL and he’s someone for whom guys really like playing. Peterson cited wanting to play for Tomlin as a reason he signed with Pittsburgh last offseason, and he’s someone who can really connect and relate to his players. It’s a special trait that not a lot of coaches have, and it’s why the Steelers have consistently won games, even though those wins recently haven’t come when it really matters.
Tomlin deserves credit for rallying the Steelers back into the forefront of the playoff picture after an ugly three-game losing streak. They’ve won back-to-back games and can win three straight and finish 10-7 if they care of business against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. They’ll still need help to get in the playoffs, but it’s been a nice finish to a topsy-turvy season, and Tomlin has done a nice job getting this team back focused and on track.
