Mark down Larry Fitzgerald as the latest former NFL player to give Mike Tomlin his flowers. After Cam Newton shouted him out yesterday, Fitzgerald praised the job Tomlin’s done in his 17 years as Steelers’ head coach.
Appearing on the Let’s Go podcast hosted by Jim Gray, Fitzgerald said fans who criticize Tomlin don’t understand the difficulty of winning in the NFL.
“It really bothers me to hear the slander of Coach Tomlin,” Fitzgerald told Gray. “And how ungrateful some of these fans, pundits can be. When you do something that consistent for that period of time in this league, when there’s only been three men who have ever done this in the 100-plus of playing this game, Jim, you gotta tip your hat.”
Fitzgerald is referring to Tomlin’s 17-straight non-losing season with the Steelers guaranteed to finish no worse than 9-8 should they lose to the Baltimore Ravens tomorrow. If they win, they’ll end the year 10-7 with a solid shot at making the playoffs though they’ll still need help to do so.
For Tomlin, his 17 straight seasons without finishing below .500 has only been bested by Dallas’ Tom Landry and New England’s Bill Belichick. It’s the longest streak to “begin” a career, Tomlin never finishing worse than 8-8 since being hired by the team in 2007, a surprising external selection with most believing OL Coach Russ Grimm would replace Bill Cowher.
“You gotta tip your hat to Mike Tomlin,” Fitzgerald said. “The guy has coached his ass off for 17 years. And it’s been a lot of fun to watch.”
Fitzgerald acknowledged that Tomlin’s seasons haven’t always ended the way fans had hoped. And the chief criticism of Tomlin is the lack of playoff success. The Steelers hasn’t had a playoff victory since 2016, their longest streak since the merger, and they’ve made only one AFC Championship Game since their 2010 Super Bowl loss to Green Bay. Those droughts remain in danger heading into 2023’s regular-season finale.
Still, Fitzgerald said even being in the playoff hunt year after year is an amazing accomplishment.
“I don’t think the Steelers understand how difficult it is to be in the conversation every single year,” he said. “Every single year, they seem like they’re in the same situation. Right on the verge of being in the playoffs.”
In 2019, Tomlin battled through losing franchise QB Ben Roethlisberger and led the team to an 8-8 mark. Last season, the Steelers seemed poise for a top-five draft pick after bottoming out at 2-6. They surged in the second half of the season, ended 9-8, and nearly made the playoffs. For Fitzgerald, he made the playoffs in just four of his 17 seasons so he can appreciate Tomlin’s ability to stay competitive. And made sure to give him his due.
