With Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll no longer head coaches, Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh are the first and second-longest tenured coaches in the NFL, respectively. So it’s only fitting the two see each other twice a year in the competitive AFC North with a Pittsburgh Steelers/Baltimore Ravens rivalry that’s still as good as anything in football.
Now that the two occupy the top two spots of longevity, perhaps there will be increased debate. Who is the better coach: Tomlin or Harbaugh? Former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn answered that question on the latest Pick Six podcast, giving Harbaugh the edge over Tomlin.
Joined by former DL Leger Douzable and host Will Brinson, the AFC North coaching rankings played out like this.
1. John Harbaugh – Ravens
2. Mike Tomlin – Steelers
3. Kevin Stefanski – Browns
4. Zac Taylor – Bengals
Quinn explained he gave the nod to Harbaugh because of better handling of coordinators.
“I think [Tomlin] wasted last year because he hung on to Matt Canada,” he said as transcribed by CBS Sports’ John Breech. “We all knew that was their big issue and he waited so long [to fire him].”
There’s no question the Ravens have churned out better coordinators under Harbaugh than the Steelers have under Tomlin. Baltimore’s coordinators are among the most revered in football, including former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, hired this cycle as the Seattle Seahawks’ head coach. Offensively, Todd Monken proved to be a strong hire, helping lead Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ passing game to a fantastic season with Jackson picking up his second NFL MVP award. Harbaugh hasn’t been perfect and perhaps he stuck with Greg Roman too long, but his resume in this area is superior to Tomlin’s, who has generally leaned on more veteran coaches who rarely make an impact after leaving the Steelers.
Still, Quinn showed respect for both coaches, knowing they’ll end up in the same place once their coaching careers are through.
“I’d say it’s 1A and 1B,” he said. “They’re both going to make the Hall of Fame.”
Tomlin seems like a stronger bet than Harbaugh. And both could use an elusive second Super Bowl ring to cement their Canton chances. Harbaugh’s resume is similar to Tomlin’s, but he doesn’t have quite the “name” Tomlin does, and in an era of Belichick and Andy Reid, Harbaugh’s accolades may get tuned out.
The AFC North might have the deepest head-coaching group in football. Stefanski has done a great job creating stability with the Cleveland Browns and was just named Coach of the Year for the second time in the last four seasons. And Taylor has gotten the Bengals over the hump from, at best, a good regular-season team under Marvin Lewis to a true Super Bowl contender who appeared in The Big Game in 2021, coming up short against the Los Angeles Rams. In other divisions, Stefanski or Taylor could easily be the best coach. Here, they have to settle for the back half behind Tomlin and Harbaugh.
