Mike Tomlin’s reputation is really in the eye of the beholder—and sometimes the location. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach often finds himself in the crosshairs in his local market. Nationally, though, he commands as much respect as any in the NFL. According to Mike Florio, that includes head coaches around the league who marvel at his ability to manage egos.
“He is so well respected around the league”, Florio said of Tomlin on 93.7 The Fan yesterday. “I’ve talked to coaches of other teams who have had Tomlin players. And not Antonio Brown. Other players that they had no idea those players were complete and total pains in the ass until they got to their new location”.
Brown is, of course, the Patient Zero in this discussion. He forced his way out of Pittsburgh and his behavior led people to question Tomlin’s schtick. But as he continued to unravel and his behavior became increasingly erratic, the question then became how Tomlin managed to keep Brown in check as long as he did.
As for other names, Florio doesn’t provide any, but I imagine he has a player like Le’Veon Bell in mind. Martavis Bryant is another possible candidate, and certainly Santonio Holmes. And there can be any number of players under the radar who didn’t make headlines. Plenty of Tomlin’s former players also represented him well in other cities, like James Conner, Emmanuel Sanders, and Alejandro Villanueva.
Without a list of names, it’s hard to say too much more, but of course Florio can’t provide such information. If you give names, you are connecting him to coaches, and that’s a violation of source confidentiality, by degrees. One does wonder to whom he might infer regarding players who struggled outside of Tomlin’s reach.
“It’s like, how in the hell does he do it? How does he speak to their better angels? How does he get them to behave?”, Florio questioned. “How does he get them to not be a pain in the ass? And that’s the hallmark of any good coach. You want the people who are playing for you to constantly crave your approval. He has that magic touch. He gets guys to do whatever he needs them to do and to set aside however it is they might act up”.
Florio brought up the case of George Pickens last year and faulted him for allowing the situation to deteriorate as far as it did. However, Tomlin managed to get Pickens back on track and finish the season strong. Many questioned how he handled it at the time, and some still question whether it will be an issue.
But on the whole, Mike Tomlin has earned his reputation for knowing how to be a leader of young men. The fact that other coaches come away impressed after dealing with the same players is a testament to that. Then again, one can argue that his former players’ behavior elsewhere is equally an indictment.
