Some people have a high opinion of Mike Tomlin and believe he’s one of the best coaches in the league, able to coach any team above its potential. Others look at him and see a coach hanging on by a thread, barely skating by without any recent success. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, with Tomlin being one of the NFL’s best, but also having major flaws. One major analyst sees the positives with Tomlin but also believes there are several head coaches better than him right now.
Colin Cowherd is an analyst for Fox and hosts his The Herd on FS1. On a recent episode, Cowherd ranked his top 10 coaches in the NFL, with Tomlin coming in at No. 5, below Andy Reid, Sean McVay, John Harbaugh, and Sean Payton.
“I think he’s the great motivator in the NFL,” Cowherd said of Tomlin. “I think he gets players to play above themselves very well. I have also said I thought he’d be a great college coach if he ever wanted to. He’s great in teaching. He’s very good in motivation and player development. I don’t think he has a touch for offense. I don’t like his offensive coordinator hires, but I put him at five.”
Tomlin has often been described as a “player’s coach,” which means that he’s the kind of coach who works with players rather than making them work for him. He inspires players and leads by example. Some people may see that as a weakness, believing he’s trying to befriend players more than be their boss, but Tomlin strikes the perfect balance. It’s been well-documented that he’s a no-nonsense kind of guy and that sets the tone for his players. They know he doesn’t care about much more than winning football games.
Tomlin has struggled with getting the offense right since Todd Haley was let go after the 2017 season, but he has shown a willingness to change his approach this offseason. The Steelers have wanted their offensive philosophy to be running the football, and in today’s pass-happy league, that’s a tough ask. However, rather than promote from within, as has been the Steelers’ tradition, Tomlin went outside the organization to hire Arthur Smith. If Smith is successful this season, then Tomlin will shut down that criticism.
Also, some of the coaches Cowherd put above are strange choices. Reid and McVay have good arguments, and even Harbaugh has a decent case, but Payton being a better coach than Tomlin? That’s a tougher sell. Payton had some success with Drew Brees in New Orleans, including winning a Super Bowl, but hasn’t experienced much success in the two seasons since then, going 9-8 in his last year with the Saints and then going 8-9 with the Denver Broncos last year.
This year may settle that debate between Payton and Tomlin. Payton reportedly did not get along with Russell Wilson last year in Denver and could not post a winning record with him. Now, Wilson is with Tomlin in Pittsburgh. If the Steelers revive Wilson’s career and have a successful season, there may be no argument who the better coach is.
Tomlin still has some issues, like struggling with challenges and being too slow to make changes, but the good very much outweighs the bad with him. The Steelers may drop a game here or there against a worse opponent, but they’ll also show up in big time moments against tougher competition. If Tomlin can lead the Steelers to some playoff success this year, he may finally silence some of his doubters.
