Mike Tomlin is one of the best head coaches in the NFL, but not everyone is a fan of his coaching style. Tomlin has his critics, but he always keeps the Pittsburgh Steelers competitive. When looking at their offense over the last few years, that’s an incredible accomplishment.
On a recent episode of his podcast, The GM Shuffle, former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi recently went into detail on what makes Tomlin special.
“Tomlin is the best example of somebody who understands leadership at the highest level,” Lombardi said. “Would I say Mike Tomlin is the greatest chess player of all time in coaching? No, I wouldn’t say that. I think he’s good. I think he knows what he’s doing. But where Mike Tomlin separates himself from most people is, how do I get player A to perform at a higher level?
“How do I get player B to perform at a higher level? How do I get the collective team to perform at a higher level? I think he does it with his messaging. I don’t think there’s a better storyteller than Mike Tomlin.”
That’s about as good of a description of Tomlin as you will find. He’s had issues with things like clock management and winning challenges, but he’s the ultimate motivator. There have been multiple times when the Steelers have looked like they’re going to hit rock bottom, but then Tomlin wills them back into the playoff race.
One of the best examples of this is the 2019 season. After basically only one game, the Steelers lost franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. With Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges as the backup quarterbacks, it looked like the Steelers were doomed. While they still missed the playoffs, they did manage to finish the season with a record of 8-8.
Compare that to some other teams who have lost their superstar quarterback for the season. Last year, the New York Jets went 7-10 after losing Aaron Rodgers. The Los Angeles Chargers lost Justin Herbert late last year and ended the season with a record of 5-12. The 2011 Indianapolis Colts lost almost every game after Peyton Manning sat out that season with a neck injury.
There are so many other examples too. It isn’t often that a team bounces back well after losing their starting quarterback. Tomlin’s still working that kind of magic too. Since Roethlisberger retired, the Steelers have been a disaster at quarterback, but somehow, they still manage to win games. That’s a credit to Tomlin.
There are reasons why Tomlin received a contract extension this offseason despite not winning a playoff game since 2016. His abilities as a leader would be incredibly difficult to replace. The grass always seems greener on the other side. This year, with an improved offense, the Steelers should be in a better position to win a playoff game. We’ll see if Tomlin can continue to prove Lombardi right.
