The Pittsburgh Steelers brought back Tyler Matakevich, who played for the team from 2016-2019, as a free agent this offseason, and Matakevich said returning to Pittsburgh has heightened his appreciation for Mike Tomlin. During an appearance on The Christian Kuntz Podcast, Matakevich said he wants to be a coach after he retires and that he’s been learning from Tomlin.
“Definitely coming back after being here and then leaving and coming back, it’s made me appreciate Mike T so much more. Just like in meetings, and just everything he does, I’m really just watching him. And like how he interacts with guys. ‘Cause I want to be a coach too, so I try to take a lot of the stuff he’s doing, just for when it’s my time to transition to that,” he said.
Matakevich added that he writes down Tomlin’s quotes in meetings because they’re “hilarious,” but said “anything that man says, he makes you fully believe it.”
Tomlin’s “Tomlinisms” have become a thing of their own, and to hear it from Matakevich, what he says resonates with players. He even admitted sometimes he doesn’t know what they mean, but he’s ready to “run through a wall” when he hears Tomlin say them.
For an aspiring coach, there are few better to watch do it than Tomlin. This is not only because of his longevity — he’s the longest-tenured coach in the NFL — but also because he gets a lot out of his guys and is one of the great motivators in the league. Matakevich is primarily a special teamer, and he also has a great coach to learn from in that unit in Danny Smith, whom he called his “right-hand man.”
There’s no shortage of coaches on the Pittsburgh sideline that Matakevich can use as a mentor, but learning from Tomlin and watching his interactions with different players to see how he gets the most out of them and knowing what makes them tic has clearly made an impression on Matakevich. Especially now that he’s been with a different coaching staff during his time in Buffalo, it can deepen his appreciation for what Tomlin does and how he coaches his teams.
While the lack of playoff success in recent years is a huge black stain on Tomlin’s resume, it’s impressive that he’s been able to stay so consistent with changing personnel and dealing with the ups and downs of an NFL season every year since 2007. Matakevich has learned a lot from watching Tomlin for five seasons now, and he’ll likely carry over a lot of the messaging and coaching points to his future coaching career.
