When the Pittsburgh Steelers dropped three straight games in 2023, the boo birds were out in full force. The Steelers had been 7-4 but fell to 7-7. They were outside of the playoff picture at that point. People were calling for head coach Mike Tomlin’s head.
Hard to believe that one year later, people are calling for Tomlin to be the Coach of the Year. But when you take a team to 8-2 and navigate the quarterback situation as deftly as Tomlin has, people take notice. That includes former NFL G Damien Woody.
“Mike Tomlin is the Coach of the Year,” said Woody on Monday’s episode of Get Up on ESPN. “Last year, there was people out here, especially a lot of Steelers fans, that wanted to run Mike Tomlin out of town. The great Mike Tomlin, out of town. All Mike Tomlin has done is put the team at 8-2 contending for the number one seed in the AFC.”
Everyone knows that Mike Tomlin holds the record for most non-losing seasons to start a head coaching career in the NFL. But that act has grown stale for a lot of Steelers fans. That’s because it hasn’t translated to postseason success.
But the Steelers are in the best position they’ve been in a long time. They’re currently atop the AFC North and hold the third seed in the AFC playoff picture. And if they win out, they’ll be the No. 1 seed.
And again, Tomlin bested the Steelers’ closest and most-hated rival, the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The Ravens are now 1-8 in their past nine games against the Steelers, and Tomlin is continually getting the best of Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.
The task doesn’t get much easier for the Steelers, though. They have a short week before facing the Cleveland Browns on Thursday. They still have both matchups against the Cincinnati Bengals, who despite their losing record, are capable of incredible offensive outbursts with QB Joe Burrow. And they have dates with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs on the horizon, too.
But the fact that the Steelers are 8-2 and in clear control of the AFC North is a testament to Mike Tomlin’s leadership.
Perhaps 2024 will represent a change for both Tomlin personally and the Steelers’ postseason struggles?
“Do you know how many Coach of the Year awards he has won?” asked Mike Greenberg after Woody’s proclamation. “Zero. He’s never been the NFL’s Coach of the Year. Neither was Chuck Noll ever, by the way.”
If Mike Tomlin never wins Coach of the Year, he’ll be in good company with the legendary Steelers coach Chuck Noll. But with the work Tomlin’s put in this year, it would be nice to see him officially recognized.
