Doubted throughout the offseason and preseason, most pundits expected the Pittsburgh Steelers to be more of the same. Win eight or nine games, remain in the playoff hunt, probably squeak into the postseason, and be quickly bounced. The jury remains out on how the season will end, but they’ve blown past every other projection. Sitting at 10-3 and in the driver’s seat to win the AFC North, Mike Tomlin is in contention to win the first Coach of the Year Award of his 18-year career. Ben Roethlisberger thinks Tomlin is worthy. There’s just one other name more deserving.
Sharing his Top-7 rankings for the award, Tomlin came in at No. 2. Taking silver, not gold.
“The only reason I’m not putting him at No. 1 is because of what Dan Campbell is doing in Detroit,” Roethlisberger said on the latest edition of his Footbahlin podcast.
Here are Roethlisberger’s rankings:
1. Dan Campbell – Lions
2. Mike Tomlin – Steelers
3. Kevin O’Connell – Vikings
4. Andy Reid – Chiefs
5. Sean Payton – Broncos
6. Jim Harbaugh – Chargers
7. Nick Sirianni – Eagles
Surprisingly, no Dan Quinn of the 8-5 Washington Commanders.
Campbell is the oddsmaker’s favorite to win the award. Tomlin sits in third behind the Minnesota Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell. After nearly making the Super Bowl a year ago, Campbell’s Detroit Lions looked poised to make another serious run at it.
Tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the league’s best record at 12-1, the Lions have one of the most inventive and creative offenses and have overcome repeated defensive injuries. That included losing star DE Aidan Hutchinson mid-way through the year to a broken leg. Despite his absence and the loss of several other starters, the Lions are tied for the second-best scoring defense in football while holding the No. 1 scoring attack.
Still, Roethlisberger conceded there was a case for Tomlin to win it.
“I will give you this argument because I know people will say Dan Campbell has a good team, and Mike Tomlin’s probably doing more with less. But only at the quarterback position. When I say that, that’s not a knock at Russ. That’s because of the unknown coming into the season.”
Pittsburgh went into 2024, overhauling its quarterback room. The plan was to start Wilson, but Justin Fields got the nod the first six weeks after Wilson re-injured a summer calf strain. Pittsburgh went 4-2 under Fields before pivoting back to Wilson, who has gone 6-1. That makes Tomlin’s output look even more impressive, juggling two quarterbacks, whereas Detroit has been fortunate to stick with Jared Goff all year.
“What Coach T has done with the more unknown is more than what Dan Campbell’s done with a well-known team,” Roethlisberger said of Tomlin.
In Campbell versus Tomlin, there is no wrong answer. Both are worthy. How the rest of the season ends for both men may determine who comes out on top. Despite their sterling record, the Lions haven’t locked up the NFC North, with the 11-2 Minnesota Vikings hot on their heels. The two teams face each other in the regular season finale.
Pittsburgh faces a tough final four games, playing the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs over an 11-day span before finishing the season hosting the Cincinnati Bengals. If they can impress the rest of the way, the Steelers’ buzz over Super Bowl contention will only grow, and it could push Tomlin over Campbell for the award.
Of course, neither coach cares about that trophy. They only want the one with Lombardi’s name on it.
