It seems as if pretty much every player who spends time with the Steelers is inspired by Mike Tomlin, and former Steelers QB Michael Vick is no different. Vick was with the Steelers late in his career, as he played five games with the team during his final season in 2015, and during an appearance on the Kickin It With Dee podcast with Donald De La Haye and Brad Wing, Vick talked about his experience with the Steelers.
“I was able to connect with those guys, got to meet some great players in their locker room, develop some good relationships,” he said. “And yeah man, just the whole experience of playing for Mike T, the coolest part was our Monday meetings, when Mike T come in and you see him at the podium, and you get that little snippet of entertainment.”
He added that Tomlin built a culture with the way he delivered his messaging.
“Just the way he delivered to the players creates a culture, creates a mindset, he breaks it down so it’s so understandable that you understand why he’s saying what he saying.”
Vick is far from the only former player who’s praised Tomlin’s ability to get through to players. Even recently, Chris Simms, who was a quarterback in Tampa Bay while Tomlin was the defensive backs coach, spoke highly about the way he’s able to endear himself to players, even if he’s telling them something they may not want to hear. He has an innate ability to motivate and lead, and that’s the main thing Vick took away from his time with Pittsburgh.
Vick played for Andy Reid in Philadelphia, and he was around plenty of good coaches throughout his career, but his time with Tomlin and the Steelers clearly left a mark on him. It’s rare for a player to say that the coolest part of their job was sitting through a meeting the day after a game, but it goes to show just how impressive Tomlin is as a speaker and a communicator.
It takes a special type of leader and communicator to make meetings something players get excited for, and in turn, with guys focused during meetings, it’ll make them absorb the information better and help them prepare for their next opponent. Good coaches have that ability, and it’s why the Steelers have been so consistently good during Tomlin’s tenure. No one is pulling a Myles Garrett.
