Mike Tomlin’s known as a “player’s coach,” a term he’s bristled at over the years for its negative connotation. It’s often seen as a coach who’s your friend, not your employer, unwilling to criticize and reprimand when needed. Ending 2024 with the historic collapse that was their five-game losing streak, Tomlin’s understandably been critiqued for a team that seemingly wasn’t held accountable and didn’t correct their mistakes.
But CB Donte Jackson paints a different picture. He says Tomlin is willing to call out anyone at any time, including in front of everyone else.
“You’re going to get challenged,” Jackson said as guest on Christian Kuntz’s podcast. “You’re going to get praised. You’re going to get called out. He’s the same guy every day and he’s going to treat everybody. He’ll call out Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, Russell Wilson. He’s calling out these guys. He’s going to call out anybody. You’re getting that challenge at work every single day.”
Calling out star players might seem like something every coach is willing to do, but it doesn’t happen in every building. It was one key to the New England Patriots’ dynasty. Bill Belichick would be as hard on Tom Brady as anyone on the team. Often, even harder knowing the example Brady had to set and the need for Belichick to ensure he wasn’t viewed as above reproach. It seems Tomlin has adopted a similar mindset.
Hard Knocks offered a sliver into that approach. While it didn’t show Tomlin critiquing anyone, he challenged key players to step up. Whether that was T.J. Watt facing Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, Nick Herbig going against Cincinnati Bengals LT Orlando Brown Jr., or WR George Pickens on Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey, players were alerted of their five-star matchups in front of everyone else.
Though not a star, former offensive lineman Kendrick Green once discussed the entire o-line getting called out after a poor 2022 preseason showing. Dubbed making “the news,” Tomlin showed the entire team the unit’s poor performance.
“Coach T [Tomlin] had us up on the board, and me specifically, a lot during the team meeting,” Green said at the time. “That doesn’t feel good at all.”
Kuntz agreed with Jackson’s assessment, believing fans have the wrong perception of how Tomlin handles players.
“They don’t know how much accountability he puts on you. He’s going to call you out in front of everybody, bro,” he said. “It don’t matter who you are.”
That will do little to placate fans who want Tomlin fired. And it does nothing to change his recent resume, no playoff wins in eight years. Ultimately, Tomlin’s perception rests in the team’s finishes, and those haven’t been good enough lately.
