If you’re an NFL player or front office type, Mike Tomlin is the kind of guy you want next to you in the foxhole when adversity hits. Tomlin occasionally takes some serious flak for his decisions and the way he mutilates the English language, but at the end of the day he’s a winner--even when the margins are small.
That’s especially true this year given the quarterback decisions the Pittsburgh Steelers made during the offseason. Signing both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson was a potential landmine pairing that would have blown up on many NFL coaches, but Tomlin just ignored the noise and managed the situation effectively. Overall, his success story is truly remarkable.
History is an important part of the Mike Tomlin story
When Tomlin was hired, he was one of the few Black coaches in the NFL, and for a short while he was also the youngest coach in the league. Tomlin had to follow in the footsteps of two legends, Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher, so he faced plenty of pressure.
None of that seemed to faze Tomlin. He connected quickly with his players and got results right away, and that first element is the key to his ongoing success. Tomlin isn’t as much of an X’s and O’s guy as some of his NFL counterparts, but he’d been an active learner throughout his career, and the Steelers coach has mostly been willing to adapt when necessary.
When it comes to issues, Tomlin has seen it all for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Tomlin has taken a bit of a beating from Pittsburgh’s rabid fan base in the last few years, and some of it seems justified. After winning a championship with Ben Roethlisberger at the helm, but he still took plenty of heat. Tomlin had to survive the Antonio Brown era, not to mention all the criticism he took for only winning one championship with Roethisberger, which was caused in part by Tomlin constantly getting pantsed by the Brady/Belichick pairing during the Patriots dynasty years.
Tomlin also waited far too long to move on from Big Ben and get the quarterback’s eventual replacement lined up. And when Pittsburgh moved on from their start QB, the results were underwhelming. The Steelers chose a local guy, Kenny Pickett, but Pickett’s inability to push the ball down the field and make accurate throws quickly came to the forefront.
Once again, Tomlin can be criticized for waiting too long to move on from Pickett, but when he did the moves Pittsburgh made were decisive, albeit unconventional. The Steelers chose to sign a pair of discards, Justin Fields of Chicago and Russell Wilson from the Denver Broncos, and other than the low cost this pairing felt like a formula for disaster.
Mike Tomlin knows how to make chicken salad from failed quarterbacks
But that disaster hasn’t happened, largely because the Steelers adapted. Fields’ strength has been his running ability, and his primary weaknesses have been turnovers and indecision. Tomlin found a way to mostly eliminate the former, which allowed Pittsburgh to get off to a fast start.
When Fields’ obvious limitations began to surface, though, Tomlin moved quickly on to Russell Wilson, even though Wilson looked beyond washed up in Denver. Wilson has also been surprisingly successful, throwing his trademark moonballs that have mostly worked. The Steelers won't be great with Wilson under center, which was Tomlin's stated goal, but the offense is more powerful.
The fly in the ointment is that Wilson’s flaws are also starting to surface. He still holds the ball for too long and takes a lot of hits, which makes keeping him on the field problematic going forward. It’s not clear what Tomlin will do about this given that there’s no Plan C here, but the tough defense should keep them above .500 and likely get the Steelers into the playoffs.
Should Pittsburgh fans be grateful? Absolutely, although you’ll have a hard time convincing some that gratitude is the appropriate response. But a lot of other franchises would hire Tomlin in a nanosecond if he was ever let go—especially the ones currently in quarterback purgatory. Which is a big part of the reason why the Steelers are happy to have him.