Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin did a masterful coaching job last season, squeezing every drop from Ben Roethlisberger. Monday morning however, on Pro Football Talk with Mike Florio and Chris Simms, the two did their own mock draft of head coaches after Pro Football Focus, who in their infinite hate of all things Steelers, actually ranked Tomlin as the 13th best coach in the NFL heading into the 2022 season.
You can watch the entire segment on YouTube here.
Pro Football Focus broke down the coaches into tiers. The top three were considered “Hall of Fame” tier coaches which was a misnomer based on a list that somehow has John Harbaugh as the 2nd best head coach in the league in front of Andy Reid, behind Bill Belichick. After seeing the list, Florio and Simms felt like they should respond.
Florio selected Tomlin 4th overall in the back and forth after he selected Belichick. He selected Tomlin with his 2nd pick and had this to say:
“There are few NFL head coaches I would respond to, they want their players to respond. This is a guy who has been doing it since 2007, never had a losing season, always finds a way to make chicken salad out of whatever is thrown in front of him. Lose your quarterback for the season, still compete for the playoffs. Offense is down, still competed for the playoffs; defense is banged up, still compete for the playoffs. No excuses and just that kind of alpha male personality, which says stand at attention and run into that wall and bounce off the wall as the case may be.”
Florio often extolls the virtue of the Steelers organization and recognizes the leadership qualities that make Tomlin a successful NFL head coach. Simms agreed and piggybacked off Florio’s statements:
“The best motivator, the best communicator in the sport. Pretty good at managing the football game doing things that way. They are always tough, always physical. Personalities that he has to manage, he is not always in control of that, he was definitely high on my list.”
They both agreed strongly that Tomlin was easily within the top five coaches in the league. They only did three selections each, but Pro Football Focus' 2nd pick Harbaugh only received an honorable mention along with Mike Vrabel and Sean McDermott. Pro Football Focus somehow decided that despite coaching for one year less than Tomlin and one less Super Bowl performance, that Harbaugh has still been superior:
“The Ravens have always fielded above-average offenses — and tremendous defenses.”
While they similarly compared Tomlin’s Steelers teams in this fashion:
“His defenses have been consistently strong, but he suffers in these rankings due to having one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL throughout his head coach tenure lead his offense without consistently elite results.”
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 30: head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers talks with head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens during warmups before the game at Heinz Field on September 30, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
It is true that Tomlin may not have maximized the Steelers potential during Roethlisberger’s prime, but he did make two Super Bowl appearances and three AFC Championship games compared to Harbaugh’s two appearances. His last AFC Championship game was a decade ago, while Tomlin did manage to get the Steelers to the precipice in 2017. I am not taking issue necessarily with Harbaugh being ranked highly, but he has had Lamar Jackson for three seasons and his record is 1-5 in his last 6 against Tomlin when Roethlisberger was under center. This includes a sweep this past season. Jackson and Harbaugh are 1-3 as a pair in the playoffs and there are serious doubts about the ability to win the big game in Baltimore. Calling his 14 seasons of teams above average offenses is a huge stretch.
The absolute salt in the wound is somehow Tomlin at 13th is three spots behind MIKE FREAKING MCCARTHY! I guess Tomlin can take solace in the fact that the current Super Bowl winning head coach Sean McVay is also behind McCarthy. I am willing to tolerate a lot as a long-time fan who has grown use to a certain amount of disrespect, but this one is flabbergasting.
McCarthy’s only accomplishment was wasting Aaron Rodgers' career. Despite having the top quarterback in the NFC for 13 of his 15 seasons, he won only one Super Bowl. The same thing they are “penalizing” Tomlin for doing with his Hall of Fame quarterback. Two seasons ago in his first season for the Dallas Cowboys, he presided over the worst defense in NFL History.
McCarthy is a mess and if you have ever watched his motivational speeches on HBO's Hard Knocks, you know that they are great substitutes for sleeping pills. The most recent Cowboys playoff game was a microcosm of his career -- a talented team that blows a game they should have won at home in the playoffs with an inexplicable final drive that ends in controversy. I would respectfully suggest that Cris Collinsworth intervene before they put out any more lists like this.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? I could rant on this list all day, but I would love to hear what you think. Is Tomlin worse than McCarthy? Is he the 13th best coach in the NFL? Please comment below or comment on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
