It's well-documented the kind of culture that the Pittsburgh Steelers have. Head Coach Mike Tomlin took over back in 2007, and he's carried on the tradition of one of the most successful franchises in the sport. Many players have expressed their love and admiration for Tomlin over the years, as he's become known as a real player's coach.
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Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has maintained a close relationship with former safety Ryan Clark, whom retired back in 2015.
Nothing exemplified this more than his appearance on The Pivot Podcast last summer with his former player, Ryan Clark. The two exchanged several awesome stories, including Tomlin explaining why he sat Clark out of the team's crucial matchups in Denver. Tomlin has helped make the Steelers an even more attractive option in free agency as well, although the team doesn't typically have a ton of cap space.
Recently, the Steelers put out a video on their website of Tomlin giving a speech to his team during a meeting. The video made its waves throughout the internet, as it was just another example of the coach's ability to lead. Good Morning Football reacted to the video in a segment, and former NFL player Jason McCourty admitted his prior desire to play for the Steelers and Tomlin.
"He [Tomlin] was a guy that came in and spoke to all of the rookies. I can remember and was just like, at this point, if ever in my career I could get a chance to play for this guy, I would love the opportunity. He's a guy where he leads you with what I call tweetables, things that you can just pull out in any conversation, and you can just tweet it and people know exactly what you're talking about," McCourty said on GMFB.
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The McCourty brothers, Devin and Jason, played 13 seasons in the NFL and were quite successful against the Steelers along the way. They both have recently retired.
McCourty is now a full-time member on the NFL Network morning show, as he retired from football last summer. He spent an impressive 13 years in the NFL, eight of which were with the Tennessee Titans. If you don't know, his brother, Devin McCourty, had an even better NFL career as a two-time Pro Bowler and three-time Super Bowl champ. Devin, who spent all 13 years of his career with the New England Patriots, retired earlier this offseason.
Steelers HC Tomlin continues to receive praise
He was a key starter on all of those Tom Brady-led Patriots squads that beat up on the Steelers. Jason actually joined the Patriots for three seasons at the tail end of his career, and he was able to win a Super Bowl with his brother. In his 13 seasons, Jason racked up 108 pass deflections, 18 interceptions, and 744 total tackles across 141 regular season starts.
Looking back though, Jason (and even Devin) would have made perfect sense for Pittsburgh. Not only is cornerback seemingly always a need, but just look at the bloodlines. The Steelers value this greatly, as they've had several pairs of brothers on their teams over the past few seasons.
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NFL veteran running back Leonard Fournette mentioned that he always chats with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin before facing off against his squad.
Former Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back, Leonard Fournette (who remains a free agent), echoed similar praises about Tomlin. Fournette has had a few big games against Pittsburgh, and he talked about the respect he has for the opposing head coach. Recently, former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf actually suggested the Steelers as a landing spot for Fournette. While that doesn't seem likely, the respect for Tomlin continues to grow around the league.
Where does Tomlin rank amongst the best head coaches in the NFL? Where do you rank him in Steelers history with Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher? Do you think he will lead this franchise back to a Super Bowl in the coming years which such a young offense/elite defense? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!
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