Success Vs. Failure: The Steelers Are Lucky To Have Mike Tomlin

Should the Pittsburgh Steelers and their fan base be counting their lucky stars that Mike Tomlin was hired on as head coach in 2007? The answer to this question is rather complicated, according to who you ask. Many fans have wanted Tomlin run out of town many times over the years. Others within the fandom have loyally stuck by his side, while most news outlets regard him as an elite coach. But what is the truth? Is he elite, or is he a charismatic guy that has gotten lucky? 

Steelers' Mike Tomlin's Facts and Figures

Perhaps the most impressive stat regarding Tomlin as a coach is, of course, the fact that he has never had a losing season as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has had 16 years in charge of a professional football team and has never ended a season with a record below .500. He has been 8-8 three times, while also never finishing in last place of the AFC North. 

Overall, he has coached 258 games, won 163 of them, lost 93, and tied 2, which puts him at a .636 win-loss percentage. This ranks him third overall among active head coaches in the NFL, only behind Andy Reid and Bill Belichick. He is 8-9 in the playoffs, but hasn't won a playoff game since 2016, which is a major red flag for many within the fan base. So as far as the regular season goes, Tomlin is among the upper echelon of the active coaches in the NFL. 

Mike Tomlin Pros

One major pro of Mike Tomlin is his ability to connect with and motivate his players. Many players have said they would "run through a brick wall for Coach T," with many others applauding him for his caring nature and ability to treat the players as actual people. There was a fantastic video that came out recently showcasing everything Tomlin is about. He talks about expectations and does so in a clear way to his players. Joe Haden did an interview a few months ago and talked about this exact thing, saying that Tomlin goes beyond just film and football. He has a way of speaking that really inspires the best out of his players. 

Tomlin joined former Steelers safety, Ryan Clark's podcast (the Pivot Podcast) a little over a year ago to talk all things football. They eventually got on the topic of Tomlin forcing Clark to sit out a game at Denver, due to Clark's sickle cell disease. Having ended up in the hospital previously after playing at Mile High Stadium, Tomlin explained that in the moment, it was his job to care more about Ryan Clark the man, not Ryan Clark the football player. 

The prime example of Tomlin being one heck of a coach and getting his guys to dig deep and rally behind him has to be the 2019 season. With future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger going down early in the season due to injury, Tomlin had to make do with two backup QBs, one true back up in Mason Rudolph, who hasn't proven himself a starter in the NFL to this point. The other QB will forever go down as a fan favorite and a legend in his own right. The other QB in question was Devlin "Duck" Hodges, a third string QB who made his living on creating duck calls for hunting. 

A third string QB, who after his couple of starts, many memorable moments and even more memes, was out of the league by 2021. Even with two Band-Aids at the most important position in football, Tomlin still didn't have a losing record. Overall, Tomlin is a charismatic, passionate leader that has the ability to rally the troops and really grind out wins. 

Mike Tomlin Cons

The cons for Tomlin stem mainly from two different reasons: the first centers around lack of playoff success. Never having a losing season is a fantastic stat, but let's be honest, the NFL is heavily centered around postseason success. A coach could have a below .500 average for his whole career, but if he has a positive win-loss percentage in the playoffs and takes his team to/wins multiple Super Bowls, that fan base might be a little more satisfied. Many Steelers fans have even floated the notion that they would be okay with a really bad losing season, just so the upper management can implode the team and start a full on rebuild. I would personally disagree with that, but the lack of postseason success recently is an eyesore, and if a full rebuild would achieve a Super Bowl sooner rather than later, then that could be an option. 

Tomlin should be forgiven for some of the postseason failures since some of those teams weren't true playoff teams (2021 vs. Kansas City Chiefs for example), but the team from 2014-2017 had no excuse not to win multiple playoff games and many argue, a Super Bowl. Those were the years where the 'Killer B's' were at the peak of their powers, and I'm referencing Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell, and Chris Boswell. That span saw Brown put up Madden-like, ridiculous stat lines. All three offensive stars lit up the league and Boswell made kick after kick. 

The second issue many have with Tomlin is that he tends to 'play down to his opponents,' something many have accused Tomlin of for years. "Easy" games are made more difficult because the team just looks flat, or disinterested, but during harder games, the Steelers look like a Super Bowl contender. This claim is one that has driven many Steelers fans nuts and others to lose years off their lives by the countless nail-biting games. 

Conclusion:

At least part of the Tomlin criticism is justified, based on the fact that it's been over six years since a playoff win, and the last Super Bowl appearance was at the end of the 2010 season. The lack of recent postseason success hits the hardest knowing that the team was at its peak between 2014-2017 and had no Super Bowl to show for all of the success during the regular season. But no matter how choppy the waters have been, Tomlin has always steered us through the storm. 

Sure, you would like some more playoff wins, but the regular season success, the franchise stability, and overall likability of Tomlin are enough to rank him among the greats. I think many fans don't know how lucky they have it. If they had their way and Tomlin was fired, he would have another job within minutes. His ability to rally the troops, scout talent via the draft, and relate to his players on a human level have earned Tomlin more respect than he is given. His affinity for watching tape and the X's and O's of the game showcase that Tomlin is a legend, and we will definitely miss him when he is gone. So, to answer the first question of this article, yes, Steelers fans are very lucky to have a coach like Mike Tomlin helping to always keep this team in games and keep this franchise out of turmoil. 

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