Steelers' Mike Tomlin Infuriated The Team In His First Year: "It Rubbed A Lot Of People The Wrong Way"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been the most consistent team in the league when it comes to the head coaching position. They have employed just three people at the important role since 1969 - Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin. Tomlin took over after Cowher retired following the 2006 season. Cowher had been the head coach of the Steelers for 15 years, and Pittsburgh brought in the youngest head coach in league history to replace him. 

Cowher won Super Bowl XL with Pittsburgh in the 2005 season, his second to last season before retirement. Many of the players that were on that team stayed in Pittsburgh and were there when Tomlin took the reigns. Trai Essex was one of those players, and he recently went on 93.7 The Fan where he discussed the transition from Cowher to Tomlin and how players reacted.

"There was definitely a learning curve. He came into a veteran-laden team. We had guys who were one year removed from a Super Bowl. We went 8-8 in Coach Cowher's last year, and we still had a lot of the same cats on the team that went, and we were ready to go back to the show. So Coach Tomlin had to come in and mark his own territory because we were still very much a Cowher team and weren't necessarily ready for Coach Cowher to leave."

Due to the Steelers having a lot of the same players on their roster that won Super Bowl XL, they thought they had a good chance to win the big game again. When Cowher retired, it was a shock to their system. The team viewed the coaching transition as going from a Super Bowl champion, to the youngest guy in the league with no experience.

It's bizarre to think that people were ever worried about Tomlin, especially considering all that he has accomplished now that he is 17 years into his head coaching career. A big challenge for Tomlin coming in as the head coach of the Steelers was implementing his own coaching style and habits. Cowher was a staple of the Steelers for 15 years, and trying to get a veteran team to adapt to a new coaching style isn't easy. Essex continued to speak on the coaching transition.

"Tomlin had to do his own thing his way, and it rubbed a lot of people the wrong way initially. He came in very hard, and I think he had to do that because he had to be Coach Tomlin. He couldn't come in and be Coach Cowher 2.0. Because of that, he rubbed guys the wrong way." 

Whatever coaching style Tomlin implemented worked, whether the guys hated it initially or not. He has never had a losing season, and he has made Pittsburgh a premiere destination for some free agents due to their desire to play for Tomlin. He has been one of the most successful coaches in the league, and seen as one of the top coaches to play for.

Steelers' Mike Tomlin Saw Near Immediate Success In Pittsburgh

During Tomlin's first season in Pittsburgh, he led the Steelers to a 10-6 record and won the AFC North. The Steelers wound up losing in the Wild Card Round to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but a 10-6 record and playoff appearance is nothing to scoff at in a first year head coach. Pittsburgh played even better under Tomlin in 2008, going 12-4 and once again winning the AFC North.

The Steelers earned a bye during the first week of the playoffs, and would end up winning Super Bowl XLIII. Tomlin became the youngest head coach to ever win the Super Bowl, a record which would ultimately be broken by Sean McVay. Tomlin and the Steelers went to the Super Bowl again in 2010, but lost to the Green Bay Packers.

Tomlin will be in Pittsburgh through the 2027, as he just inked a new, three-year contract extension.

What do you think of Essex's recollection of Tomlin coming into Pittsburgh? Comment below.

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