The Pittsburgh Steelers have built one of the most stable organizations in all of sports. They've had three head coaches for a vast majority of its history in the form of Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and now, Mike Tomlin. Tomlin has been at the helm as Steelers head coach since 2007. He's built quite the resume in his tenure, including not having a below-.500 season with the Steelers yet.
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Of course, it's entirely possible that may change this season. The team sits at 2-6 heading into the Week 9 bye. With a 17-game schedule now, the black and gold will have to go 7-2 the rest of the way in order to avoid Tomlin's first such season. Former Steelers center, Maurkice Pouncey recently appeared on The Pivot podcast with Ryan Clark. They talked about various topics, including Tomlin and his leadership as a coach:
"Even though people say coach Tomlin is a player's coach in a form, you're sitting there in film on Monday, I'm telling you bro, you better not be the player that messed up. He [is] gonna call you out in front of everybody," Pouncey said on The Pivot. "The one thing coach Tomlin is not gonna do is call you out in the media. He respects you in that form, but everyone in the organization is gonna know who messed up in that game. You appreciate it in that form and how he raise men in that."
This just re-iterates how good of a coach and leader Mike Tomlin is. Over the years, several former players and current players have spoke about his leadership of men in a professional setting. For those who always wonder how he got the locker room through those years of Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell, and other strong personalities, it's obvious.
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He is straight up with his guys. As for why the Steelers continue to be a first-class organization, purely staying away from their on-field struggles over the past few years, Tomlin keeps things in-house. We've all seen it. He defends his guys in the media and refuses to throw them under the bus. Behind closed doors, according to Pouncey, he's not afraid to do so.
For anyone that thinks Tomlin should be fired amidst these trying times, listen to these comments from Pouncey and Clark. He's a leader of men, a phrase we often hear in reference to him specifically. If you are wanting to fire him, good luck finding a replacement that does a better job. It's safe to say, Tomlin will be head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers for awhile.
How awesome is it to hear these kind of things on Tomlin? What is your favorite memory from Pouncey's career? Share your opinions in the comments below. Also, be sure to interact with all of our social media sites here at Steeler Nation!
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