Tomlin: Quite possibly, the
NFL’s next great coach
In the wake of the monster win over the Texans, the cheers are going to several players.
Ben Roethlisberger. LaMarr Woodley. James Harrison. Willie Parker. Hines Ward. Chris Kemoeatu. Lawrence Timmons. All richly deserved.
Let's not forget the coach.
This is our gut feeling on Mike Tomlin:
He's feelin' it.
Last year he looked fine. He inherited Bill Cowher's team and Bill Cowher's coaches and Bill Cowher's loyal veterans. He handled it with class, calm and confidence. Things probably got a little touchy with Faneca and the offensive linemen. The team got flat on occasion. Even so, a quality coaching job.
This year is different. You can see it in his body language throughout the preseason and now the opener. He owns the sideline. He's as calm and confident as it gets. He's a giant out there. He's patting guys on the back and giving them a talking-to, and they are clearly responding.
He has been celebrating big plays like a very confident coach. It is not phony rah-rah, but usually a slap on the butt. Bill Cowher was not phony either. His style was much more demonstrative, but it was real. Tomlin's is real also, just different.
After all the post-Cowher fanfare last year, Tomlin has slipped under the radar this time. Fans and media tend to single out a few extremely specific play calls. Yes, he bungled a 2-point conversion last year. Yes, he might've made some bad decisions on special teams.
The question is, is this a guy who can get 250-350-pound warriors to respond to him. Do they play better because he's on the sideline? Based on what we're seeing, the answer is yes.
It's too soon in his career to prove it statistically. Grimm maybe could've gone 10-7 last year. Grimm's guys though couldn't possibly have gotten after the Texans any more than Tomlin's guys did, or the way they got after several teams last year. The Texans scooped up a fumble and had first down at our 12. Three plays later they kicked a field goal from the 16. That isn't just good defenders at work, that is attitude.
Again, we can't prove it statistically just yet and won't even try.
We just know, this cat can coach.
Maybe the ultimate credit goes to Dan Rooney. He made this call. He was 2-for-2 in hiring coaching legends, and he looks like 3-for-3. That modest four-year deal that Tomlin signed will be happily torn up in the offseason and replaced by a deal fit for one of the league's top coaches.
Steelers fans are in for a treat. Matching Bill Cowher's long-term success would be a phenomenal accomplishment. Mike Tomlin is actually capable of doing it. We're going to be seeing some big-time football around Pittsburgh for the next decade, hopefully a lot longer.
And he's only just begun.