Mike Tomlin: Why the Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Is the Best in the AFC North

In the NFL, coaches, like players, are constantly evaluated formally by their superiors and informally by fans, analysts and peers. From those various sources, coaches gain reputations. The good ones can usually find work in some capacity. The elite ones, however, can always be head coaches.

Mike Tomlin, the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers since Bill Cowher’s retirement after the 2006 season, has become one of those elite coaches. He’s among the best coaches in the NFL.

Let’s take a look at why Mike Tomlin, in four years, has become the AFC North’s best coach and also why he’s among the elite leading men in the NFL.

Dominance in the Win Column

Since taking over the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2007, Mike Tomlin has put up an excellent overall record by going 43-21 during the regular season and 5-2 in the playoffs.

Within the AFC North, Tomlin has gone 18-6 during the regular season and has twice beaten divisional foe Baltimore in the postseason.

Wins, ahead of any other statistic, are how coaches and quarterbacks should be judged. Wins determine how far a team can go. Not only has Tomlin dominated his division (three division titles in four years), but he’s also put together two conference championships and a Super Bowl victory in four seasons.

No one else in the division comes close. Pat Shurmur is new, but both Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati and John Harbaugh in Baltimore have had teams that have struggled against Pittsburgh.

Working With Talent

Tomlin was handed a talented roster in 2007 that already had a star quarterback and stellar defense. It’s easy to say that he is the product of Bill Cowher’s work, but if you look deeper, it becomes obvious that he is no longer able to be labeled that way.

Current stars Mike Wallace, Lawrence Timmons, Lamarr Woodley and Rashard Mendenhall (among others) have grown up in the Mike Tomlin years. These players were all major parts of the team’s recent successes.

Tomlin also has an uncanny ability to take his team’s pulse and get them to play at the highest level. Routinely, the Steelers are one of the best prepared teams and also one of the best motivated.

Why? They’re at the top because Tomlin knows how to use all of his players effectively and also he knows how to use his sometimes quirky and offbeat ideas to get his players excited about going out on the field.

Demands of Excellence for Everyone

One of the things that I believe Mike Tomlin does better than anyone in the division—and better than almost anyone in the NFL (exceptions to Bill Belichick and Sean Payton)—is getting every player to play at their highest level.

Tomlin has gone on record more than once after an injury saying only that he expects the backup stepping in to play at the same high level. His expectations don’t change as he descends the depth chart.

That style of coaching has helped the team, particularly in 2010, to recover from rashes of serious injuries. The Steelers have, a few times, seemed to will themselves to victory despite some serious circumstances.

Adversity is His Friend

If there was any doubt that Tomlin knew how to handle adversity, 2010 should have averted it. With his quarterback facing a four-game ban for off-field issues, a patchwork offensive line that was beset from the beginning by major injuries and distractions galore, Tomlin did his best coaching job.

Expected to be a middling 7-9 or 8-8 team, the Steelers emerged from 2010 with a 12-4 record and came within a touchdown of grabbing their seventh Super Bowl title.

2010 is the centerpiece, but it isn’t the only example. In 2008, the Steelers were handed the league’s toughest schedule in a quarter century. All they did was go 12-4. In the process, they won their record-sixth Super Bowl.

Giving Mike Tomlin adverse circumstances to overcome has become dangerous. The more of an underdog the Steelers are, the better they respond these days.

Bottom Line

Dominance of divisional foes, overall dominance, the ability to motivate players and overcome adverse circumstances and the unbelievable knack for pushing just the right buttons to create stars from late round draft choices are admirable characteristics for any coach.

For Mike Tomlin, they combine to make him the complete head coaching package and also to make him the best coach in his division. If he continues on this path, he could climb up two other notable lists: best in the NFL and best in team history.

For Tomlin, that’s bound to just be another adverse circumstance for him to overcome.