The Pittsburgh Steelers fan base falls into one of two camps, for the most part. You have one group that believes head coach Mike Tomlin is one of the best head coaches in the NFL. Then the other group believes Tomlin is the key factor in why the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016 and haven’t been to a Super Bowl since 2008.
Pro Football Focus ranked the 10 best returning head coaches in the NFL and they fall into the first camp as they ranked Tomlin No. 5 in the entire league. Here’s what they had to say about Tomlin:
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Despite recent criticism about a lack of playoff success, Mike Tomlin still finds a way to squeeze every ounce of execution out of his teams. He still has yet to go through a losing campaign across 18 seasons as Pittsburgh’s head coach, though there have certainly been close calls. Making the postseason in 2024 despite a turbulent quarterback situation is an impressive feat.
The Steelers’ identity, though, is their defense, which played at an elite level once again in 2024. They ranked fourth in PFF defensive grade and first in PFF pass-rush grade, led by future Hall of Famers T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward. They could use the occasional spurt of offense, though, as they went 8-0 when allowing 18 points or fewer and 2-8 when they allowed 19 or more.
The problem with making an argument for Tomlin is the degree of power he has on this team. You cannot deny the postseason drought this team has been on. But if you are going to say Tomlin is great anyway because he gets so much out of the roster, you are implying the players on the team aren’t great. But it’s pretty well known there aren’t many guys who end up on the Steelers that Tomlin didn’t want. So if the players aren’t living up to expectations, Tomlin has no one to blame but himself.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin ranks among the best HC in the NFL