The Mike Tomlin (and general coaching) Complaint Thread

This is kind of a wild take IMO.

You know that was his first year coaching, right?

There's lots to complain about re: Tomlin. Particularly post-2010.

But saying that you lost complete faith in him because he didn't win his first playoff game is kind of wild. Particularly when he won the SB the following year (2008). And went to another one in 2010.

 

I love this thread.


'Tomlin needs to go for it more on 4th down!!!! BUT... only when I agree it's a good decision! And then if it doesn't work, it's because it was a terrible play call by Tomlin'.

 

I know it was his first year coaching. Even the lamest coach at any level should never go for 2 points from the 12 yards line with soooo much time left in the game. then he said he followed his gut instinct...

As for the SBs, those were simply because he inherited everything from Cowher. Tomlin is the most successful Barry Switzer of all time.

Anywho, that's what I think. Now cue in the Tomlin loving Troll club (I don't mean you NorthernBlitz).

 

Exactly. this is unwinnable if you want to appease the fan base.

 

I think there's a lot to be disappointed about post-2010. But I think Tomlin was pretty clearly in the 2nd tier of HCs from at least 2007 to 2010. With the first tier being a group of one guy with Billy B.

But I do think that Tomlin's approach to defense (his side of the ball) has become stagnant. Like Cowher, he will do his best work if he has very good to elite coordinators. IMO there is a reason that LeBeau was a part of all of our SB visits post-Noll. It's because we (reasonably IMO) hire HCs based on their ability to motivate players. Cowher and Tomlin are both better off with very good Xs and Os guys...and a HoF QB.

FWIW, I have always thought that Ben was more responsible for the successes and the failures since he's been on the team.

I personally don't like calling it inherited from Cowher. Because I believe Rooney's version of how we drafted Ben over what Cowher said (after Rooney died).

I think Cowher and Tomlin are essentially the same. If I was in charge of the HoF, I wouldn't have put Cowher in. And I wouldn't put Tomlin in either. I think the bar for non-players should be very, very high. And both of our post-Noll coaches belong in the "Hall of the Very Good" IMO, not the HoF.

 

Yes

We should be more like the Raiders and Browns

 

What about the current Lions,Eagles or chiefs?

All in the top 4

 

I'm not a fan of going for it on fourth down unless you're trailing in the fourth quarter. In the Vikings game the Steelers went for it on fourth down instead of kicking the FG, they failed and the Vikings got a long TD on busted coverage.

 

The play call on fourth down was bad.....

 

I agree on that Bengals game play. When your defense is struggling, you are down on points and there is not much left on the clock..... Why would you give it back to the other team? As you said, it somehow worked out, but everything pointed to that ending the game.

I don't see that as a genius coaching move. We just got very lucky IMO.

I also hate charts like this. They are subjective and not factual. They are meaningless data.

 

And that's why you should just kick the FG, I think they would've been up by 3 scores by kicking the FG.

 

They would been up only 27-14 with a FG...If it would been a TD it would been 31-14 steelers

 

Coaches that listen to the fans will soon to be joining them in the stands.

 

Think about it though. Because of who he is, he's extremely well paid and he'll end up being in the HOF and you want him to change his M.O.?

 

It's all subjective and depends on the situation. When the Steelers had a good D... punt the hell out of it... or kick the field goal on 4th down. Now that the D sucks... just go for it every time. Dan Campbell does this and the Lions are a good team with a decent, but nothing great defense. Go figure.

 

I agree big time. I wrote an article way in 2016 when people started complaining about Tomlin pointing out that few coaches in the NFL were better. Only Belichick truly was. Tomlin was in a group with other one-win Super Bowl coaches like Pete Carroll, Mike Holmgren, Mike McCarthy, Sean Payton, and John Harbaugh and in most cases had the advantage in non-losing seasons (obviously).

https://johnbaranowski.wordpress.co...eelers-head-coach-mike-tomlin-few-are-better/

Now, however, I wouldn't pick Tomlin as the second best coach in the NFL, would you? Andy Reid has accomplished the most and there are younger coaches that have won as many Super Bowls as Tomlin: Nick Sirianni and Sean McVay and then there's the old guard: Sean Payton, John Harbuagh and Pete Carroll.

I get the argument that Tomlin inherited a HOF franchise QB in Ben, and in the years without or mostly without Ben: 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024, Tomlin went 37-30. It can argued Tomlin's a better coach with less talent and seems to underachieve when he has more talent.

 

I know we bash Mike Tomlin, and many times justifiably so, but how many coaches in the NFL are better than Mike Tomlin? I would pick Detroit's Dan Campbell but he certainly hasn't accomplished nearly what Tomlin has. Does what he's accomplished need to be taken account? If you do count that, then there aren't many better than Tomlin.

Here's the list of NFL coaches as per Wikipedia:


The current head coaches of the NFL teams, as of October 23, 2025, are as follows:

• : Jonathan Gannon Arizona
  
  
• : Raheem Morris Atlanta
  
  
• : John Harbaugh Baltimore
  
  
• : Sean McDermott Buffalo
  
  
• : Dave Canales Carolina
  
  
• : Ben Johnson Chicago
  
  
• : Zac Taylor Cincinnati
  
  
• : Kevin Stefanski Cleveland
  
  
• : Brian Schottenheimer Dallas
  
  
• : Sean Payton Denver
  
  
• : Dan Campbell Detroit
  
  
• : Matt LaFleur Green Bay
  
  
• : DeMeco Ryans Houston
  
  
• : Shane Steichen Indianapolis
  
  
• : Liam Coen Jacksonville
  
  
• : Andy Reid Kansas City
  
  
• : Pete Carroll Las Vegas
  
  
• : Jim Harbaugh LA Chargers
  
  
• : Sean McVay LA Rams
  
  
• : Mike McDaniel Miami
  
  
• : Kevin O’Connell Minnesota
  
  
• : Mike Vrabel New England
  
  
• : Kellen Moore New Orleans
  
  
• : Brian Daboll New York G.
  
  
• : Aaron Glenn New York J.
  
  
• : Nick Sirianni Philadelphia
  
  
• : Mike Tomlin Pittsburgh
  
  
• : Kyle Shanahan San Francisco
  
  
• : Mike Macdonald Seattle
  
  
• : Todd Bowles Tampa Bay
  
  
• : Mike McCoy Tennessee
  
  
• : Dan Quinn Washington
  
  So which NFL coaches are better than Tomlin?
  

 

Shanahan, McVey, Johnson, Sirianni, Reid, Steichen, Vrabel, Campbell, Bowles, McDermott, Quinn.... all better than Popcorn.

If O'Connell, Schottenheimer, Zac Taylor (with old Flacco) win playoff games this year... then they are also better.

 

Tomlin has 66% of going into the post season (which honestly is not hard with today's new role of an extra team).

Tomlin has 42% wins of all post season games.

Reid, laflaure, sirrani, Harbaugh, mcvay have taken their teams into going into a post season more.

Shanahan (which is also 50% taking his team to post season), mcvay, Reid, Harbaugh, Taylor, cambel, have more success in winning in the post season.

So I would say 5ish coaches are better than Tomlin.

 

I think Shanahan, Reid and a few others would have absolutely got more SB's with the talent we had then 1 with Mike.

 

The Harbaughs are overrated like Tomlin. Carroll is past his prime, but has been to 2 Super Bowls, winning one more recently... so he's better.

 

Good way to look at it.

 

Career wise,Tomlin has one of the better resume in the league especially in his first 4-5 years, but since the Tebow game, too many wtf moments

 

In terms of raising the floor of a decidedly mediocre team and avoiding a losing season despite long odds: Literally no one.

In terms of raising the ceiling of an already good team, penalty challenges, and executing other game day decisions like use of TOs and clock management in general: Literally almost anyone.