Added pressure for Tomlin?

I'd be interested in everyone's thoughts on this. There has been a lot of chatter of late about whether or not Tomlin is a "great" coach. There are a few out there who have even questioned whether or not Tomlin is even a "good" coach. I personally believe he falls between good and very good on the scale of greatness.

But consider this. One of the reasons Tomlin has been criticized is that it is believed that he's had one of the great quarterbacks of this generation and has done relatively little with him. Now that it's widely perceived that Tomlin has the best QB, the best RB AND the best WR in the NFL, is there even more pressure on Tomlin's legacy to win NOW! Personally, I believe that if Tomlin loses with the best skill position players in the league, the criticisms we've heard so far will be mild compared to what we'd hear then.

Thoughts?

 

As Steeler fans, we have a tendency to think any year we don't win the Super Bowl is a colossal failure. Most of the criticism aimed at Tomlin comes from these type of fans (and Bradshaw who holds a massive grudge, and Cowherd, who's just an ass).
Winning a Super Bowl takes not only all of the pieces, but a certain amount of luck. Avoiding injuries is huge. We lost to the Super Bowl winners last year by less than a touchdown, playing our third string running back, without our best wide receiver, and with a hobbled quarterback. The year before we lose without our top running back. Some people still hold a grudge because we missed the playoffs two years in a row, leaving out the fact that we were next team in in both cases, not drafting before the Browns. Yes, we lost to Tebow. **** happens. And hey, the year before that they were in the Super bowl.
Is he a "great" coach? Sorry, the only one coaching now who deserves that is Belichek, much as it pains me to say it. But 10 years without a losing season, a Super Bowl (and take that "with Cowher's players stuff and put it where the sun don't shine. It's crap and you know it). Another appearance. Seven playoff appearances from one of the most competitive divisions year after year. 100+ wins. Maybe not great, but awfully damned good.
Win it this year and then we start talking great. But winning the Super Bowl this year does not move the conversation from not so good to great. It moves it from very good to great. Only in Pittsburgh would a coach with this much success be considered a failure. Fortunately, that discussion is only among the fans (and tv talking heads with cranio-rectal disease). In the owners box at Hines Field, this discussion never happens.

 

Awe shucks he's just a cheerleader...

 

Rah, rah.

 

here is just the way I look at it. winning a super bowl is hard. a lot of thing have to fall your way. the stars have to align so to speak. he won 1 and went to another. do I think we have the talent to win again or to have won in the past, yes. to say he has wasted ben is just false to me.

ben is his own worst enemy. I mean come on, we all question his decisions on the field. I don't think tomlin is in his ear while the play is going on saying look at the guy 3 yards in front of you. he is open. don't chuck it 45 yards downfield into double coverage.

I think tomlin is a top coach. this is honestly his first year where we are making a run healthy. it is normally an offensive lineman out. ben is hurt or last year going to Denver and having the broncos beat without bell and brown.

when we win today we will be in the championship game. can we beat the pats? absolutely. will we up there? I don't know but I am comfortable knowing that if we don't. it will not be because of mike tomlin.

 

Should Tomlin fail tonight against Kansas City, it will not be his doing. Something else must have happened.


To answer if Tomlin is a good or even great coach, I know he is former but not latter..... yet.


If he can clinch this Super Bowl and win another and maintain his winning percentage... he could be a great one. Otherwise he is a good one.

 

I think part of the problem is the Defense ...Coach T is thought of as a Defensive style Coach, Haley was brought in as the Offensive Guru...DL was let go ..The Steelers are known for stellar defensive play and Coach T has yet to get the team near that ....

I don't think he will ever be looked at as a great Coach until we field a top notch Defense....I think he is on the right path, we need another hit,hit early in this draft...IMO we are still a CB and another Safety away ...We will also need more OLB help, but if Coach T can field a top 5 Defense then the perception of him will change...

 

Divisional strength last 10 years- afc east- 3 wild card teams. Afc south- 3 wild card teams. Arc west- 5 wild card teams. Afc north- 9 wild card teams.
NFC- all 4 divisions have sent 5 teams as wild cards over the last 10 years.

Just a point.

 

Yeah afc east has been and is still terrible who couldn't win that division every year playing those guys twice a year
Have them get the hell beat out of them 4 times by the ravens and bengals then c if Marcia is still standing
I highly doubt it

 

If the Steelers lose this game it won't change the perception of Tomlin, many people are picking the Chiefs to win the game anyway. It's not like the Steelers are a big favorite in this game, coaches coach and players play the players need to execute. If the Steelers had lost to the Dolphins then Tomlin would've taken a lot of heat for losing at home to a underdog.

 

It does suck the Patriots basically get HFA in the playoffs by default, year after year, playing in that joke of a division. The couple years Rex and the Jets were good, they got the better of the Patriots. We are fortunate to have the Browns, but every division has at least one horrible team every season. Unfortunately for us and the rest of the AFC North, there have been 3 perennial Super Bowl contenders in the division for more than a decade now.

 

All this talk about a great HC is dumb, you can't name 5 great HC in the NFL. I haven't heard anyone proclaim Tomlin to be a great HC in the first place, I don't know why those talking heads at FOX brought up that topic anyways. Belichick is the only truly great HC in the NFL, Tomlin admitted himself his resume doesn't make him great. If he wins maybe 2 more SB with this core group, then he will be in the conversation.

 

There fixed it for you Rock!

 

If Tomlin(son)'s name isn't mentioned today or they don't show his mug once on TV - and Steelers kick butt and take names and score a W, I won't be offended or lose sleep. This is about the team - not the supervisor. My preference would be if the camera doesn't leave #92 and #26 at all today. (also keep the friggin camera away from Danny Smith - that will mean ST's do their job today without incident nor fanfare.)

Can't believe my digital sundial is only halfway to halfway. Speed this up - somebody please!
Even David Gilmour's getting restless playing Shine On You Crazy Diamond over and over again on my time filler DVDs today.

 

3 perennial Super Bowl contenders? Steelers, yes. Ravens, yes. But I don't believe the Bengals, who haven't won a playoff game since the days of the Steagles it seems, could be considered a "perennial Super Bowl contender".

 

Overachievers? Yeah, they've definitely been that over the past several years. But as someone else pointed out, it's hard winning consistently in the NFL - and even harder once you reach the playoffs. So in a sense he gets a minor pass because of that fact. I've been critical of MT in the past, and it won't change if we lose tonight, because let's face it - he's made some boneheaded choices as coach. But I'm happy right now that we're where we are. Considering the alternative, and how it was looking after about week 9...

Your second statement is questionable though, and is relative to which team you show loyalty. Ben is "widely perceived to be the best QB" in the NFL? I'd have to think there are plenty that would disagree with that observation. He's definitely Top 5... but best?

 

I agree, he's not the best and I misstated it above. I should have written "one of the top QBs".

Brady and Rodgers are 1 and 1(a). Matt Ryan and Ben are probably 2 and 2(a).

 

There is no pressure on Tomlin because his job is not in jeopardy. That is the reality of it.

 

His job is safe, but there is definitely pressure on him. Coaching a franchise where success is the standard, there's a lot of pressure to keep that winning tradition going. In Pittsburgh he will be judged by super bowl rings, not wins/division champs or even playoff wins. Because of this, there will always be pressure. He doesn't have to be fighting to keep his job to feel that pressure

 

Still dont like or agree with his coaching style.

 

Who called the freakin pass play on 1st and goal from the 5? Haley or Tomlin? Either way that was dumb as shat.

 

That was all Ben...he checked out of a run. Pisses me off!

 

Who cares? It works they have won 9 games in a row.

 

See, here I go possibly semi-defending MT twice in the same day. Moon must be blue or something...

Anyway, I think with 9 wins in a row and standing where we are, all the pressure should fairly be off MT at this point. At least this season. Whether we go in and take care of business in Foxboro, or we fall short - he's somehow gotten these guys to rattle off that many wins. That's not an easy task.

Not saying I won't be severely disappointed if we don't make it past NE, but just sayin...

 

AFCCG records - Noll 4-3; Cowher 2-4; Tomlin 2-0. If Tomlin makes it 3-0, that puts him ahead of Cowher.