The annual calls for Mike Tomlin’s firing from a select group of Steelers fans simmered over the last few weeks. But after the Steeler’s destruction at the hands of the Chiefs last week, they’ve gotten louder.
That’s just ignorant noise by those who forget Tomlin’s resume and standing among the NFL coaching elite.
His accolades are matched by only a select few, and even then he surpasses his coaching competition.
Yet even that is often overlooked.
In his 15-year tenure as Pittsburgh’s head coach, Tomlin has a record of 152-85-2, a winning percentage of .640. He’s also the NFL’s winningest Black coach, surpassing his mentor Tony Dungy (148).
And he’s never had a losing season, finishing 8-8 three times.
Currently, the team is 7-7-1 with two games remaining. Win one, and that mark continues.
Outside of Bill Belichick and Andy Reid, who have 12 and 8 more years as head coaches, respectively, Tomlin ranks ahead of other current, Super Bowl-winning coaches like Pete Carroll (150-104-1), Sean Payton (150-89) and John Harbaugh (137-86).
And all of those men have 14 years or more of head coaching experience.
After being humiliated by the Chiefs, the Steelers stand in an interesting position.
They can still make the playoffs with two wins and some help, which would please some but frustrate others who would prefer the team tanks to get a high draft pick.
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