We’ve talked about the polarization of Mike Tomlin is well documented on this site and several others. The lack of playoff success over the last decade is too great to consider him a top five head coach in today’s NFL, but the fact that the Steelers are always in the playoff hunt also can’t go unrecognized.
So, where do you put him when it comes to head coach rankings? Well, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports put Tomlin in the No. 10 spot.
“Etched into history for his long and illustrious tenure but equally
debated among Steelers faithful for his now-eight-year streak of postseason duds, Tomlin is a tough one to tackle,” Benjamin writes. “He consistently defies the odds by dragging outdated offenses and streaky defenses into the wild-card race, but if meaningful wins are the standard in Pittsburgh, well, he’s run into quite a wall. Putting all his eggs into the basket of a 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers may be worthwhile and/or entertaining but also speaks to his desperation.”
The Steelers are embracing the “all in” mentality, acquiring stars such as Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, Darius Slay, Jalen Ramsey, and Jonnu Smith to make a push towards a deep playoff run. Should the Steelers win at least a playoff game in 2025, Tomlin will climb back up the rankings. Should fans be served more of the same failures, though, the fall will continue as chatter gets louder about a potential split between Tomlin and the Steelers.
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