Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay is set to make his third conference championship appearance, the same number as Mike Tomlin in 19 seasons. If Tomlin is considered an Hall of Famer following his time in Pittsburgh, than McVay is more so.
Tomlin is the most overrated coach in NFL history. Everyone talks about all his winning seasons, which only hurt the Steelers’ overall success in recent years, rather than helped it. Even if most of his later teams in Pittsburgh had no business sniffing the playoffs,
HOF-level coaches do not tie the NFL record for most consecutive playoff losses.
Already, McVay has been as productive as Tomlin or more so, and in half the time:
The reason anyone considers Tomlin a lock for Canton is for being the youngest coach ever to win a Super Bowl, until McVay passed him in the 2022 championship. Let’s be real, Tomlin only won that game because he had the previous coach Bill Cowher’s roster, and most notably, a holdover in legendary defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.
He walked into a quality situation the moment he got to Pittsburgh. That is more than you can say for McVay. He came to a team that hadn’t experienced a winning season since 2003 and had a shellshocked rookie under center in Jared Goff, who was looking like a bust after only seven games.
McVay navigated a roster overhaul at the beginning of his tenure and even a mini-rebuild in 2023, yet handled those situations remarkably. There’s something that can be said about Tomlin’s ability to win with the likes of Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields, Russell Wilson and a way past his prime Aaron Rodgers. Still, even then, HOF coaches are sometimes expected to overcome roster flaws and band-aid fixes at quarterback to steal a postseason win or two, and Tomlin failed at that massively following Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement.
I believe part of why Tomlin resigned is due to being unequipped to handle the significant changes that the Steelers desperately need. For a coach seemingly allergic to losing, it might’ve actually boosted his Hall of Fame case if he came out the other end of one lousy season like McVay had.
Then, there’s also impact on the sport. When you really think about it, what has Mike Tomlin contributed to the history of the NFL besides his non-losing streak?
McVay’s joining the Rams forever changed coaching hiring practices. Turf Show Time’s JB Scott touched on his incredible coaching tree, all before he turns 40 on Saturday. For someone who coached as long as Tomlin, he has no branches on his coaching tree to speak of, something that former Steelers star James Harrison said should hurt his candidacy.
Third time might not be the charm for McVay in Sunday’s NFC Championship, but the outcome shouldn’t damage his legacy. He has already done more for the Rams than a coach who had spent two decades on the sidelines. McVay’s path to Canton is rooted in innovation and breaking the NFL out of its comfort zone.
His contribution to the game is far greater than simply not losing ever could. McVay’s greatness deserves more recognition, while Tomlin’s Hall of Fame case warrants far more scrutiny than ever before.
