Mike Tomlin is the picture of consistency. As head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, he’s never had a losing season. While there have been some down years, usually, Tomlin has the Steelers in the playoff picture. Recently, former Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler offered some details on what Tomlin is like as a coach.
“He’s a great guy,” Butler said via Talegate Sports’ YouTube channel. “Coaching in the NFL, you’ve got to make some hard decisions, for guys that you like, guys that you want to keep around. He did whatever he had to do, in terms of trying to keep a coaching staff together, in terms of trying to win Super Bowls, trying to get to Super Bowls. He did whatever he could to do all that. And he learned as he went.”
Tomlin isn’t the only member of the Steelers’ coaching staff who has stuck around for a while. In recent years, they’ve undergone more turnover with coaches. However, for much of Tomlin’s tenure in Pittsburgh, he was surrounded by familiar faces. Butler, Randy Fichtner, John Mitchell, and Jerry Olsavsky all spent over a decade with the Steelers while Tomlin’s been their head coach.
That speaks to the level of continuity that Tomlin wants to promote. Things have been a little different lately, but that’s partially because of the Steelers’ struggles. They haven’t won a playoff game since 2016, and that’s caused them to have to rock the boat a little more.
However, that goes to show that, at the end of the day, Tomlin is focused on winning championships. He doesn’t want to cut ties with coaches on his staff, but he will if he has to. His loyalty is a double-edged sword. It earns him a lot of respect, but sometimes, he hangs on to coaches for too long.
Look at what happened with Matt Canada. He was awful as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator, but they stuck with him for almost three seasons. They would’ve been better off getting rid of him sooner. Instead, they continued to field a subpar offense, and it cost them.
That strategy has helped Tomlin win, though, so it’s tough to argue that it’s wrong. However, his streak of playoff losses might force him to change things eventually. The Steelers are already doing some things that they don’t usually do, like executing big trades. If Pittsburgh continues to lose in the postseason, perhaps bigger changes could be on the way.
Recommended for you