Mike Tomlin is one of the most respected head coaches in NFL circles. However, he’s gotten a lot of flak recently for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoff woes. Most fans are well-aware that the Steelers haven’t won a postseason game since the 2016 season. They’ve been disappointing, and as a result, some people think Tomlin should be on the hot seat. However, Calvin Austin III recently revealed that Steelers players don’t listen to that outside noise.
“We definitely, as a team, ignore that one,” Austin said Tuesday on 92.9 ESPN. “When the coach comes in that Wednesday morning and outlines how the exact game is gonna go, what’s their offensive coordinator’s mindset, what’s their defensive coordinator’s mindset, what they’re gonna do on special teams to try and beat us, and the game goes exactly like that, we can’t come in and be like, ‘I don’t know.’
“He literally told us how it was gonna be. He’s giving us the game. At that point, it’s on us about executing. I feel like [that outside noise is] the last thing we think about because we have that trust in Coach [Tomlin] that he’s gonna have us ready.”
For all of his faults, Tomlin does an excellent job earning the loyalty of his players. It isn’t often that you hear any of them, past or present, say something negative about him.
Tomlin has often been called a “player’s coach,” both as an insult and a compliment. James Harrison recently spoke about how that’s one of Tomlin’s best and worst qualities. He’s great at relating to and motivating players. However, that personability can also hurt the team, with Tomlin sometimes letting things go too far with certain players.
However, here, Austin explains the more technical aspect of Tomlin. Being an NFL head coach for almost 20 years isn’t easy, nor does it happen very often. Tomlin’s seen a lot. He’s got a brilliant football mind.
However, that hasn’t always translated to wins, with Austin blaming the players for that. Sometimes, Tomlin doesn’t have the tools to get the job done. Perhaps he deserves some of the blame for that as well because he’s got a hand in building the team, but players believe he puts them in the best situation to succeed. That lines up with Tomlin’s consistency and ability to get the most out of what he has.
Tomlin deserves some of the blame for the Steelers’ failures, even if Austin thinks the players are at fault. Tomlin has made his fair share of mistakes. Despite all the outside noise, his job doesn’t seem to be in danger. Art Rooney II is comfortable with him, and as evidenced by Austin, so are the players. Hopefully, the Steelers win a playoff game this year and put this subject to bed.
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