Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Will Howard remembers meeting Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin for the first time in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine.
When Howard walked into the meeting room, he could hardly believe Tomlin was there, but when the meeting started, Howard learned the type of person Tomlin was on a day-to-day basis.
“I walked into the Combine and I was like, ‘Damn, that’s Mike Tomlin,’” Howard said on the “Up & Adams” show. “For my whole life, he’s been like the longest-tenured coach in the league. And I walk in, and he just could not have been a more down-to-earth, genuine dude. And he’s been like that ever since. He’s the same guy every time you meet him. Just a true player’s coach. He’s gonna push you, but it’s out of love in a good way.”
Eventually, Howard would interact with Tomlin again at Ohio State’s pro day. They took Howard and others out to dinner, and eventually, Howard would end up with the Steelers.
After the rookie minicamp, Tomlin said Howard had already impressed him, but it would take a lot more to cement his status with the team.
“He’s doing great,” Tomlin said. “But again, we’re at the very beginning of it. I don’t know that we’re looking at it through that lens in terms of evaluating him. It’s more about getting to know him.”
Howard transferred into Columbus from Kansas State, where he was a multiple-year starter and team captain. During his season, the Buckeyes were an up-and-down offense, but became an elite unit once Howard’s play took a significant leap in the College Football Playoff.
This season, Howard threw for 4010 passing yards, a career-high. With that, he posted a 73 percent completion percentage, another career-high mark. Howard had 35 touchdowns to 10 interceptions.