01-10-2023, 10:16 PM
Mike Tomlin exemplifies the adage, "the good is the enemy of the great." Don't get me wrong, he does some things extremely well. His ability to evaluate WR talent is probably tops in the entire league. Before some of you state that the GM is responsible for drafting I would point out that during the Cowher years our WR drafting was sub par. Then Tomlin came on board and, with the exact same GM, our WR drafts went through the roof. Sure there have been some misses, but his overall record on this topic is stellar. His players also seem to love him and love playing for him.
That said, his decision making, both pre game day and during the game are sub par. His stubborn sticking with Trubisky cost us at least two games, the first Ravens game especially (Rudolph should have got the nod on that one). His game planning and the teams overall preparedness are also sub par. This is exemplified by sloppy execution and consistent playing down to the level of your opponent. Even when our roster was absolutely stacked Steeler fans were anxious about "trap games", and this team rarely misses an opportunity to make a backup QB look like Tom Brady in his prime (although to be fair that happened under Cowher as well).
In the grand scheme of things we are overall fortunate I guess. Tomlin is a good, not great, coach with some major strengths coupled with glaring weaknesses. He's no Bill Walsh and he's no Rich Kotite. I'd give him a 7 to 7.5 out of 10, but I think the stars will really have to align for us to win another SB under his leadership.
That said, his decision making, both pre game day and during the game are sub par. His stubborn sticking with Trubisky cost us at least two games, the first Ravens game especially (Rudolph should have got the nod on that one). His game planning and the teams overall preparedness are also sub par. This is exemplified by sloppy execution and consistent playing down to the level of your opponent. Even when our roster was absolutely stacked Steeler fans were anxious about "trap games", and this team rarely misses an opportunity to make a backup QB look like Tom Brady in his prime (although to be fair that happened under Cowher as well).
In the grand scheme of things we are overall fortunate I guess. Tomlin is a good, not great, coach with some major strengths coupled with glaring weaknesses. He's no Bill Walsh and he's no Rich Kotite. I'd give him a 7 to 7.5 out of 10, but I think the stars will really have to align for us to win another SB under his leadership.