Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has his flaws and his share of critics, both in Pittsburgh and around the league. But there is also no denying how impressive his overall head coaching resume is, and one prominent NFL insider (and Hall of Fame voter) believes it is good enough to make him a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Sal Paolantonio appeared on Pittsburgh's 93.7 The Fan on Friday, ahead of the Steelers' Week 2 against the New England Patriots, and made the argument that Tomlin should be a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Sal Paolantonio: "I'm a Hall of Fame voter. Mike Tomlin is a first-ballot Hall of Famer."
— Chris Mueller (@ChrisMuellerPGH) September 16, 2022
Tomlin has been the head coach of the Steelers since the start of the 2007 season and has been one of the most successful coaches in the league during that time.
He has been to two Super Bowls (XLIII and XLV), winning one of them (XLIII) and so far compiled an overall record of 155-85-2 entering Sunday's game. Along with that the Steelers have won seven AFC North division titles, played in three AFC Championship games, and have yet to finish with a losing record. Just for comparisons sake, every team in the league has had at least one losing record as recently as 2012, while only one other team (Kansas City) has a streak of non-losing seasons that goes back further than the 2016 season. The NFL is not designed for teams to be that consistently competitive. There is something to be said for that.
Tomlin's overall winning percentage of .645 places him 20th on the all-time list and fourth among active coaches.
Being a first ballot Hall of Famer might be pushing it at this point, especially as the Steelers have struggled to find playoff success with Tomlin over the past decade. But given his overall resume, and the fact similar coaches--like his predecessor, Bill Cowher--eventually made their way to Canton, he certainly has a rock-solid argument for enshrinement. If he can get another Super Bowl on his resume, especially in the post-Ben Roethlsiberger era, he might eventually work his way to first ballot status.
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