Steelers' strong finish adds to Mike Tomlin's greatness
Despite failing to qualify for the postseason, Mike Tomlin had arguably his most impressive coaching performance in 2022.
The Steelers, who finished 9-8, entered the season on a soft rebuild after Ben Roethlisberger's retirement. Yet with the QB duo of journeyman Mitch Trubisky and rookie Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh stayed in contention for the playoffs heading into the final week of the season. Miami's last-second field goal over the Jets eliminated the Steelers.
Under Tomlin, Pittsburgh has never had a losing record. His span of 16 consecutive seasons without finishing below .500 is the most in NFL history.
Arguably even more impressive than Tomlin's streak of non-losing seasons is that he successfully kept the torch lit after following in huge footsteps.
The Steelers are the gold standard for stability in the NFL. Since 1969 -- a span of 54 seasons -- the Steelers have had three head coaches. Chuck Noll led the team from 1969-91 and Bill Cowher took over from 1992-2006. Both are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Tomlin has as many playoff appearances (10) as Cowher, and each has one Super Bowl win. Over his 16 seasons, Tomlin has exceeded the team's preseason win-loss over/under total 11 times.
Fan can quibble about some of Tomlin's record. In 2009 and 2018, Pittsburgh began the season with the second-best odds of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. In both instances, the team failed to live up to expectations. Despite those hiccups, there's little doubt the vast majority of NFL fanbases would love to have a coach who wrings the most out of his roster on most occasions.
Pittsburgh has had its longest odds of winning the Super Bowl in Tomlin's tenure during the past two seasons. This season, the Steelers over-under win total was at 7.5 games, the most pessimistic outlook for a Tomlin-led team since he took over.
The franchise and its fans are itching for a return to the sport's biggest stage, but Tomlin's coaching career shows success can't be measured simply by Super Bowls. Tomlin always gives his team a chance to win. He has earned the respect of the football world for his consistency.
Plus, as he showed this year, he doesn't need a Super Bowl victory to remind everyone how great he is.
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