Ex-Steeler James Harrison argues why Mike Tomlin doesn't belong in HOF

And early in Tomlin's tenure, when he led the Steelers to multiple Super Bowl appearances and delivered the franchise a sixth Lombardi Trophy, he inherited Dick LeBeau as his defense coordinator. LeBeau was hired by Tomlin's predecessor, Bill Cowher, and then retained by Tomlin. 

"You're telling me you're a Hall of Fame coach, but no one has followed you," Harrison asked. "He's the only coach that has coached this long and does not have a tree."

Former Steeler Joe Haden tried to defend Tomlin 

Haden, who played for Tomlin from 2017-21, offered the defense that he's not going to refuse giving a coach the Hall of Fame for "being bad at hiring offensive coordinators." 

Harrison then refuted that by arguing Tomlin only hired assistants who wouldn't challenge his authority. 

Tomlin's resume stacks up compared to some Hall of Fame coaches 

While Harrison does bring up a fair point about Tomlin's odd lack of coaching tree, it's difficult to envision that being what prevents his future induction. The fact remains that Tomlin's resume does stack up with coaches already in the Hall of Fame. 

Tomlin has 193 wins and led the Steelers to 13 playoff appearances, eight division titles, two AFC crowns and a Super Bowl championship. He also has the record for the most consecutive winning seasons at 19. That resume stacks up with the standard set by the Hall of Fame, even though his losing playoff record (8-12) and his record-tying seven-straight postseason defeats with five-straight blowout losses are why some don't feel he deserves a gold jacket. 

It's important to recognize which former player is arguing against Tomlin as well. Harrison is known for his 100-yard pick-six to secure Pittsburgh's Super Bowl XLIII victory, Tomlin's only championship, and also the controversial departure that saw him finish his career playing for the rival New England Patriots.