Mike Tomlin Happy With Steelers’ Vaccine Participation, Hoping It Provides ‘Winning Edge’

PITTSBURGH — After encouraging reports that the NFL’s vaccination effort is moving in the right direction, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin shared that he is pleased with his club’s participation on Tuesday.

“Man, I am really comfortable,” Tomlin said. “I like the overall trajectory of our participation in the vaccination process. Guys have worked hard to adhere to the policies and the protocols. It’s just been a continuation of 2020 in regards to our attitude. We are going to work hard to adhere.”

Tomlin continued that he views widespread vaccination as sanctioned advantage for his club, one that he and his players will happily accept.

“We are going to look for any advantage compliance might give us,” Tomlin said. “So participation has been awesome from what I understand. We’re doing really, really well relative to the rest of our peers. We just hope to continue to work in that area, and hopefully it’s a winning edge for us as we proceed.”

As some teams continue to educate their players on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine while battling hesitancy, Tomlin revealed that the Steelers have had some of the best participation in the entire NFL.

“From what I understand, we’re tops in the league in terms of this process,” Tomlin said.

The head coach added that the Steelers even had a couple more players get their shots on Tuesday.

Tomlin is right to note that a high vaccination rate could serve as a competitive advantage this coming season. As the number of vaccinated individuals increases, the likelihood that key players miss games due to COVID-19 infections or precautionary quarantine decreases dramatically.

In addition, masks and other mitigation efforts can be reduced once vaccinated, which has to be one of the most attractive incentives beyond immunity for vaccinated players and personnel across the league.