Steelers’ Mike Tomlin Leaps Bill Belichick, 2nd in HC Rankings

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was ranked the 2nd best coach in the NFL by Pro Football Talk only behind Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, meaning that Tomlin will leap Patriots legend Bill Belichick for the first time in those rankings.

The reasoning behind the leap is that Mike Florio believes Belichick has underperformed in recent years while Tomlin has done more with less around him. In fact, he sees Tomlin as one of the more under-appreciated talents in the NFL, specifically as a head coach.

Joining 93.7 the Fan on Wednesday, Florio detailed the entire process and why he believes Tomlin is worthy of such stark praise from the site.

“You know, you think I’d be making Patriots fans mad by putting Belichick at three but I’m making Steelers fans mad by putting him at number two. They want to fire him,” Florio said. “Tomlin, what he has accomplished over the years and he consistently makes a greater sum of the parts year after year. He thrives in adversity. That guy speaks to each individual player in a way that gets the most out of them. That’s what you’re looking for in a coach. I spoke to a number of people around the league that when they leave the Steelers, they end up not knowing how much other guys can be a pain in the butt…he’s not appreciated nearly enough as he should be.”

There’s no doubt that non-losing seasons streak is impressive. In recent years, it can certainly be argued that Tomlin has done more to elevate the team. Though, the lack of a playoff win since they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round in 2016 is a legitimate gripe. However, Belichick has lacked a lot of recent success, too. Andy Reid is rightfully on top of the throne, but Tomlin has an argument to be the next guy in line after him.