First and 10: Tomlin’s Peek Behind the Curtain a Win

Alan Saunders |

Updated: Jun 24, 2022

Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin — Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin during practice at Heinz Field preparing for a Wild Card Round matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, Friday, Jan. 14, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)

There was a comment on social media on Thursday after Chris Carter’s story about Mike Tomlin being excited about the team’s uncertainty at the quarterback position, that basically accused Tomlin of being full of it.

I’ll be the first to tell you that Tomlin is not always fully truthful about things when speaking to the media. There are non-answer, half-answers and outright lies, much like just about any head coach.

But if you know Tomlin at all, you know he wasn’t lying about this. The man is just not the same as other people. He legitimately is looking forward to that challenge. He doesn’t “seek comfort,” to use his phrase, or want to be comfortable. He wants to be coaching on an edge.

Tomlin is not the best tactician among the NFL’s head coaches. He’s been beaten with strategy, and he’s made poor decisions. But there is no better leader of men in the NFL or maybe in all of football. He understands the psychology of a team and the process of motivating himself and others better than any other leader I’ve encountered.

If you haven’t watched his whole interview on The Pivot with Ryan Clark and others, you should. It’s a rare glimpse into parts of his personality that he doesn’t often show and let people get a real glimpse of what playing for is like. I think it’s helped some people better understand him, his methods, and what makes him so great. He should do it more often.

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