Why Steelers’ Mike Tomlin is my favourite to win his first NFL Coach of the Yr award

Cameron Heyward stared on the four-letter message projected on the display screen, questioning what all of it meant. As Mike Tomlin — the grasp of acronyms, and essentially the most highly effective drive within the Pittsburgh Steelers’ universe — spoke passionately to his gamers about an upcoming opponent in a darkened assembly room late final month, the sunshine started to go on in Heyward’s head.

He’s speaking about ME.

The topic was Dexter Lawrence, the New York Giants’ two-time Professional Bowl defensive sort out. The subtext was Heyward, a 14th-year inside lineman and three-time All-Professional, who was about to set a franchise file for a defender by enjoying in his 202nd common season recreation.

The acronym on the display screen was “WGFO.”

“I used to be like, ‘What the hell is he speaking about?’” Heyward recalled Monday. “And it was, ‘We Gonna Discover Out.’”

Particularly, Tomlin was difficult Heyward to show he may nonetheless play at as excessive a degree as Lawrence, who was 9 years his junior. And the 18th-year coach was doing it in his personal inimitable method, mixing humor with chilly, arduous truths in regards to the sport he loves.

“He finds methods to inspire each man on this crew,” Heyward says of Tomlin. “It’s about having a relationship with each man that walks into that locker room. Each day in follow he’s interacting with guys, and after follow he’s strolling across the locker room doing it, too. He has relationships with everybody, and there’s much less room for chaos due to that.”

Although Tomlin, the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach, is without doubt one of the most profitable males in his occupation, he additionally tends to be one of many least appreciated. Since taking up as Pittsburgh’s head coach in 2007, he has by no means had a shedding season. Take into consideration that — in a league designed to intensify parity, the person hasn’t had a single unhealthy 12 months, with almost 20 years of pattern dimension.

That’s crazier than a beloved institution showcasing sandwiches with French fries and coleslaw.

But some Steelers followers, pissed off by Tomlin’s current lack of playoff triumphs, frequently complain about his perceived shortcomings.

Such gripes are usually met with eye-rolls in NFL circles, but there’s a case to be made that Tomlin chronically will get much less reward than he deserves. The 52-year-old has received a Tremendous Bowl, two AFC championships and 188 mixed common season and postseason video games, but he has by no means been honored because the Related Press NFL Coach of the Yr.

That would change come February. Although there have been some stellar teaching jobs this season — by Matt LaFleur, Kevin O’Connell, Dan Campbell, Raheem Morris, Dan Quinn and others — Tomlin’s masterful contact in guiding the Steelers to a 7-2 file has been unparalleled.

To place it in phrases he’d recognize: Halfway via the 2024 marketing campaign, he’s my COTYSF (Coach of the Yr So Far).

Tomlin has managed a possible quarterback controversy, overseen the set up of a brand new offense and helped reenergize a protection with 5 new starters (in case you embody nickel again Beanie Bishop Jr., an undrafted rookie). The Steelers could boast the NFL’s simplest particular groups models, and their solely two defeats (consecutive losses to the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys) have been by three-point margins.

They’ve prevailed in 4 different one-score video games, together with final Sunday’s stirring, 28-27 street victory over the 7-3 Washington Commanders.

All of the sudden Pittsburgh, which has been one-and-done in its final 4 postseason appearances, seems formidable sufficient to compete with the AFC’s greatest groups.

The Steelers will study extra about themselves Sunday after they host the 7-3 Baltimore Ravens, who path them by half a recreation within the AFC North. Nonetheless, for the primary time since Ben Roethlisberger retired in January 2022, they seem able to profitable large video games with out counting on their protection and particular groups to hold them.

The most important purpose for the Steelers’ success? Nicely, there are two large ones. Tomlin’s acquired cojones. In contrast to so lots of his teaching contemporaries, he’s not afraid to go together with his instincts, shoot his shot and dwell with the implications if he misses.

He’s a risk-taker, and his gamers vibe on that.

Sunday’s victory over the Commanders was like a sizzle reel for Tomlin’s COTYSF candidacy. The Steelers led 7-0 when, with 5:16 left within the first quarter, they tried a pretend punt on fourth-and-15 from their very own 16. The play caught the Commanders abruptly however failed when one defensive again (upback Miles Killebrew) was unable to finish a cross to a different (James Pierre, who couldn’t deal with the throw).

Three performs later, Austin Ekeler’s 1-yard landing run tied the sport. Tomlin didn’t journey, saying afterward, “That’s me. I personal that, however I’d do it once more.”

The Steelers fought again from a 24-14 deficit and received on a late landing when Russell Wilson, on third-and-9 from the Washington 32, accomplished a high-arc deep ball to Mike Williams, who’d been acquired in a commerce 5 days earlier and had by no means practiced the route.

On paper, it was considerably preposterous. In actual life, it was superb. And it could by no means have occurred with out Tomlin’s conviction.

Starting final spring, Tomlin’s religion in Wilson has been perplexing to many individuals inside and out of doors of the group, in mild of the way in which the previous Seattle Seahawks star had seemingly regressed in recent times.

Wilson, 35, struggled mightily after being traded to the Denver Broncos after the 2021 season. He appeared to have misplaced a step — at the very least a step — and to own far much less subject consciousness than in earlier seasons.

Final December, Broncos coach Sean Payton benched Wilson — together with his crew nonetheless technically in playoff rivalry — to keep away from the monetary ramifications of a attainable harm. Given Payton’s fame as an offensive guru, it was perceived by lots of his friends as an irrevocable indictment of Wilson’s skills.

Tomlin noticed it otherwise. When Wilson, launched by the Broncos, turned a free agent in March, the Steelers rapidly signed him because the successor to Kenny Pickett, a failed 2022 first-round draft decide.

Days later, they swung a commerce with the Chicago Bears to accumulate Justin Fields, the eleventh decide within the 2021 draft. From that second, skepticism swirled. Many NFL coaches and expertise evaluators speculated that Wilson wouldn’t win the beginning job, at the same time as Tomlin insisted he’d go into coaching camp No. 1 on the depth chart.

When a calf harm basically derailed Wilson’s preseason — and lingered into October — Fields seized his opening. His velocity and mobility helped new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith conceive an assault that created favorable matchups for Pittsburgh’s operating recreation. By the point Wilson was totally wholesome, the Steelers have been 4-2 and coming off a 32-13 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Nearly nobody thought Tomlin ought to make a change. Roethlisberger, on his “Footbahlin” podcast, mentioned after that victory, “All in all, I’d completely not even take into consideration taking (Fields) out of the sport proper now.” That was the prevailing sentiment contained in the Steelers’ group, too.

Tomlin determined in any other case, intent in his perception that Wilson — who received one Tremendous Bowl and got here inside a yard of profitable a second — nonetheless possessed the elite qualities that would doubtlessly assist the Steelers elevate within the postseason. “I’m not making an attempt to win video games,” Tomlin instructed Fox’s Jay Glazer. “I’m making an attempt to win a world title right here. I gotta see what I’ve acquired in each.”

Due to that, Tomlin instructed Glazer, he “went Lone Ranger” and made the transfer.

One large distinction: The Lone Ranger wore a masks. Tomlin laid naked his intentions and mindset to all events involved.

Contained in the locker room, there was no grumbling or second-guessing. Tomlin, who has habitually gotten essentially the most out of sturdy (and typically prickly) personalities — former stars Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and present receiver George Pickens are some apparent examples — bought the transfer in a fashion that a few of his mealy-mouthed friends can be clever to emulate.

“All three guys — Justin, Russ and Mike — dealt with it with full class,” Heyward mentioned. “(Tomlin) mentioned, ‘We’re gonna see what occurs, however we won’t be forgetting what Justin did, nor will we predict Justin’s simply gonna be somebody who will get misplaced within the shuffle. It’s a protracted season and we’ll see what occurs.’”

Right here’s what has occurred to this point: The Steelers are 3-0 with Wilson at quarterback. He has thrown six landing passes and one interception, and Pittsburgh has averaged 30.7 factors per recreation in these begins. The Lone Ranger is using excessive.

Then once more, the schedule will get harder now, with two video games in opposition to the Ravens and clashes with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas Metropolis Chiefs among the many checks awaiting Tomlin’s crew.

Can the Steelers meet the problem — and win a playoff recreation (or multiple) for the primary time in eight seasons?

As Tomlin would say, WGFO.

(Prime photograph: Patrick Smith / Getty Photographs)