PITTSBURGH – Since Mike Tomlin signed his latest extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the NFL world has been abuzz. Reactions have ranged from celebrating the deal to criticizing the contract and Tomlin’s performance as head coach.
The latest reaction came from former Steelers executive, Doug Whaley. The Pittsburgh native worked under former GM Kevin Colbert for 10 years. He also served as the general manager of the Buffalo Bills for a few seasons. Speaking to 93.7 The Fan, Whaley lobbied some criticism at Mike Tomlin’s lack of a coaching tree.
“I think he’s a heck of a coach. I think the two things that you can have issues with, number one for me is not the playoff record. It’s his hiring practices, how he has hired coaches in the past,” Whaley said. “There’s only been two, and Bruce Arians was ceremoniously let out of town, that was a head coach. And then Scottie Montgomery went to be the head coach of East Carolina. How do you coach 17 years, not have a losing season, win one Super Bowl, and not have a coaching tree?”
The complaint is a common one against Tomlin and his tenure in Pittsburgh. Other NFL coaches like Bill Belichick and Andy Reid are applauded for their coaching trees, with multiple current and recent head coaches having worked under one of those esteemed men. Whaley clearly thinks Tomlin has failed by not doing the same.
The issue with Whaley’s complaint is that a coaching tree isn’t indicative of a coach’s ability nor is it something that aligns with Mike Tomlin’s coaching style. What sets him apart is how well he manages players and the locker room. Tomlin has no interest in giving a coordinator the missing tools they need to become a head coach, he often works with veteran coaches because he is interested in utilizing that coordinator’s best skills to improve his team.
And what is impressive about a coaching tree? Bill Belichick is often revered for his, but you would be hard pressed to call any of the men successful once they left his staff. None of them won a Super Bowl on their own, and most of them were fired within three seasons of being hired. So, if that’s the standard for success, it’s a good thing Tomlin isn’t meeting that.
There are lots of valid reasons to criticize Mike Tomlin and the Steelers performance under him. They’ve failed to win a Super Bowl in over a decade, they haven’t won many playoff games in that span, and he’s had plenty of coaching blunders to harp on. Not mentoring the next wave of head coaches while leading the Steelers is absolutely not one of those issues.
