Mike Tomlin makes broadcasting debut. What did he have to say about the Steelers?
Mike Tomlin officially swapped in his Pittsburgh Steelers headset and whistle for a suit and a microphone on Thursday night, making his debut as an analyst on NBC’s “Football Night in America” before the opening game of the NFL preseason.
At a desk alongside host Maria Taylor, former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett and ex-New England Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty, Tomlin weighed in on a variety of topics from around the league during the pregame show, most notably, of course, regarding the Steelers.
Tomlin, who’s tied with Chuck Noll for the most regular-season wins in franchise history and brought them their sixth Lombardi Trophy, said he knows “a little bit about the Steelers’ situation, to say the least.”
Yeah, obviously.
Many parked themselves in front of their televisions to hear what the known wordsmith had to say with his coaching career on pause, and to see Kenny Pickett — Tomlin’s former quarterback and a subject of (some of) Pittsburgh’s ire himself — start the exhibition game for his fourth NFL team in three seasons since requesting the Steelers send him off.
After 19 campaigns at the Steelers’ helm, Tomlin stepped down in January after the team’s 30-6 Wild Card playoff loss to the Houston Texans, the latest in a near-decade full of postseason failures. He didn’t hold a goodbye press conference after his exit.
Tomlin misses the day-to-day interactions that came with head coaching, but singled out the dorms at St. Vincent College, where the Steelers are currently holding their annual training camp and “where I spent a calendar year of my life” as an aspect of the job that he isn’t longing for.
Pittsburgh replaced him with Mike McCarthy, a Greenfield native who brought his own Super Bowl ring, earned at the expense of the Steelers in 2011. McCarthy yanked Aaron Rodgers from the brink of retirement to join him for one more go-round.
That renewed partnership is part of why Tomlin stamped his approval on the Steelers’ choice in filling the vacancy he left.
“Mike’s perfect for them, and they’re perfect for Mike,” Tomlin said. “Certainly, being a Pittsburgh native, he understands the standard that is Pittsburgh, and he’ll embrace that. His coaching experience will also allow him to manage that. He’s got an awesome resume. Obviously, the confetti’s rained down on him before with his current quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.
“Man, there’s no substitute for shared success. Man, those waters run deep.”
McCourty asked Tomlin what would constitute a successful season for McCarthy, who inherits a playoff-win drought that dates back to January 2017. Tomlin likened the Steelers’ situation to what the New York Knicks dealt with before capturing their first NBA Finals title in 53 years in June.
“When you’re running knee-deep into the playoffs, but you don’t get your desired destination, there’s some expectations that come with transition. Certainly, he’s got a little bit of that, but Mike has been around before,” Tomlin said before turning the attention further north. “I’m more interested in how (first-year Buffalo Bills head coach) Joe Brady handles that.”
