Pittsburgh Steelers head coach has had his share of ups and downs, but in comparison to other NFL coaches he has seen a tremendous amount of success. Tomlin has never had a losing season since he took over the team in 2007, and has made two trips to the Super Bowl, winning one of those trips.
I guess just like everything else in modern sports, the position has become a 'what have you done for me lately' business, and Tomlin's Steelers haven't won a playoff game since 2010. When the Sporting News decided to rank all NFL head coaches, Mike Tomlin came in at No. 9. See what they had to say about the ranking:
Tough leage. You win a Super Bowl, reach another, bounce back from your only two .500 seasons , win the bruising AFC North with an aging defense ... and you fall four spots in the rankings. Now Tomlin gets another test: he loses defensive mainstays Troy Polamalu, Ike Taylor and coordinator Dick LeBeau, and still has Baltimore and Cincinnati breathing down his neck.
Tomlin's ranking won't mean a whole heck of a lot for Steelers fans. Their coach is their coach, and despite his shortcomings, he has made his impact known since taking over for Bill Cowher. What might mean something to Steelers fans is who is ranked above Tomlin. There are coaches who have never been to a Super Bowl and are coming off far worse seasons than the Steelers' 11-5 in 2014 all ranked above Tomlin. Take a look at their top 10 NFL coaches:
1. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
2. Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks
3. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
4. Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers
5. Bruce Arians, Arizona Cardinals
6. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints
7. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants
8. Chuck Pagano, Indianapolis Colts
9. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers
10. John Fox, Chicago Bears
After looking at the list, Steelers fans might have a gripe about where they head coach falls in these rankings.