Tomlin Leaves a Legacy to be Celebrated — His Record Demands Nothing Less

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 in Cincinnati, OH. The Steelers defeated the Bengals 44-38. (Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers)

The just-ended, nearly-two-decades tenure of Mike Tomlin as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers was a Dickensian “Tale of Two Tomlins” — the best of times and the worst of times.

Except the worst of times were still pretty good times.

Tomlin’s critics, more vocal in recent seasons — and growing in numbers locally and nationally — would argue otherwise. They can’t get past the no-playoff-victories-in-nine-seasons thing, or the longest-in-the-NFL active slog of seven straight playoff losses — a futility stretch that was extended by Monday night’s collapse at Acrisure against the Houston Texans.

But in the 10 seasons that preceded what T.J. Watt once referred to as “the drought,” the Steelers assaulted with regularity the championships so many in Steeler Nation feel so entitled to annually demand.

Those included seven trips to the playoffs, five division titles, three conference crowns, two Super Bowl appearances and the capturing of the franchise’s sixth Vince Lombardi trophy.

The best of times, indeed — and the bullet points on Tomlin’s Hall of Fame resume, eventually.

Even while enduring “the drought,” Tomlin managed to arrive, conquer and depart having never experienced a losing season.

It’s NFL record through 19 seasons that “will likely never be duplicated,” in the estimation of Steelers president Art Rooney II.

Tomlin didn’t just set that record, he shattered Marty Schottenheimer’s 14-year standard. Of course, Tomlin didn’t do that all by his lonesome; it was always about the collective.

Just as it was in the 2016 AFC Championship Game, when Le’Veon Bell came up lame after six carries against Tom Brady and the Patriots.

And in 2017, when the Steelers got smashed by Jacksonville a little more than a month after Ryan Shazier had been paralyzed in Cincinnati.

And in 2020, when Ben Roethlisberger threw four interceptions against Cleveland in the wake of Maurkice Pouncey launching a snap into the end zone for a defensive TD.

And in 2021, when the postseason ask was to beat Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City.

And in 2023, when the Steelers ventured into Buffalo with Mason Rudolph starting at quarterback and without T.J. Watt.

And in 2024, when the Steelers limped into Baltimore after having been beaten up by a late-season span that demanded they play at Philadelphia, at Baltimore and against Kansas City in an 11-day stretch of schedule in late December.

This season was supposed to be different. The Steelers were surging going into the postseason and had Aaron Rodgers at QB this time.

This was supposed to be the year their six-game postseason losing streak finally came to an end.

It didn’t, so be it.

But it was Tomlin who decided to step away, and not the organization pushing him away, Rooney maintained.

“I was certainly willing to take another run at it next year with Mike,” Rooney said.

Instead, they’ll take a run at it with someone else.

But whoever they eventually run with will be tasked with doing what Tomlin did. Rooney made it clear the Steelers aren’t interested in rebuilding, reorganizing, re-anything.

Their objective remains to try to compete for a championship each and every season.

“I’m not sure why you waste a year of your life not trying to contend,” Rooney said. “Obviously, your roster is what it is every year, it changes every year and so you deal with what you have every year and try to put yourself in position to compete every year.

“Sometimes you have the horses, sometimes you don’t, but I think you try every year.”

The standard remains the standard.