Mike Tomlin set a record with the Pittsburgh Steelers by going 19 straight seasons to start his coaching career without a losing season, winning a Super Bowl and reaching another in the process. But for one Steelers legend that he coached, his career thus far is not good enough to take him to Canton.
On the latest episode of Deebo & Joe, former Steelers linebacker James Harrison - who played under Tomlin from 2007 to 2017 - argued that Tomlin hasn't done enough to warrant Hall of Fame consideration. He pointed to Tomlin's lack of playoff wins over the last decade and his lack of a "coaching tree" as evidence that he isn't as good as his record.
"I can't give him a Hall of Fame coach because he hasn't made any disciples," Harrison said. "You're telling me you're a Hall of Fame coach, and no one has followed you? That can't be the thing. He's the only coach that has coached this long and does not have a tree. Guys are emotionally attached to him, not performance.
"A great coach, the measurement of greatness, it's not based on personal experiences and relationships you've had with them. It is purely what you did as a coach. Did you get championships? Did you build disciples? Wins and losses is great, but those wins and losses have to add up to championships. A Hall of Fame coach should be making history for having the longest losing streak in playoff history?"
Nevertheless, Harrison conceded that Tomlin will get in. He just doesn't believe he belongs there.
"I do believe he will get into the Hall just because of the numbers. Do I believe he should be in there? No."
Hall of Fame bound
Whether Harrison likes it or not, Tomlin is destined to reach Canton one day and likely on the first ballot. His 193 regular season wins are tied for the most in Steelers franchise history and it took him four fewer seasons to reach the mark than the late-great Chuck Noll. And while Tomlin may only have half as many postseason wins as Noll, his 62.8-percent win rate is the best in Steelers franchise history.
In 2008, when Tomlin led the Steelers to a Super Bowl XLIII win, he became the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl ever until Sean McVay broke the record 13 years later.
The question isn't whether Tomlin will get into the Hall of Fame, it's whether he'll take any more coaching jobs before he becomes eligible.