A lot of times fans under appreciate Mike Tomlin. He's been the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers for 14 seasons now, the second longest tenure among coaches in the NFL. Of course you've heard by now that Tomlin has never had a losing record, he's the youngest to win the Super Bowl, and so many more accolades. But the one that isn't talked about enough is his ability to lead.
Rams Coach Sean McVay touched on what Tomlin has meant to him as they've gotten to know each other over the past few years at the Super Bowl's media day on Monday.
"One of the things that's been great about Mike is he's so willing to share, really put his arm around you and be a mentor and answer any questions that you have. His leadership, his command, his mental toughness, how that relates to the way that his teams play, the way that they respond from the good and the bad, I think he's one of the best leaders that this sport has to offer. Really, sports in general."
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Those are big words of praise from McVay. He's ranking Tomlin up there with the best of the best across all sports. McVay is no slouch to success and he's found himself in his second Super Bowl in 4 seasons with the Rams. He of course lost the first one to Tom Brady, but who hasn't at this point.
"Any time that you're in a room with Mike Tomlin, you always know that he's in that room," McVay continued. "He's got such a good presence, but also humility. And it's a fine line in how you balance that, and Mike is a great example for all leaders as far as how you are demanding but uplifting to your players, how you're so steady and so mentally tough in those moments when your team needs it the most, and that consistency that he's had throughout the course of his tenure there. This guy's a stud in every sense of the word and really grateful for the mentorship and friendship that he's provided me since I've gotten to know him pretty well over the last few years."
Tomlin and McVay have become friends through Raheem Morris.
"Mike is one of the more impressive people I've ever met. He's been great to me. I couldn't be more grateful. I got a chance to know him a bit a few years ago through Raheem Morris," McVay said. "He and Raheem are really close. And then at different functions when you become a head coach and you have that interaction."
McVay and Tomlin have squared off against each other one time. That coming in 2019 when the Steelers were without Ben Roethlisberger and the Rams traveled to Heinz Field. The Steelers defense got the best of McVay's offense that day forcing 4 turnovers, one for a touchdown, and 4 sacks. The Steelers won 17-12 with Mason Rudolph as the starter.
