"Best Team I Coached Probably Didn't Win": Steelers' Mike Tomlin Revealing A Surprising Team Was His Best

Despite his struggles at the end of his career, the Pittsburgh Steelers will still remember former head coach Mike Tomlin in a very positive light. He won a Super Bowl while establishing a culture of consistency and physicality. For the most part, his players loved the way he would coach them up and develop relationships with them. Even though he is no longer employed by the organization, the connections he built with so many people may never die out. From that standpoint, every team would love a coach like him. 

Tomlin had all kinds of talented players during his 19-year career in Pittsburgh. With the help of former defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, the defenses in his early years were generational. After that, he had a stretch of years with a generational offense with talent across the board. Three different players won AP Defensive Player of the Year during his time with the Steelers.

While making an appearance on Glass Half Full from NBC, Tomlin was asked about the greatest team he ever coached, and he gave a response that most people would not have guessed.

"The best team I coached probably didn't win," Tomlin said. "It's probably in the mid-teens, 2015. Denver won it that year with Peyton [Manning] at the end of his career, and we lost to those guys in Denver. Sometimes, things don't come together for you. We were in that stadium that particular day without Le'Veon Bell, without Antonio Brown due to injury, and so the journey came to an end for us, but that team was as talented as any team I've been around."

In 2015, the Steelers' offense had really taken shape. The offensive line had its key players in place, and that set the tone for everything else. Ben Roethlisberger had all day to find his high-end weapons like superstar receiver Antonio Brown or running back Le'Veon Bell out of the backfield. Many of the young players either earned or were about to earn their second contract, so nearly everyone on offense was in their prime.

On defense, there was more of a mix of the old veterans and young bucks. Super Bowl champions James Harrison and Lawrence Timmons helped lead the way by example while Ryan Shazier and Cameron Heyward were emerging into stars. There was still some work needed on defense, but the foundation was there, and it did enough to help complement the elite offense. 

This was also the year that the Steelers signed arguably the best kicker in the NFL, Chris Boswell. Those first four weeks were rough on that front, but the undrafted free agent quickly made sure the world knew his name as he learned to master the Heinz Field/Acrisure Stadium crosswinds. There is no doubt that there were loads of talent on that particular roster.

Steelers Couldn't Recover From Key Injuries

Bell suffered a season-ending injury early on, but backup running back DeAngelo Williams filled in almost perfectly. Unfortunately, he also went down with an injury, which stretched the running back room very thin. In a tight Divisional Round game against the Denver Broncos, third-string running back Fitzgerald Toussaint had a massive fumble that turned the tide in favor of Denver.

The previous week still lives on in infamy. Everyone remembers how Vontaze Burfict laid one of the dirtiest hits in the modern NFL, which knocked Brown out and made him miss the Divisional Round. Roethlisberger also got hurt against the Cincinnati Bengals in that game, but he didn't return until he was absolutely needed. He was clearly banged up against the Broncos as well, leading to that loss.

What do you think about Tomlin saying that the 2015 team was the most talented team he ever coached during his time in Pittsburgh? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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