Steelers' Mike Tomlin Had A Hidden Agenda When Giving Rivals Rave Reviews

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a team that has consistently been full of proven veterans throughout the roster for the past decade, and those veterans have been the foundation for their consistent success. Steeler Nation has been accustomed to these players performing at a high level week in and week out, but the way to motivate each player isn't all the same, which gives coaches a unique challenge with each player. 

Finding ways to motivate his players was something that former head coach Mike Tomlin was incredibly good at, and that is a trait that isn't always as easy to quantify from outside the building. 

In a recent episode of Not Just Football with Cam Heyward, Tomlin was a guest and the two discussed the different ways that Tomlin would find unique ways to motivate the star players on the team. Heyward mentioned that the method Tomlin would use to motivate TJ Watt was also a method that would work on Heyward himself.

"I've watched you do this over the years. I've watched you do this with TJ," Heyward said on Tomlin motivating star players. "Any time you talked about Myles Garrett, you were going at TJ. Any time you did that. Any time you talked about any defensive linemen in our room, I felt some type of way about it."

Heyward went on telling a couple similar stories of how Tomlin would find ways to continue to do this week in and week out, and how Tomlin would win the mental battle so quick with the comparisons. Tomlin had a short and sweet response. 

"That's the job," said Tomlin.

Motivating players is definitely a key part of being a coach in the NFL, and especially a head coach, as it gets talked about many times when a team seems to plateau that maybe a coach's message has gotten stale. That didn't appear to be the case with Tomlin, at least not according to Heyward. 

The most unique tactic that Tomlin would use, in Heyward's opinion, was how Tomlin would mention previous years and versions of Heyward for comparisons. Heyward has been a great player for the Steelers for 16 seasons now, and Tomlin would reach back to previous years to say how good he was. 

Motivating each player will always be a unique challenge, but a challenge that Tomlin was always up to. Heyward referred to Tomlin as the 'King' throughout this conversation, and there likely wouldn't be many that would refute that. 

Steelers Model For Head Coaches Fit Mike Tomlin Perfectly During The 2007 Coaching Search

It is well known around the league that the Steelers have only had four head coaches since 1969, which was the year they hired Hall of Fame head coach Chuck Noll. That is easily the least in the NFL since that time, and the fourth was only added this season when the team hired Mike McCarthy. 

Tomlin realized after his first interview that he had a real shot at becoming the head coach for the Steelers, as that is when he first realized he fit that mold of a Steelers head coach in the eyes of the Rooney family. The values that he holds, both football and non-football related, age, and career trajectory were all similar to the previous two head coaches, Bill Cowher and Noll. 

According to Tomlin, the interview cycle progressed quickly, at least in terms of intensity, and he started to picture himself as the next head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. A decision the Rooney family likely has zero regrets making, as it led to the team winning their sixth Super Bowl, as well as a long string of winning seasons. In his first season, at least so far, it appears McCarthy has picked up where Tomlin left off. 

Let us know your thoughts on X (@matt_papiernik) about Tomlin's ability to motivate his players! 

#SteelerNation