The Pittsburgh Steelers extended the contract of head coach Mike Tomlin contract through the 2020 season. Under Tomlin’s tenure the Steelers are 103-57 in the regular season and 8-6 in the playoffs. They have appeared in two Super Bowls and won one.
Mike Tomlin Receives Contract Extension
Perhaps most impressive is the Steelers record under Tomlin in December. In his ten seasons his teams are 27-12 in games played after December first. The Steelers have won five AFC North titles and made seven playoff appearances under Tomlin. Equally as impressive is the fact that the Steelers have never had a losing record with Tomlin at the helm.
Last season the Steelers made a deep play-off run with a dynamic offense and a quickly improving defense. Before they were embarrassed by the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game. With this season quickly approaching many analysts and pundits feel the Steelers are one of the few teams that pose a threat to the Patriots in the AFC.
History
Tomlin started his NFL coaching career in Tampa Bay under ex-Steeler Tony Dungy’s Buccaneers in 2001. He coached the Buccaneers secondary from 2001 to 2005 for Dungy and Jon Gruden. In 2003 the Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII and Tomlin’s secondary recorded a Super Bowl-record five interceptions. In 2006, he accepted the defensive coordinator position for the Minnesota Vikings under Head Coach Brad Childress.
He is only the tenth African-American head coach ever to coach in the NFL. In 2009, at the age of 36, Tomlin became the youngest head coach to ever win a Super Bowl after defeating the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII at the age of 36.
While Tomlin has taken some criticism from pundits and fans alike for everything from poor drafting, to underachieving teams, to a perception that he doesn’t make necessary half-time adjustments to win close games, it’s hard to argue with his on-field results. He’s one of the most successful coaches of the last decade and enters the season with one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. This extension shows ownership’s trust in Tomlin’s coaching abilities. More importantly, it shows their belief that he can deliver a seventh Lombardi Trophy to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Embed from Getty Images
