Mark Madden: Mike Tomlin is 'great' just because. And that'll have to do

The avalanche of praise began not long after the clock hit three zeroes in the Steelers’ victory Sunday:

“Mike Tomlin is Coach of the Year, end of story. One of the best coaching jobs ever.” — ex-NFL GM Michael Lombardi, currently a podcaster.

“Mike Tomlin is incredible. He has not had a losing season in 16 straight years. It’s one of the most astonishing feats.” — former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho, now with Fox Sports.

“Never take Tomlin’s greatness for granted.” — ESPN’s Field Yates.

Even before the Steelers won, NFL Network analyst Rich Eisen called Steelers fans who are anti-Tomlin “dumb.”

Tomlin’s PR far outshines his coaching record. He’s consistently mediocre, no better. His streak of no losing records in 16 NFL seasons enables that mediocrity to hide in plain sight. It’s there if you want to look. But few do.

It was on display Sunday at home vs. Cleveland: With their season on the line, Tomlin’s Steelers came out flat and uninspired.

Tomlin failed to challenge a first-quarter play in which running back Najee Harris got the ball across the goal line but was not awarded a touchdown. Harris fumbled possession away two plays later.

The Steelers nonetheless stumbled to a victory, just as they stumbled to a 9-8 record. Only two of those wins came against teams that finished above .500. They beat mostly lousy quarterbacks.

True, the Steelers rallied from 2-6. But is Tomlin totally devoid of responsibility for that 2-6 start? Did he only start coaching after the bye week?

Perhaps the Steelers did well to go 9-8 despite a subpar roster. But Tomlin assembled that roster.

Tomlin hasn’t won a playoff game in six years, has won just three playoff games in 12 years and has won playoff games in two of 12 seasons. This is the longest the Steelers have gone without a playoff win since the late Franco Harris joined the team in 1972.

Tomlin’s “greatness” is based on his first four seasons, when he won a Super Bowl and got to another with (arguably) Bill Cowher’s team and (definitely) Cowher’s leaders.

The Steelers play an utterly outdated style that relies on possessing the ball and playing stout defense. On the season, only three passes thrown by Steelers quarterbacks netted 40-plus yards. Just five rushes by the Steelers running backs gained 20-plus yards. It’s a quick-strike league. Chunk plays are required.

Witness the Steelers’ 35-13 loss at Philadelphia on Oct. 30. The Steelers had the ball for 34 minutes. But the Eagles scored four touchdowns before they even ran a play in the red zone. That’s today’s NFL.

Tomlin isn’t a bad coach. He’s just mediocre.

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Sure, Tomlin would get a job right away if he and the Steelers parted company. Lovie Smith has had three head coaching jobs, and his record is sub-.500.

Tomlin might go somewhere else and prosper. But how would he do with, say, Houston?

Tomlin doesn’t deserve the pedestal he’s on. The “standard” he has often bleated about has been downsized to fit his “accomplishments.” His boosters cherry-pick what’s gone right and ignore what’s gone wrong.

For example, Tomlin is praised for finishing 8-8 in 2019 when Ben Roethlisberger got hurt and the Steelers went 8-6 with Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges starting at quarterback.

It’s not often mentioned that those Steelers were 8-5 and needed one more win to make the playoffs, but Tomlin couldn’t get them over the line. (That season was the second of three straight late-season collapses by the Steelers from 2018-20.)

Tomlin has usurped far too much power, acting not only as the Steelers’ head coach but also their GM and defensive coordinator.

Tomlin won’t hire assistants whose football minds can challenge his. He’s got no coaching tree to speak of. His staff is undermanned and low-paid.

Tomlin definitely gets his players behind him. That’s his biggest strength. But that doesn’t lead to enough.

No matter his flaws, mistakes and mediocrity, Tomlin’s reputation clings to never having a losing season, and a town with six Super Bowl rings buys into it. Looking ahead, the Steelers are now firmly trapped in the vortex of finish middle, draft middle, stay middle.

Except for never having a losing season, none of Tomlin’s numbers over the past 12 years gets discussed. They don’t matter. Just like Kenny Pickett’s stats.

Tomlin is great just because. That’s the standard now.