This isn’t Mike Tomlin’s first rodeo in terms of seeing his name come under fire. Calls for his job started to get louder after the Steelers got run over in a lopsided loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Despite the bullets flying, Tomlin responded by leading the Steelers to an AFC North win over the Ravens the next week, subsequently taking control of the division. Being able to rally the troops has been a hallmark of Tomlin’s leadership over the years. When some coaches could be on the precipice of losing their locker room, Tomlin, in his own words, “smiles in the face of an adversary.” Part of the reason why he’s able to galvanize his team is thanks to the culture he has built, according to defensive coordinator Teryl Austin.
During his Thursday press conference, Austin outlined how Tomlin keeps the locker room in check and under control.
“In terms of team building and culture building, he does that as well as anybody I’ve ever been around,” said Austin. “Obviously, Mike [Tomlin] has been here a long time. But that’s the culture around here, where guys, you know, it’s a team thing. You’re always playing for the team. You do the best you can. I think that’s why guys hold the rope, and they stay on it. They don’t fall into, you know, it’s easy when, if you lose a few games or do something to fall into selfish cliques and do stuff like that, and our guys don’t do that.”
Based on the pushback from players after “fire Tomlin” chants rang out at Acrisure Stadium, it seems that team mentality is true. Current players and coaches aren’t the only ones co-signing on Tomlin’s ability to keep a team together. Recently, former Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley also spoke highly of Tomlin and being able to navigate chaos.
“He thrives in adversity,” Haley said in an interview on the Kaboly and Mack podcast. “The more noise and crisis there is, the more he can rise to it.”
Tomlin himself has said he’s not new to the controversy and that it’s a part of the business. Hopefully, the team can rally behind this newfound adversity and carry that momentum through the back half of the season.
