Why Steelers’ Mike Tomlin is my favorite to win his first NFL Coach of the Year award

Cameron Heyward stared at the four-letter message projected on the screen, wondering what it all meant. As Mike Tomlin — the master of acronyms, and the most powerful force in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ universe — spoke passionately to his players about an upcoming opponent in a darkened meeting room late last month, the light began to go on in Heyward’s head.

He’s talking about ME.

The subject was Dexter Lawrence, the New York Giants’ two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle. The subtext was Heyward, a 14th-year interior lineman and three-time All-Pro, who was about to set a franchise record for a defender by playing in his 202nd regular season game.

The acronym on the screen was “WGFO.”

“I was like, ‘What the hell is he talking about?’” Heyward recalled Monday. “And it was, ‘We Gonna Find Out.’”

Specifically, Tomlin was challenging Heyward to prove he could still play at as high a level as Lawrence, who was nine years his junior. And the 18th-year coach was doing it in his own inimitable way, mixing humor with cold, hard truths about the sport he loves.

“He finds ways to motivate every guy on this team,” Heyward says of Tomlin. “It’s about having a relationship with every man that walks into that locker room. Every day in practice he’s interacting with guys, and after practice he’s walking around the locker room doing it, too. He has relationships with everyone, and there’s less room for chaos because of that.”

Though Tomlin, the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach, is one of the most successful men in his profession, he also tends to be one of the least appreciated. Since taking over as Pittsburgh’s head coach in 2007, he has never had a losing season. Think about that — in a league designed to accentuate parity, the man hasn’t had a single bad year, with nearly two decades of sample size.

That’s crazier than a beloved establishment showcasing sandwiches with French fries and coleslaw.

Yet some Steelers fans, frustrated by Tomlin’s recent lack of playoff triumphs, continually complain about his perceived shortcomings.

Such gripes are typically met with eye-rolls in NFL circles, yet there’s a case to be made that Tomlin chronically gets less praise than he deserves. The 52-year-old has won a Super Bowl, two AFC championships and 188 combined regular season and postseason games, yet he has never been honored as the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year.

That could change come February. Though there have been some stellar coaching jobs this season — by Matt LaFleur, Kevin O’Connell, Dan Campbell, Raheem Morris, Dan Quinn and others — Tomlin’s masterful touch in guiding the Steelers to a 7-2 record has been unparalleled.

To put it in terms he’d appreciate: Midway through the 2024 campaign, he’s my COTYSF (Coach of the Year So Far).

Tomlin has managed a potential quarterback controversy, overseen the installation of a new offense and helped reenergize a defense with five new starters (if you include nickel back Beanie Bishop Jr., an undrafted rookie). The Steelers may boast the NFL’s most effective special teams units, and their only two defeats (consecutive losses to the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys) were by three-point margins.

They’ve prevailed in four other one-score games, including last Sunday’s stirring, 28-27 road victory over the 7-3 Washington Commanders.

Suddenly Pittsburgh, which has been one-and-done in its last four postseason appearances, appears formidable enough to compete with the AFC’s best teams.

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The Steelers will learn more about themselves Sunday when they host the 7-3 Baltimore Ravens, who trail them by half a game in the AFC North. Still, for the first time since Ben Roethlisberger retired in January 2022, they appear capable of winning big games without relying on their defense and special teams to carry them.

The biggest reason for the Steelers’ success? Well, there are two big ones. Tomlin’s got cojones. Unlike so many of his coaching contemporaries, he’s not afraid to go with his instincts, shoot his shot and live with the consequences if he misses.

He’s a risk-taker, and his players vibe on that.

Sunday’s victory over the Commanders was like a sizzle reel for Tomlin’s COTYSF candidacy. The Steelers led 7-0 when, with 5:16 left in the first quarter, they tried a fake punt on fourth-and-15 from their own 16. The play caught the Commanders by surprise but failed when one defensive back (upback Miles Killebrew) was unable to complete a pass to another (James Pierre, who couldn’t handle the throw).

Three plays later, Austin Ekeler’s 1-yard touchdown run tied the game. Tomlin didn’t trip, saying afterward, “That is me. I own that, but I’d do it again.”

The Steelers fought back from a 24-14 deficit and won on a late touchdown when Russell Wilson, on third-and-9 from the Washington 32, completed a high-arc deep ball to Mike Williams, who’d been acquired in a trade five days earlier and had never practiced the route.

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On paper, it was somewhat preposterous. In real life, it was glorious. And it would never have happened without Tomlin’s conviction.

Beginning last spring, Tomlin’s faith in Wilson has been perplexing to many people inside and outside of the organization, in light of the way the former Seattle Seahawks star had seemingly regressed in recent years.

Wilson, 35, struggled mightily after being traded to the Denver Broncos after the 2021 season. He seemed to have lost a step — at least a step — and to possess far less field awareness than in previous seasons.

Last December, Broncos coach Sean Payton benched Wilson — with his team still technically in playoff contention — to avoid the financial ramifications of a possible injury. Given Payton’s reputation as an offensive guru, it was perceived by many of his peers as an irrevocable indictment of Wilson’s abilities.

Tomlin saw it differently. When Wilson, released by the Broncos, became a free agent in March, the Steelers quickly signed him as the successor to Kenny Pickett, a failed 2022 first-round draft pick.

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Days later, they swung a trade with the Chicago Bears to acquire Justin Fields, the 11th pick in the 2021 draft. From that moment, skepticism swirled. Many NFL coaches and talent evaluators speculated that Wilson wouldn’t win the starting job, even as Tomlin insisted he’d go into training camp No. 1 on the depth chart.

When a calf injury essentially derailed Wilson’s preseason — and lingered into October — Fields seized his opening. His speed and mobility helped new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith conceive an attack that created favorable matchups for Pittsburgh’s running game. By the time Wilson was fully healthy, the Steelers were 4-2 and coming off a 32-13 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Virtually no one thought Tomlin should make a change. Roethlisberger, on his “Footbahlin” podcast, said after that victory, “All in all, I would absolutely not even think about taking (Fields) out of the game right now.” That was the prevailing sentiment inside the Steelers’ organization, too.

Tomlin decided otherwise, intent in his belief that Wilson — who won one Super Bowl and came within a yard of winning a second — still possessed the elite qualities that could potentially help the Steelers elevate in the postseason. “I’m not trying to win games,” Tomlin told Fox’s Jay Glazer. “I’m trying to win a world title here. I gotta see what I’ve got in both.”

Because of that, Tomlin told Glazer, he “went Lone Ranger” and made the move.

One big difference: The Lone Ranger wore a mask. Tomlin laid bare his intentions and mindset to all parties concerned.

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Inside the locker room, there was no grumbling or second-guessing. Tomlin, who has habitually gotten the most out of strong (and sometimes prickly) personalities — former stars Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and current receiver George Pickens are some obvious examples — sold the move in a manner that some of his mealy-mouthed peers would be wise to emulate.

“All three guys — Justin, Russ and Mike — handled it with complete class,” Heyward said. “(Tomlin) said, ‘We’re gonna see what happens, but we will not be forgetting what Justin did, nor will we think Justin’s just gonna be someone who gets lost in the shuffle. It’s a long season and we will see what happens.’”

Here’s what has happened so far: The Steelers are 3-0 with Wilson at quarterback. He has thrown six touchdown passes and one interception, and Pittsburgh has averaged 30.7 points per game in those starts. The Lone Ranger is riding high.

Then again, the schedule gets tougher now, with two games against the Ravens and clashes with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs among the tests awaiting Tomlin’s team.

Can the Steelers meet the challenge — and win a playoff game (or more than one) for the first time in eight seasons?

As Tomlin would say, WGFO.

(Top photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)