Mike Tomlin’s stats as a coach say it all. The rest is just noise

Under him, the Pittsburgh Steelers never had a losing season. What more proof of his greatness is needed?

- LZ GRANDERSON COLUMNIST

PATRICK SMITH Getty Images HEAD COACH Mike Tomlin in December during a face-off between the Steelers and Ravens.

WE ARE IN the thick ofthe NFL playoffs which also means teams that need a new head coach are busy shopping. And this year, there are a lot of shoppers, after more than 25% of teams said “thank you and good bye” to the guy they started the season with.

Most of the coaches were fired. Most of them didn’t make the playoffs this year. Most of them didn’t even finish .500. None of that describes Mike Tomlin.

After leading the Pittsburgh Steelers to its 25th division title— eight because of him —he decided to step down after 19 years on the job. Upon hearing the news, the ‘Athletic reported, players became very emotional, including future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was said to be in tears. The players’ response is consistent with Tomlin’s decades-long reputation in the league as a great mentor and friend.