First off he won with Cowher's players. This hardly was his team. It was his second year as head coach, correct.
Now to address your point. He gets his @ss handed to him and players questioned his leadership as they should. He picks his captains and lets the players talk to them. Sounds like he had to do it, and get real, very few players would trust such as a system of communication.
Meanwhile, he divides the locker room, letting veterans play games and excluding the newer players, allows players to participate in a WWF night, embarrassed the team with what look like to be an intentional walk on the sideline, and continues to get outcoached.
So amazing how such a bad coach can garner so much respect around the league
Mike Tomlin builds kinship with Rams coach Sean McVay
by Bryan DeArdo
Apr 3, 9:03 AM
A decade ago, Mike Tomlin was the NFL's youngest coach, leading the Steelers to a 10-6 regular season record during his first season in Pittsburgh. A year later, he became the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl, as Tomlin guided the Steelers to a victory in Super Bowl XLIII at the age of 36.
Now, Rams coach Sean McVay will look to make a similar impact on Los Angeles, as the 31 year old coach will try to revive a franchise that has not had a winning season since 2003. According to Peter King of The Monday Morning Quarterback, McVay spent a good portion of the NFL owners meetings talking with Tomlin, as the veteran coach and the rookie coached developed a rapport during their time in Arizona.
"By the pool on a roasting afternoon, Rams coach Sean McVay (age 31) and San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan (37) were asking counsel of Steelers coach Mike Tomlin (45) and the Saints’ Sean Payton (53)," King wrote. "McVay got introduced to Tomlin a couple of years ago by a Tomlin protégé, Atlanta assistant Raheem Morris, and they’ve spent time at the combine getting to know each other. It’s more McVay picking Tomlin’s brain, but Tomlin gets something out of it too—keeping up with some of the new coaches and some of the new trends in football."
“One of the things I’ve learned to appreciate about Mike Tomlin is you always feel his presence in a room,” McVay said of Tomlin. “He seems like he never has a bad day, and that’s something we want to mimic and emulate. Mike’s been great with how to deal with the team, how to handle adversity, and staying true to your core beliefs. I can’t tell you how much respect I have for him, and I’ll continue to try to bother him for advice.”
Love the Pittsburgh Steelers? Then what are you waiting for? Stay in the loop and sign up for our FREE Steelers newsletter!
While it may be hard to believe, Tomlin -- who is entering his 11th season as Pittsburgh's coach -- is already the third longest tenured coach in the NFL, trailing just Bill Belichick and Marvin Lewis for the most years with their current franchise. One of just six active coaches to have won a Super Bowl, Tomlin is now playing the role of mentor to a younger generation of NFL coaches that are looking to enjoy the success that Tomlin has had during his time in Pittsburgh.
During a recent interview with NFL Network, Tomlin shared the mindset he has each and every season, something he may have shared with McVay as be begins his career as an NFL head coach.
"I feel that because that's my mentality," Tomlin said. "I'm trying to win a world championship every year. I think that's what's made the last 10, 11 years for me so special, because that's my mentality, and I've been fortunate enough to work for an organization that that's our organizational mentality. We're all singularity focused year in and year out. We're not trying to build toward anything, we're not trying to make small, incremental steps toward an ultimate goal. No, we want the confetti raining down on us every year.
"It's been like that for the last 10 years for me, and if I'm here another 10, it won't change."