Transitioning from coach to fan, Mike Tomlin still has a vested interest in the Pittsburgh Steelers winning games in 2026.
"I'm a Steeler fan. I'm not even going to pretend that I'm not," said Tomlin during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show on Thursday. And maybe talking with as much his heart as his mind, Tomlin also said he believes the Steelers can go the distance in their first season without him at the helm.
Tomlin decided to step down following Pittsburgh's loss to the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card Round.
"I certainly do," said Tomlin when asked if he feels the Steelers can make a Super Bowl run. "That's the only reason Aaron [Rodgers] comes back. He believes it; I believe it. I don't think he comes back if he doesn't believe that. They got the bones of having a good unit in all three phases."
Tomlin, now working as analyst for NBC as part of the station's Football Night in America broadcast, is confident his former team, still made up mostly of players he acquired, can surprise people this coming season.
"Certainly, they are not being talked about compared to how others are being talked about, but that can be a good motivator as well. I think they have high expectations, and I think they should have high expectations."
And if Mike McCarthy can lead the Steelers to the kind of success Tomlin think is possible, he will mirror what his predecessor achieved when he took over for Bill Cowher ahead of the 2007 season. Tomlin won 10 games in his first year and then lifted the Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl champions in just his second season. The Steelers would return to the Super Bowl two years later, losing, ironically, to a Green Packers team coached by McCarthy and led by Aaron Rodgers.
But of course, even without ever enduring a losing season, Tomlin failed to enjoy anywhere near as much postseason success in his final decade. He left Pittsburgh with 193-114-2 overall regular season record, which equates to winning at a .628% clip. However, he closed his Steeles tenure with an 8-12 mark in the playoffs, with his last postseason victory taking place in January of 2017.
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