Mike Tomlin and Deion Sanders are future and current Hall of Fame football talents who are both loved and criticized by many.
While Tomlin didn’t have the playing career of Sanders, his coaching resume is one of the greatest in NFL history, and he will be enshrined in Canton when he decides to retire his headset.
But in his 18th season with the Steelers, and Pittsburgh having a season that many didn’t see coming (except those of us who know better), that will be a while.
This season, after hiring Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator, Omar Khan proving his mastery of drafting and trading and making the controversial decision of switching from Justin Fields, who was 4-2, to Russell Wilson, who’s now 3-0, Tomlin has the team at 7-2 with a huge battle against their archrival Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Suddenly, the media is finally talking about Tomlin as the NFL Coach of the Year.
“I’m old enough to remember, I don’t know, two years ago, when folks in Pittsburgh wanted Mike Tomlin out of there. We heard ‘fire Mike Tomlin!’ left and right,” said ESPN’s Get Up host Mike Greenberg on Monday morning. “Listen, Mike Tomlin is coach of the year in the NFL right now, and that’s it. That’s the end of the conversation.
“No one is doing more with less than Mike Tomlin. No one is coaching a team better than Mike Tomlin is coaching.”
That’s a true and long-deserved statement regarding a coach who has been praised and criticized for his performance, never having a losing season and general playoff futility.
Tomlin is currently 180-102-2 in his tenure with the Steelers and ranks second behind Andy Reid (26 years; 267-144-1) in wins by active coaches.
He has led the Steelers through years of bad quarterback play after the Ben Roethlisberger era, a slew of injuries and the reluctance of former GM Kelvin Colbert to adapt to the change in NFL gameplay.
But in two years under Khan, the team has become a legitimate playoff team and, if things continue moving in the current direction, a Super Bowl contender.
The same is true for Deion Sanders at Colorado, a man who has faced his share of doubt and criticism.
The Prime Effect
When he was hired as the head coach at Jackson State, many cheered. Yet some had their doubts, expressing sentiments that his hiring was partially for press and hype, especially as Sanders had no significant coaching experience.
In his first season, a Covid shortened one that forced the team to play in the spring and fall of 2021, Sanders went 4-3 and 11-2, respectively, culminating in a SWAC title and Celebration Bowl appearance.
The following season, the Tigers went 12-0, won another SWAC title and made it back to the Celebration Bowl.
So in two seasons, Sander transformed a 4-8 team into a 27-5 HBCU powerhouse.
He also helped secure resources for his players during a water crisis, drive revenue for the school, set an FCS attendance record of more than 42,000 fans at their home games in 2021, and made the city of Jackson a center of attraction for the college football media.
But then he left in 2022 for Colorado, and the anger erupted.
He was called a sell-out. A person who pimped the program and fans and used it as a stepping-stone in his career (but don’t all coaches do that?).
But Deion rolled on despite the hate, becoming a ratings magnet for Fox Sports and ESPN.
And despite finishing his first season at 4-8, Colorado was must-see TV each week.
Entering this season, many overlooked the Buffaloes and assumed they would be at the bottom of the Big 12 after making the move from the Pac-12.
Instead, Coach Prime, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Henry have shocked fans and “experts” with a 7-2 record after beating Texas Tech on the road this past weekend, making them winners of three games straight.
More impressively, the team is 5-1 in conference play, trailing only BYU (9-0; 6-0 in the conference) with three games remaining against Utah, Kansas and Oklahoma State.
So they have a legitimate shot at the Big 12 regular season and conference championship crown.
Not bad for a coach who has only one losing season in his five years as a college head coach.
Coaches of the Year
Both Mike Tomlin and Deion Sanders have taken their teams to unpredicted heights this season.
The former has rejuvenated the long-standing Super Bowl hopes of the Steel City and the latter has captivated a fan base long accustomed to losing.
With a few more wins, they can both secure division crowns and postseason births, silencing the doubters who have been itching for their downfall so that they point and say “See! We told you.”
But right now, the only thing true fans can hear are crickets for the doubters have nothing to complain about.
So give these two the first Coach of the Year Awards and let’s get ready to watch what they do next.
