PITTSBURGH -- The man working at 1 Patriot Place might be the only current NFL head coach who's bulletproof in any debate about greatness.
But to reduce Mike Tomlin to a cheerleader without an active role in devising the Pittsburgh Steelers' game plans is, at best, misguided.
That's exactly what Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw did Friday evening on the Fox Sports 1 show "Speak for Yourself," which debated Tomlin's coaching worth entering Sunday's matchup with the Baltimore Ravens that will likely decide the AFC North. This wasn't tame commentary. To Bradshaw, Tomlin isn't just less than great. He's not great "at all," two words he emphasized twice in his commentary.
As a former championship Steeler and Hall of Famer, Bradshaw doesn't owe Tomlin any allegiances. His NFL opinions are welcome. He has been working Fox's pregame show for more than two decades.
His oversimplification of coaching, though, is insulting to anyone who has managed to win NFL games, let alone Tomlin's 101 wins in nearly 10 seasons. Only eight coaches in history have reached that 100/10 feat, by the way. Talk about greatness. Don Shula, Joe Gibbs and John Madden are on that list.
"I don't know what he does," Bradshaw said of Tomlin.
With the complexities of today's football, it would be impossible for Tomlin to parlay motivational speaking into four AFC North titles, two Super Bowl appearances and 10 consecutive seasons of eight wins or more. It doesn't work that way.
Tomlin is heavily involved in the defensive game plan, in-game management, draft evaluations and about 1,186 other things that good coaches handle. Players swear by him. His coaches swear by him. And the Rooneys are his biggest cheerleaders.
Social media heat from insatiable Steelers fans surrounds Tomlin after every few losses. It's a curious case for an accomplished coach. In Pittsburgh, it truly is championship or bust. Or perhaps Bill Cowher loyalists can't let go. At least one outlet called for Tomlin's firing earlier this season after the Steelers lost four consecutive games, during which he pushed a few wrong buttons for his team. The constant vitriol from fans might one day raise an earnest discussion about whether a racial component is involved here.
But Tomlin's bold decision-making works more often than not -- 63.9 percent of the time, to be exact. That defense Tomlin helped rebuild after many of Cowher's stars aged poorly? It's giving up 14 points per game in the past five games, all wins.
Tomlin's teams find ways to rally every year. That's a sign of coaching.
Whether Tomlin belongs on a coaches' Mount Rushmore is an honest evaluation. Only the hottest of takes could peg him as anything less than very good.