Mike Tomlin has finally retired as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach after a 10-7 season, followed by a loss in the wild-card round against the Houston Texans. Tomlin was the longest tenured NFL head coach, having coached Pittsburgh from 2007 to 2025.
The head coach ends his Steelers era tied with franchise great Chuck Noll for ninth-most regular-season wins in NFL history (193). More importantly, Tomlin never recorded a losing season in 19 years.
10 Best Mike Tomlin Quotes In Steelers Career
Over the course of his career, Mike Tomlin’s tongue, which is affectionately known as “Tomlinism,” has held immense wisdom and it has defined the grit and confident personality of the Steelers unit season after season.
- “The standard is the standard.”
This said quote from Mike Tomlin has become an important part of the Steelers’ culture as it is said in the context of accountability and expectations. The quote is engraved on the walls of the Steelers’ locker room.
2. “It’s not about what you’re capable of, it’s about what you’re willing to do.”
After a minicamp practice on June 14, 2018, Mike Tomlin said the above quote in the Steelers release. Through this quote, the head coach wanted to emphasize recognizing effort over talent.
3. “Excuses are tools of the incompetent.”
In November 2012, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin announced that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was questionable to play against the Baltimore Ravens. At the same time, the Steelers were also without safety Troy Polamalu because of his calf issue. Despite having a banged-up roster, Tomlin suggested that he won’t consider this as reason.
“We’re not looking to make excuses. Excuses are tools of the incompetent. I believe we’ve got a competent football team. The ones that are healthy will prepare, will step into the stadium and the level of expectation will be the same,” Tomlin said.
4. “We don’t live in our fears, we live in our hopes.”
Mike Tomlin said the above line while addressing why he didn’t leave out Ben Roethlisberger against the San Francisco 49ers despite the quarterback suffering from a high-ankle sprain. Tomlin’s decision fired back as the quarterback went 25-44 for 330 yards with three interceptions and no touchdowns. Despite that, Tomlin stayed centered on his thoughts, saying:
“I’m sure you can have a position on both sides of that matter. We don’t live in our fears, we live in our hopes. We made a decision that we were going to give that guy an opportunity to play and we don’t second guess that regardless of outcome. We understand that we open ourselves up for judgment, particularly when we lose. But such is life in the National Football League when you compete in the manner in which we do. We will do it without shame. We won’t apologize for it. It was a losing performance by us. We accept responsibility for it.”
5. “I’ll tolerate you until I can replace you.”
Mike Tomlin has seen the arrival and exit of star players from Le’Veon Bell to Antonio Brown. However, the head coach has kept the above quote in mind while addressing roster changes.
6. “The secret is there’s no secret.”
The above quote came after defensive tackle Aaron Donald announced his retirement from the NFL after 10 stellar seasons. Donald is from Pittsburgh and Mike Tomlin had the opportunity to see him develop right from high school to the biggest stage of the NFL. While addressing if there was anything special about Donald’s success, Tomlin said:
“The secret is there’s no secret. This guy has built that thing brick by brick and I’m justso respectful of what he’s done and how he’s gone about it.”
7. “If you’re a blinker, cut your eyelids off.”
Mike Tomlin said this iconic quote while sharing his final message to the team before taking on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC-wild card matchup. Since the Steelers were mighty underdogs in that game, he made it clear to his team that they dare not lose focus in the game.
“Don’t blink. If you’re a blinker, cut your eyelids off. This is not gonna be for the faint of heart. We understand what type of game we’re in. It’s gonna take a ridiculous effort and 60 minutes of it. And we’re excited about it,” he said.
8. “There’s a fine line between drinking wine and squashing grapes.”
The above quote was said by Mike Tomlin ahead of the game against the Cleveland Browns in Dec. 2020. Through these words, the head coach explained the difference between enjoying success and doing the work to earn it.
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