Pittsburgh Steelers legendary outside linebacker James Harrison does not believe former head coach Mike Tomlin is a Hall of Famer, even after 19 years at the helm of the franchise.
Harrison has long ripped Tomlin, and the two had a falling out around 2017. The former Steelers pass rusher says Tomlin lied to him, and that is what led to their rocky relationship over the past decade.
Outside of that, however, Harrison does not see Tomlin’s accolades as Hall of Fame worthy.
“I can’t give him a Hall of Fame coach because he hasn’t made disciples,” Harrison said on Deebo and Joe. “You’re telling me you’re a Hall of Fame coach, but no one has followed you? That can’t be the thing. He’s the only coach that has coached this long and does not have a tree. Guys are emotionally attached to him, not performance.”
Tomlin won a Super Bowl with the Steelers, went to two of them, won over 200 career games in the NFL, has the highest win percentage in franchise history, and is tied for most wins in the franchise’s history.
That alone will give him enough ammo to make it to Canton and earn a gold jacket as a coach. But Harrison still thinks he should come up short.
“A great coach, the measurement of greatness, it’s not based on personal experiences and relationships you’ve had with them. It is purely what you did as a coach. Did you get championships? Did you build disciples? Wins and losses is great, but those wins and losses have to add up to championships. A Hall of Fame coach should be making history for having the longest losing streak in playoff history,” Harrison said.
The argument for Tomlin, despite the shortcomings that Harrison outlines, is that other coaches with lesser accomplishments have earned their way into the Hall of Fame. With that in mind, it seems hard to not envision Tomlin earning that induction some day.