5 Most Overrated NFL Head Coaches Heading Into 2019 Season

[FrancoLambert]

He’s a good coach...that’s it.

The bottom line for me is that he’s consistently underachieved with the offensive talent on his teams.

Franchise QB, franchise RB, franchise WR, all in their prime...with all of those, the playoff record is very disappointing.

Great motivator, a player’s coach who hasn’t gotten the most out of his roster.

IMO his technical weaknesses (challenges, clock management) have improved but still are below par.

DISCLAIMER: These opinions are solely based on the “eye test” system of football evaluation.
No statistics, databases, charts were used.

[DesertSteel]

It is possible that Tomlin has gone stale and like Dungy and Cowher and others before him he needs to move aside and let a new voice take over.

That is my point entirely. I get it that you don't hold that view, but it does happen within coaching. There have been countless examples of this happening throughout sports. I think it happens a lot when a coach relies on his persona and Tomlin has a big persona. I know the reality is that the Steelers will probably have to go 4-12 next year for Tomlin's job to be in trouble and even then he'd likely be retained.

My view: Tomlin is to Coach rankings as Big Ben is to QB rankings. Neither are top 3, but they're each top 4-8 based on the year.

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And as it relates to enjoying seasons, the Steelers don't have to win the Super Bowl for me to enjoy the season. I'm getting too old for that! I can't think of a season in recent memory that I didn't appreciate and enjoy.

[zulater]

The thing is only one team can win it every year, and when you have an all time franchise in your conference it's tough. Look how Shula with Unitas couldn't win because of Lombardi. For that matter how was it Shula only made one SB with Marino? Those great Raiders teams of the 70's ,hall of famers all over the roster, only won 1 SB in that era because of the Steelers. The Chargers with Fouts and K. Winslow never won anything. George Allen, great coach never won the big one. Took Landry 11 years to finally win one.

I've got problems with some of the things Tomlin does. But at the same token I'm not sure who is out there that would be better?

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

but shouldn't Payton and Carroll be on the chopping block? Certainly Ried. Don't get me started on Harbs...

I am not a big fan of Carroll, but IMO he should have been coach of the year last season for taking a team that lost all the members of that Legion of Boom secondary, top front 7 guys like Bruce Irvin, Michael Bennett and putting together a patchwork O line that was able to win games and get to the playoffs.

[Mojouw]

I am not a big fan of Carroll, but IMO he should have been coach of the year last season for taking a team that lost all the members of that Legion of Boom secondary, top front 7 guys like Bruce Irvin, Michael Bennett and putting together a patchwork O line that was able to win games and get to the playoffs.

I don't disagree.

[hawaiiansteeler]

DISCLAIMER: These opinions are solely based on the “eye test” system of football evaluation.
No statistics, databases, charts were used.

got a link?

[Leopardo]

He’s a good coach...that’s it.

The bottom line for me is that he’s consistently underachieved with the offensive talent on his teams.

Franchise QB, franchise RB, franchise WR, all in their prime...with all of those, the playoff record is very disappointing.

Great motivator, a player’s coach who hasn’t gotten the most out of his roster.

IMO his technical weaknesses (challenges, clock management) have improved but still are below par.

DISCLAIMER: These opinions are solely based on the “eye test” system of football evaluation.
No statistics, databases, charts were used.

And in how many play-off games were Bell and Brown healthy enough that they both could play?

The answer is 4. And in one of those games, the AFCCG at the Patriots in 2016 Bell got injured early in the game. They won the previous 2 games that year. The only game they lost in the play-offs where they both played is the 2017 game against the Jaguars.
I also recall the Broncos game in 2015 without Bell and Brown and with an injured Roethlisberger where the Steelers almost upset the Broncos in Denver if it wasn't for a Toussaint fumble. The Broncos went on to win the SB that year.
We just got unlucky with crucial injuries the last 5 years (if Shazier didn't get his injury in 2017 we probably would have beaten the Patriots in the regular season and certainly the Jaguars in the play-offs) just before or during the postseason or the Steelers' and Tomlin's success in the play-offs during that span would be much higher now. I know that every team suffers injuries, but we got unlucky that it happened to our most crucial players at the wrong times and people often tend to forget that.

[86WARD]

The thing people get upset about is that the Steelers are clearly a better team (on paper-talent wise) then the teams they are losing to. If they were running around with Drew Brees and the Saints roster from year-to-year, it may be a little different. But the past several seasons, they’ve had a very talented high level roster and came up empty every time. Underachieving...that’s the issue with most fans. Sure there’s a plethora of excuses you can apply to every situation, but the “underachieving” is what sparks the fire.

[FrancoLambert]

got a link?

Yes.

www.opticnerve-cerebralcortex.com

[Mojouw]

The thing people get upset about is that the Steelers are clearly a better team (on paper-talent wise) then the teams they are losing to. If they were running around with Drew Brees and the Saints roster from year-to-year, it may be a little different. But the past several seasons, they’ve had a very talented high level roster and came up empty every time. Underachieving...that’s the issue with most fans. Sure there’s a plethora of excuses you can apply to every situation, but the “underachieving” is what sparks the fire.

Would that be the Drew Brees and the Saints roster loaded with offensive talent helmed by a head-coach regarded as an offensive mastermind and then linked to a defense that can not reliably stop anyone?

That was the Saints excuse/explanation for years. A whole bunch of them. Now Steelers are or were or something in the same neighborhood and it is not the same excuse/explanation...?

If the last X number of years of the Steelers is underachieving because of the roster than all those Saints rosters were similar underachieving. What about the Jaguars? Sure they had Bortles, but the rest of that team was loaded. Plus they are gritty and so Coughlin style disciplined. Surely, they met expectations? Or the Vikings. Gave Cousins armored cars full of cash to be the missing piece on a team loaded for bear - and kinda fell flat on their face. Surely, that was not meet expectations.

It is hard AF to win games in the NFL. One thing goes different than you thought and it is all out the window. The lynchpin of your defense. Or your kicker. Or the total mental disintegration of your RCB.

For me, the problem I have with the Tomlin/Colbert regime is that there seems to be no real innovation(s). The rest of the league is adapting and trying new things. The Steelers are building their roster, structuring their contracts, prioritizing their draft, and pursuing game day strategies the same old way. Sure they shifted the defensive approach the way Craic described it earlier, but other than that...not much. Adapt or die. I feel like the league is changing rapidly and the Steelers seem to be running the same course.

[86WARD]

Would that be the Drew Brees and the Saints roster loaded with offensive talent helmed by a head-coach regarded as an offensive mastermind and then linked to a defense that can not reliably stop anyone?

That was the Saints excuse/explanation for years. A whole bunch of them. Now Steelers are or were or something in the same neighborhood and it is not the same excuse/explanation...?

If the last X number of years of the Steelers is underachieving because of the roster than all those Saints rosters were similar underachieving. What about the Jaguars? Sure they had Bortles, but the rest of that team was loaded. Plus they are gritty and so Coughlin style disciplined. Surely, they met expectations? Or the Vikings. Gave Cousins armored cars full of cash to be the missing piece on a team loaded for bear - and kinda fell flat on their face. Surely, that was not meet expectations.

It is hard AF to win games in the NFL. One thing goes different than you thought and it is all out the window. The lynchpin of your defense. Or your kicker. Or the total mental disintegration of your RCB.

For me, the problem I have with the Tomlin/Colbert regime is that there seems to be no real innovation(s). The rest of the league is adapting and trying new things. The Steelers are building their roster, structuring their contracts, prioritizing their draft, and pursuing game day strategies the same old way. Sure they shifted the defensive approach the way Craic described it earlier, but other than that...not much. Adapt or die. I feel like the league is changing rapidly and the Steelers seem to be running the same course.

Steelers offensive roster has been much better than the Saints roster and has been better over a longer period of time. The Saints talent level has become very close with Kamara and Thomas and the omission of Bell but with Bell and over the last 5 seasons, which roster are you taking? I’m taking the Steelers 5 out of 5 unless I’m overlooking someone from the Saints...which is possible.

Anyway, the “underachieving” has lasted a good stretch of time and I think that’s what gets fans upset. I’m not swearing that this is where the anger comes from it’s just a theory.

[DesertSteel]

Steelers offensive roster has been much better than the Saints roster and has been better over a longer period of time. The Saints talent level has become very close with Kamara and Thomas and the omission of Bell but with Bell and over the last 5 seasons, which roster are you taking? I’m taking the Steelers 5 out of 5 unless I’m overlooking someone from the Saints...which is possible.

Anyway, the “underachieving” has lasted a good stretch of time and I think that’s what gets fans upset. I’m not swearing that this is where the anger comes from it’s just a theory.

I agree other than Brees.

[Mojouw]

Steelers offensive roster has been much better than the Saints roster and has been better over a longer period of time. The Saints talent level has become very close with Kamara and Thomas and the omission of Bell but with Bell and over the last 5 seasons, which roster are you taking? I’m taking the Steelers 5 out of 5 unless I’m overlooking someone from the Saints...which is possible.

Anyway, the “underachieving” has lasted a good stretch of time and I think that’s what gets fans upset. I’m not swearing that this is where the anger comes from it’s just a theory.

Jimmy Graham
Michael Thomas
Marques Colston
A great # of pretty darn good RBs.

I would argue the offensive rosters have not been that far apart over a 8-10 year period -- the one that seems to be under consideration for evaluating Tomlin. I can see what people are saying that the offensive "names" or some subjective valuation of individual talents may give the Steelers an edge, but the raw production and on-field achievements have been essentially equal or favoring the Saints.

[Born2Steel]

Does anyone consider that Tomlin took a 6th round WR and a 2nd round RB and helped them become the best tandem in the NFL? Now that we know just how self absorbed they actually are makes it even more impressive.

[Shoes]

Does anyone consider that Tomlin took a 6th round WR and a 2nd round RB and helped them become the best tandem in the NFL? Now that we know just how self absorbed they actually are makes it even more impressive.

How did he help them do that? Seems to me Tomlin is a delegator which means some other coach did all the work.

[munchy]

People here are forgetting how hard it is to rebuild a roster and win. He managed to do that yet somehow gets punished for doing it because people now claimed he had such great talent during this entire stretch. After they broke up the Super Bowl contending roster in 2011, the roster was dogshit. You had a couple guys like Polamalu there were still around but we're just shells of their former playing selves. The rest of the roster was complete and utter garbage with the exception of a couple players.

I'm not saying he's the greatest coach in history. What I'm saying is that there are so many people here that don't really know how to characterize the talent level on the rosters that Mike Tomlin has had since 2010 when they went to their last Super Bowl.

i would like to see where more than 1 poster said(before the season started) that our roster sucked and had no talent. i would like to see where the real knowledgeable fans evaluated out roster and then predicted a 3-13 season any of those years.
its easy to make excuses for tomlin years later and say he didnt have any talent
ive been on numerous message boards and have never seen anyone make such claims
i dont recall vegas giving us an over/under of 4 wins any of those years
i cant recall nay talking heads predicting us to finish last in our division
and obviously if our talent level was as bad as you claim it was, any or all of the above would have been happened.
what i did see was us being mentioned as super bowl contenders most years..............by everybody

[munchy]

Does anyone consider that Tomlin took a 6th round WR and a 2nd round RB and helped them become the best tandem in the NFL? Now that we know just how self absorbed they actually are makes it even more impressive.

how did he do with a first round cb in artie burns?
what did he do to develop him into what he is?

[Mojouw]

i would like to see where more than 1 poster said(before the season started) that our roster sucked and had no talent. i would like to see where the real knowledgeable fans evaluated out roster and then predicted a 3-13 season any of those years.
its easy to make excuses for tomlin years later and say he didnt have any talent
ive been on numerous message boards and have never seen anyone make such claims
i dont recall vegas giving us an over/under of 4 wins any of those years
i cant recall nay talking heads predicting us to finish last in our division
and obviously if our talent level was as bad as you claim it was, any or all of the above would have been happened.
what i did see was us being mentioned as super bowl contenders most years..............by everybody

I saw at least a few places predicting 8-10 wins the last few seasons. Which is kinda right where the team has been at.

For me, when I look at the roster and whatnot, I see a 8-10 win team that can move to that 10-12 mark with a few good breaks. A team that can make a serious SB run (12-14 wins) with a decent amount of luck and players taking the step to the next level.

Honestly, Boswell kicks like Boswell and the defense generates 4-5 more turnovers and we aren't having these conversations. But neither of those things happened, so we are?

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how did he do with a first round cb in artie burns?
what did he do to develop him into what he is?

So there is a ton of blame for that. On a continuum of player scouting and player development. But the other side of that coin is the team squeezed a competent year or two out of Coty Sensabaugh, a scrap-heap dude.

[munchy]

I saw at least a few places predicting 8-10 wins the last few seasons. Which is kinda right where the team has been at.

For me, when I look at the roster and whatnot, I see a 8-10 win team that can move to that 10-12 mark with a few good breaks. A team that can make a serious SB run (12-14 wins) with a decent amount of luck and players taking the step to the next level.

Honestly, Boswell kicks like Boswell and the defense generates 4-5 more turnovers and we aren't having these conversations. But neither of those things happened, so we are?

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So there is a ton of blame for that. On a continuum of player scouting and player development. But the other side of that coin is the team squeezed a competent year or two out of Coty Sensabaugh, a scrap-heap dude.

the artie burns thing was just too easy....lol

as far as the 8-10 wins, i sorta agree(10 wins tho)
i juts dont buy that we were so void of talent, as the one posters said. that is just his/her excuse to defend tomlin. as far as i ma concerned, there are no teams in the nfl that are so void of talent that would warrant a couple win season

[DesertSteel]

Does anyone consider that Tomlin took a 6th round WR and a 2nd round RB and helped them become the best tandem in the NFL? Now that we know just how self absorbed they actually are makes it even more impressive.

I'm not really sure what Tomlin does TBH. I don't even mean that negatively, I just don't know. Even his level of involvement with the defense the past couple years remains a mystery. The only thing I know for sure that Tomlin does is make challenges, and we know his record there. And with that comment I'm definitely being negative, but to the larger question, I'd just like to know what Tomlin is and isn't responsible for.

[Born2Steel]

How did he help them do that? Seems to me Tomlin is a delegator which means some other coach did all the work.

Ok then. What do you think Tomlin does at Steelers practice or in the film room or in position group meetings? Is he doing anything at all in your reckoning? Just hanging back with the fans and media chilling until the presser? Maybe he’s got the grill fired up and the cooler full of ice and cold IC Lite. Could be he just lays back in the grass making animal shapes out of the clouds. He’s a coach. He’s fucking coaching.

[Shoes]

Ok then. What do you think Tomlin does at Steelers practice or in the film room or in position group meetings? Is he doing anything at all in your reckoning? Just hanging back with the fans and media chilling until the presser? Maybe he’s got the grill fired up and the cooler full of ice and cold IC Lite. Could be he just lays back in the grass making animal shapes out of the clouds. He’s a coach. He’s fucking coaching.

.

I don't know what Tomlin does. He was suppose to be a DB guru how's that been since he became a coach? I think he talks a lot and is full of shit. A politician if you will.

[Mojouw]

Ok then. What do you think Tomlin does at Steelers practice or in the film room or in position group meetings? Is he doing anything at all in your reckoning? Just hanging back with the fans and media chilling until the presser? Maybe he’s got the grill fired up and the cooler full of ice and cold IC Lite. Could be he just lays back in the grass making animal shapes out of the clouds. He’s a coach. He’s fucking coaching.

Nah. He's just chilling. Staring at clouds and making up cool press conference lines. Obviously.

[Shoes]

Nah. He's just chilling. Staring at clouds and making up cool press conference lines. Obviously.

That is what he is best at. Even you noticed.

[pczach]

i would like to see where more than 1 poster said(before the season started) that our roster sucked and had no talent. i would like to see where the real knowledgeable fans evaluated out roster and then predicted a 3-13 season any of those years.
its easy to make excuses for tomlin years later and say he didnt have any talent
ive been on numerous message boards and have never seen anyone make such claims
i dont recall vegas giving us an over/under of 4 wins any of those years
i cant recall nay talking heads predicting us to finish last in our division
and obviously if our talent level was as bad as you claim it was, any or all of the above would have been happened.
what i did see was us being mentioned as super bowl contenders most years..............by everybody

I wasn't talking about last year. I was talking about the seasons after 2011.....as I stated in the post you responded to. It has been the last couple seasons that have disappointed with the talent level. Before that, it was a patchwork roster as it took time to replace all those veterans from 2011 and draft talent to build it into the roster you see today.

Look at the rosters listed below. Please notice the ages of the roster in 2012, and then how it was systematically replaced over the following years. Then please point out the great players on the rosters, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

Nearly the entire roster needed to be replaced. They were able to do that and they didn't have a losing season with those rosters and those defenses.

Take Ben off of those teams from 2012-2016 and there were a couple 3-5 win teams. Saying otherwise is delusional.

Not until 2017 did they have a roster that you would say is very strong and should contend for a Super Bowl. You could see how much talent they acquired through the draft.



Steelers 2012 roster: https://www.pro-football-reference.c...012_roster.htm

Steelers 2013 roster: https://www.pro-football-reference.c...013_roster.htm

Steelers 2014 roster: https://www.pro-football-reference.c...014_roster.htm

Steelers 2015 roster: https://www.pro-football-reference.c...015_roster.htm

Steelers 2016 roster: https://www.pro-football-reference.c...016_roster.htm

Steelers 2017 roster: https://www.pro-football-reference.c...017_roster.htm

[Craic]

Sometimes it's not just wins and losses. You also have to evaluate WHY a team is losing. Is there inferior talent? If so, there's only so much a coach can do. I don't think the cupboards in Pittsburgh have been bare the past 8 years. Even though it's the Rooney way to keep a coach until he retires, I just think a new voice is needed to take the Steelers back to the Promised Land. I was a Tomlin supporter until the past year-and-a-half. My posting record will show that. But unless he proves me wrong this coming year, he should be gone after 2019.

And that's where we disagree. Sure, we had a great offense. However, the best weapons on that often were not on the field together that often. Heck, when you add in Bryant, between 2014-2017 those four were on the field together exactly .5 games. More importantly, however, the cupboards were bare on defense. We had had only two good lineman for most of the decade (players past primes don't count). Our CB cupboards were not only bare, but the entire cabinet was rated x because the dust bunnies were multiplying so fast in the empty space. We draft a great LB who was injured and threw what was looking to be a decent if slow rebuild completely off kilter again.

So, yes, we had a very good offense and great offensive line but it was more than balanced by our horrid defense. It's as if we had every kind of cheese in the world, but no meat, no crackers, not even tortillas or chips to have with it. Instead, all we had was wine. And, whine and cheese gets old real quick.

[pepsyman1]

. So, yes, we had a very good offense and great offensive line but it was more than balanced by our horrid defense. It's as if we had every kind of cheese in the world, but no meat, no crackers, not even tortillas or chips to have with it. Instead, all we had was wine. And, whine and cheese gets old real quick.

I will totally agree with this assessment. Our defensive talent as a whole has been below the line, especially the secondary, but isn't THAT Tomlin's responsibility? I think we've had some good talent drafted for the defensive line; although we've had a couple of busts on pass rushers, we've drafted some great linebacker talent as well but our SECONDARY (which is supposed to be a Tomlin strength) has been an abysmal failure. Our DC sucks and our Special Teams coach sucks but Tomlin seems content to run with them.

[munchy]

I wasn't talking about last year. I was talking about the seasons after 2011.....as I stated in the post you responded to. It has been the last couple seasons that have disappointed with the talent level. Before that, it was a patchwork roster as it took time to replace all those veterans from 2011 and draft talent to build it into the roster you see today.

Look at the rosters listed below. Please notice the ages of the roster in 2012, and then how it was systematically replaced over the following years. Then please point out the great players on the rosters, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

Nearly the entire roster needed to be replaced. They were able to do that and they didn't have a losing season with those rosters and those defenses.

Take Ben off of those teams from 2012-2016 and there were a couple 3-5 win teams. Saying otherwise is delusional.

Not until 2017 did they have a roster that you would say is very strong and should contend for a Super Bowl. You could see how much talent they acquired through the draft.



Steelers 2012 roster: https://www.pro-football-reference.c...012_roster.htm

Steelers 2013 roster: https://www.pro-football-reference.c...013_roster.htm

Steelers 2014 roster: https://www.pro-football-reference.c...014_roster.htm

Steelers 2015 roster: https://www.pro-football-reference.c...015_roster.htm

Steelers 2016 roster: https://www.pro-football-reference.c...016_roster.htm

Steelers 2017 roster: https://www.pro-football-reference.c...017_roster.htm

i was talking about all years since the super bowl loss, including the year after.
i dint recall anyone saying our roster is totally void of talent and predicted us to only win 2-4 games because of it, fans, vegas talking heads, etc
i dont recall ever year after the super bowl loss where tomlin started to build cowhers super bow winning team where they were predicted to only win 5-6 then 6-7 then 7-9 etc..

im not going to waste my time arguing over talent. point being is ikn todays nfl you cant expect to wait 6 years to build a team back up. players usually dont stay that long. there is FA id build team quick if you chose to

[Mojouw]

If it is so easy to build a team up quickly, why do the same teams appear in the SB regularly and the same teams pick at the top of the draft regularly?

This isn't Madden. It is real life and it is hard as hell to do well.

[munchy]

If it is so easy to build a team up quickly, why do the same teams appear in the SB regularly and the same teams pick at the top of the draft regularly?

This isn't Madden. It is real life and it is hard as hell to do well.

im not saying it is easy. you still have to draft well, spend wisely, get lucky and use FA correctly. the teams that sorta know what they are doing will continue to do well. the crappy ones will still be crappy
im saying it doesnt take 6 years if you are doing it right.
other than your franchise qb and few other players, who sticks around for more than 6 years?
they say an average career is what 2-3 years?