Just like with most teams, the New England Patriots held bragging rights over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Mike Tomlin era. He went 3-10 against the Patriots before taking a Sabbatical, including 3-9 in the regular season and against Bill Belichick.
Tomlin is a perfect 3-0 against head coach Mike Vrabel, but he hasn't been much of a problem in Foxborough. Of course, times have changed, and things might be quite different if he makes a triumphant return.
Bleacher Report's Moe Moton listed the New York Jets as a potential fit for Tomlin if he returns to coaching next season. And while he'd definitely have other — and better — options to consider, there's a strong case to be made that he's perfect for the job.
That's not great news in Masschusetts.
Mike Tomlin can be a big threat to the New England Patriots
Tomlin is definitely not the right guy to fix an offense, so once again, the Jets' set of promising weapons wouldn't benefit much from his arrival. He does, however, know a thing or two about putting together championship-caliber defenses.
More than that, Coach Tomlin made a living out of winning games he wasn't supposed to win. He knows how to dominate the pace of the game and make better teams play down to his level. There's no one better at winning ugly, scrappy, old-school slugfests.
For whatever reason, the Patriots have always struggled to dominate the Miami Dolphins. As for the Buffalo Bills, they're a legitimate Super Bowl contender and their biggest threat in the division, so adding another potential problem to the mix definitely isn't what the doctor ordered here.
The Jets gave away Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, but they still have a stout defense. Under Tomlin's guidance, they can have a stout, hard-hitting defensive front that could give Drake Maye plenty of trouble.
They would still be the Jets, and chances are that they would still find a way to shoot themselves in the foot. Not even having a plethora of valuable draft picks in a stacked class might be enough to turn that franchise around.
Still, we're talking about a head coach who went well over a decade without having a losing season. It's not pretty or easy, but it's effective. You never want bright minds coaching a team you have to face twice a season, and Coach Tomlin is one of the brightest defensive schemers in modern NFL history.
Stay in the booth, Mike. You're doing great as an analyst.
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