Mike Tomlin has never had a losing NFL season. Trust is key to his success

The Pittsburgh Steelers head coach knows how to get the best out of his players. And that means instilling them with self-belief

Earlier this month, Mike Tomlin was asked what he had learned about his receivers in the absence of the group’s star, George Pickens, through injury. It was not the first time Tomlin’s team had been questioned this season, and it will probably not be the last. As ever though, the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach expressed his faith in his players. “We believe in our group. I have said that repeatedly and maybe you will start believing me,” he replied.

“We have a bunch of guys who want to be the reason we are successful,” the 52-year-old continued. The message pointed to trust as an essential pillar of his coaching style, as Tomlin could just as easily have been speaking in preseason when quizzed about the dangers of a supposed has-been and a never-was – Russell Wilson and Justin Fields respectively – fighting for the right to be the Steelers’ starting quarterback. The uplifting power of Tomlin’s trust remains the same, whether for a backup wideout or for Fields in a crucial fourth and short. If you join the Steelers you become better. It is that simple truth that has helped earn another visit to the postseason while extending Tomlin’s historic run of never having a losing season in almost 20 years as Steelers head coach.