Mike Tomlin achieves special Steelers distinction with MNF win over Bears

Mike Tomlin is already considered one of the best coaches in the NFL. But he’s in even more elite company after Monday night’s win.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 29-27 win over the Chicago Bears was the 150th victory of Tomlin’s career. He’s the 20th coach in NFL history to reach that mark and he’s second on the Steelers’ all-time wins list.

Tomlin only needs 43 more wins to catch Chuck Noll for the winningest coach in Steelers history. He addressed the milestone in a press conference after the game.

“Man, I’m just appreciative of the standards set by those that have come before me,” Tomlin told reporters. “All of us are here. That standard, man, is inspirational for us. It inspires us, challenges us. I’m just thankful to be part of this thing that is the Pittsburgh Steelers, and I work to do my job to uphold the standard.”

It was quite a standard to uphold. Pittsburgh only had two coaches from 1969 to Tomlin’s hiring in 2007: Chuck Noll (1969-1991) and Bill Cowher (1992-2006). Those two combined to go 342-238-2 and won five Super Bowls.

Tomlin has been a great follow-up, now boasting a 150-81-1 record in Pittsburgh — the best winning percentage in franchise history — and a Super Bowl XXXVIII title in his 15 years at the helm. Although rumors swirled regarding potential college coaching openings, Tomlin looks like he’s in Pittsburgh for the long haul.

He’ll try to add to his win total this week when Pittsburgh takes on the Detroit Lions at Heinz Field.

Mike Tomlin defends NFL’s taunting rule after controversial MNF call

Tomlin’s 150th victory didn’t come without controversy, though.

In the fourth quarter, Bears linebacker Cassius Marsh sacked Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on third down, seemingly forcing the Steelers to punt. But Marsh was flagged for taunting on the play because he did his usual karate-kick celebration. As many bashed the NFL for the call, Tomlin defended the league’s taunting rule after the game.

“We’re just trying to clean our game up,” Tomlin, a member of the NFL’s competition committee, said, via NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala. “We understand that people playing it at a lower level watch us and often mimic us and how we conduct ourselves.”

The referee, Tony Corrente, also defended the call when asked by pool reporter Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago.

“First of all, keep in mind that taunting is a point of emphasis this year,” Corrente said. “And with that said, I saw the player, after he made the big play, run toward the bench area of the Pittsburgh Steelers in such a way that I felt he was taunting them.”