(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
With last night's 29-27 win over the Bears, Mike Tomlin surpassed Bill Cowher in career regular-season wins with 150. Tomlin is now in 20th place overall in NFL history for wins by a head coach and is the 20th coach in league history to reach the 150-win mark.
"I'm just appreciative of the standards that's been set by those that have come before me," Tomlin after last night's win. "All of us are here. That standard is inspirational for us. It inspires us, it challenges us. I'm just thankful to be a part of this thing that is the Pittsburgh Steelers. I work to do my job to uphold the standard."
Tomlin's 150 career regular-season wins rank second in Steelers' history, behind just Chuck Noll, who has 209 career wins. Cowher congratulated Tomlin this morning for surpassing him and said that his successor is not far from reaching Noll. Tomlin is only 49 years old.
"Kudos, (Mike Tomlin), well done!" Cowher tweeted. "So proud of you my friend. Don't stop now, Chuck can hear you coming!"
Noll and Cowher are both members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Tomlin should have a Gold Jacket someday as well. Along with already having a Super Bowl title, Tomlin has never had a losing season and he reached the 150-win plateau in the fourth-fewest games (232 games) in NFL history. Tomlin should be a lock for Canton.
Former Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden thinks Tomlin is a certified Hall of Famer also.
"He's there right now. If he decided to end his coaching career this season, he's a Hall of Famer," McFadden told Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports. "From 2007 to the present, he's never had a losing season, that speaks volume on his consistency. Winning AFC championship ball games. Getting to the Super Bowl, winning a Super Bowl.
"When you've won a conference championship game, you've been in the playoffs a lot, and your team has always been relevant in competitive conversations, that speaks volumes. To me personally, if he was to end his coaching career this season, yeah, he's already a Hall of Famer. Certified."