Former Steelers head coach reportedly shocked his locker room when he decided earlier this month to step down after 19 seasons as the face of the franchise. But he also shared a surprise message with team captain and longtime player Cam Heyward on his way out.
Speaking on his podcast Not Just Football With Cam Heyward, the defensive tackle declined to detail his and Tomlin's farewell conversations at length, but "I will share one thing he did say to me," he told co-host Hayden Walsh, in an episode released Wednesday. "'I'm glad I didn't beat Noll's record.'"
Tomlin is referring to former Steelers coach Chuck Noll's tally of most regular season wins in franchise history. After Pittsburgh beat Baltimore in a thrilling winner-take-all showdown in Week 18, Tomlin tied Noll with 193 wins. Now that he has stepped down, however, he will never exceed that mark.
Worth noting: If you include playoff wins, Noll has 209 to Tomlin's 201, so there's a clear winner there. But Tomlin also boasts the highest winning percentage between himself (.628), Noll (0566) and Bill Cowher (.623) ... though Noll also has four Super Bowl wins to Tomlin and Cowher's one each.
In the podcast, Heyward doesn't get into exactly why it was that tying, rather than beating, the record meant more to Tomlin. But the guess would be that it had to do with respect for his predecessor.
"I was like, 'Who thinks about that?' You know?" a seemingly emotional Heyward said of Tomlin's comment. "That's a respect that he's always had for the history and what Noll did."
The tackle also said he believes Tomlin will excel in whatever he chooses to do next, including the possible broadcast option people have spoken so much about.
"It think TV would be dumb not to give him every bit of the money he wants," Heyward said. "I just know how he prepares. ... Like, man, screw just doing TV and having a segment. That dude could have an entire show just dedicated to him introducing the matchups, how they favor, what you're looking for. It would be insane. But I think he would have so much fun with that."
It will be strange not seeing Tomlin on the sidelines for the black and gold next season. But it's nice to know that his players clearly believe in his future, and that the inimitable coach was every bit himself on the way out.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steelers' Cam Heyward Reveals Surprising Piece of Mike Tomlin's Parting Message.
