Ex-Steelers Guard Compares Mike Tomlin to Current Head Coach

Getty Kevin Dotson on January 1, 2023 versus the Baltimore Ravens.

Telling you what you need to hear, not sugarcoating things and not blowing smoke are all attributes that describe Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to the nines.

For former Steeler and current Los Angeles Rams guard Kevin Dotson, “Coach T” and his infectious personality and gladiator-like mentality left a lasting impression on him.

Dotson, who was traded to the Rams in August, contrasted the style of Tomlin, his coach for the first three years of his career, with that of his current head coach, Sean McVay, on the October 10 episode of the “Rams Revealed” podcast.

“For Mike T., he knows you can do better, and you tell yourself, ‘Ah, man, I got to get it right’ because he knows I can do it. And he shows me the plays that I messed up on and I say, ‘I need to lock in,'” Dotson said to podcast host J.B. Long. “McVay would say, ‘I’ve seen you do this B-Block and you killed him on it.’ Then I say to myself, ‘I know I can hit this; he just showed me I can hit this.'”

Kevin Dotson Has Thrived in 2 Games With the Los Angeles Rams

Dotson, a fourth-round pick in 2020, acknowledged that both of the contrasting styles are effective at bringing out the best in his game.

Dotson has shown that both problem-solving and positive reinforcement have worked for his development. Tomlin helped him get his footing in the NFL, and in his sophomore season, he allowed only 5 hurries as a member of the the Steelers offensive line. His total pressures allowed did climb from 10 to 16 between 2021 and 2022, but Tomlin cultivated Dotson’s player makeup.

After two starts with the Rams, in Weeks 4 and 5, Dotson has received a 79.0 grade from Pro Football Focus, good for third in the league among guards, perhaps indicating that McVay’s methods have given Dotson a different feel for taking his game to the next level.

Mike Tomlin Owns the Room & Sean McVay Owns the Sideline

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch gave light to Tomlin’s strong aura in his 2009 rookie season as play-caller for the Steelers, per Bill Williamson of The Denver Post:

“Mike just took control of the room when he was with his players,” Lynch said. “He’s young and he looks young, but he has a real presence about him.”

That presence is what he’s best known for, but he has not compromised it in exchange for being malleable in the changing landscape of the NFL.

Dotson further described Tomlin’s direct approach: “Even if he said negative stuff about you, you didn’t take it as negative, because you know he means what he says.”

McVay’s energy fires up the sidelines. He was criticized early in his career for amped-up reactions to touchdowns and poor officiating, but that criticism blew over as the Rams saw more wins. Tomlin’s presence is more pervasive in the locker room.

Even though Tomlin “loves to live off that negative energy,” Dotson said, he “was not going to sugarcoat it. That’s what I liked about him.”