EXCLUSIVE: "He will be in the Hall of Fame" - Former NFL coach Mike Smith pays Mike Tomlin the ultimate compliment

For the majority of the 2022 regular season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were staring down the barrel of their first losing season under Mike Tomlin. After 10 games, the team was 3-7 and seemingly out of the running for a playoff spot. They even traded wide receiver Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears, indicating they might be looking at a rebuilding year in the Steel City.

However, the winds of the Steelers' 2022 season changed drastically in their final seven games. They went 6-1, which included a four-game win streak, and finished the year with a 9-8 record. They missed the playoffs by a whisker, but all things considered, the Steelers will consider the 2022 season (their first since Ben Roethlisberger's retirement) a successful campaign.

During his weekly appearance on Sportskeeda's "BallFather Podcast," former Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith credited Steelers coach Mike Tomlin for turning the tide for the Steelers' season. Here's what he said:

"We've talked about Coach Tomlin and the things that he has done throughout his entire career. And it just felt it's a winning season, but it just happened to fall where they didn't win the right games or somebody didn't lose the right game, or they would have been in the playoffs. You know, there's teams with the same record that are that are in the playoffs."

Smith then tipped his hat to Tomlin's incredible coaching career, saying:

"It just speaks volumes of Mike's pulse of his team to make you know, to make changes, not only scheme-wise and simplifying things, but he has a good feel for the personnel. And Mike Tomlin has had a Hall of Fame career, there's no doubt in my mind that when he decides to stop coaching, he will be in the Hall of Fame."

Watch the latest episode of the BallFather Podcast below:

Mike Tomlin's unbelievable record as coach

When the Steelers lost 37-30 against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11 and dropped to 3-7, many believed that Mike Tomlin's record of never finishing a season with a losing record would end. But Pittsburgh's incredible 6-1 record over their last seven games ensured Tomlin's record remained intact.

The Steelers' 9-8 record ensured Tomlin extended his streak of non-losing seasons to start a head coaching career in the NFL to 16. He broke the previous record of 14 held by Marty Schottenheimer in 2020.

Tomlin's 16 straight seasons with a non-losing record is also tied for third-most in NFL history behind Bill Belichick (19) and George Halas (21). Tomlin also has a Super Bowl ring and an AP Coach of the Year award in his trophy cabinet. His coaching resume is among the best in NFL history, and he'll undoubtedly be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame once he retires.