Mike Tomlin Had High Praise for Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur After Debut

Consider Mike Tomlin impressed with the Arizona Cardinals' newest head coach.

Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin before an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals' first preseason battle of 2026 is now in the rearview mirror.

Arizona fell to the Carolina Panthers on the final play of the Hall of Fame game last night, though the talk of the town was rookie quarterback Carson Beck and his performance. Beck threaded 15 of 19 passes for 188 yards and one touchdown in just over two quarters of play.

To get a deeper dive of his incredible debut, you can click here.

However, head coach Mike LaFleur — in his debut on the Cardinals' sideline — also got some nods of approval. Perhaps none more notable than from legendary Pittsburgh Steelers coach-turned-NBC analyst Mike Tomlin.

"They have [played well]. They've made it a fun watch, man. You're scoring points and touchdowns in the Hall of Fame game, man. It shows that they've had some good training camp practices," Tomlin said during the broadcast.

"And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the play-calling, particularly Mike LaFleur. He called some double moves, some aggressive calls to get young Carson Beck some rhythm and some energy. I thought it was some helpful play-calling as well."

Those are some special words coming from Tomlin, who will shortly become a Hall of Fame coach after spending 19 seasons as the Steelers' head coach.

LaFleur snagged one of Tomlin's more coveted coaches in Teryl Austin this offseason, who joined Arizona's staff as a senior defensive coach after spending the prior six years with Tomlin in Pittsburgh as a defensive coordinator/senior assistant.

"I didn't know TA [Teryl Austin] personally, I know Coach Tomlin decently, I guess you could say. Obviously, the respect that I have for him is probably the same respect that you guys all have for Coach T," LaFleur said earlier in the offseason.

"Being able to bring him in, he's had so many years of experience in so many different organizations, one that I respect in Pittsburgh."

The Cardinals didn't quite get off to the start they wanted to on the scoreboard, though LaFleur enjoyed his first experience as a head coach — even if he didn't know where to stand.

"It was good, just kind of really retraining your eyes in terms of what you're looking for, where you're going to stand. Offensively, knowing where I'm going to stand is pretty easy. It was kind of like, where am I going to stand when the defense is out? Like, should I stand by the guys? Should I stand by the official?" said LaFleur post-game.

"As long as I'm near a official, not necessarily the referee, I can communicate to them to communicate obviously to the other officials. So, kind of found my niche there I felt like in the second half."