Debut of former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin on NBC SNF had highlight moments but was too careful and rehearsed

It took almost the entire NBC Sunday Night Football pregame show, but just before the Hall of Fame Game began, new studio analyst Mike Tomlin was asked which division he believes is the NFL’s toughest.

“Yeah, that’s easy,” the former Pittsburgh-Steelers-coach-turned-analyst said, “I thought you had a tough one: That’s the NFC West, man. It’s ‘The Game of Thrones’ out west.

“Everyone dies.”

SUPER BOWL-WINNING COACH MIKE TOMLIN LANDS NBC ROLE ON ‘FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA’ BROADCAST

Tomlin earlier discussed what he’s expecting out of his first NFL season away from the sideline.

“I’m looking forward to going undefeated,” he joked.

And with that we got a glimpse why there are such high expectations for Tomlin in his rookie season on the pregame show prior to NBC’s Sunday Night Football broadcast.

In those moments, Tomlin was Tomlin. He was candid, pithy, insightful and even funny.

But to say the once dynamic coach and leader was that during the rest of this one-hour broadcast is wrong. He wasn’t. He was, instead, kind of scripted.

Rehearsed.

Tame.

So, he’s got some growing to do.

We have no idea if Tomlin will tell producers to spare him their stay-safe broadcasting advice and give himself time to grow and loosen up. He might decide this season’s work with NBC is a one-and-done experience and return to an NFL sideline next offseason.

But for the 22 shows NBC will broadcast from September through January, the hope is Tomlin does on air what he wanted his players to do on the field:

Go to work with his hair on fire.

Let loose.

Be himself.

(Confession: I’m a Tomlin admirer. Once the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl, and having taken his Steelers to two Super Bowls, 13 postseason berths and eight AFC North titles without a losing season, I’ll vote for Tomlin’s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day.)

But the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame? Let’s agree he’s off to a slow start.

Weighing Tomlin’s hits against his misses shows he needs to understand we don’t need to hear the obvious. Because we know the obvious, like when he was discussing the trade that sent two-time defensive player of the year Myles Garrett from the Cleveland Browns to the Los Angeles Rams.

“I speak for everyone in three cities in the northeastern part of the United States [that have AFC North teams],” Tomlin said. “They’re glad he went west.”

Well, no kidding, coach. So, keep going.

Did Browns GM Andrew Berry make a mistake? Did he get robbed by the Rams? Who won that trade?

Coach Tomlin last year criticized Berry for trading Joe Flacco to the AFC North division rival Cincinnati Bengals and giving that team life. But analyst Tomlin didn’t go anywhere near giving us his feelings about this trade.

At halftime, the analysts discussed the matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots to open the regular season on Sept. 9, a game NBC will broadcast.

Tomlin offered this: “When the games start, winning matters …”

Got it. Thanks.

Look, the NBC pregame show is maybe 90 percent entertainment and 10 percent journalism.

They talked about Bill Belichick not being among the Hall of Fame Class that will be enshrined on Saturday and mentioned all his accomplishments, of which there are many, including a record six Super Bowl victories as the head coach.

But they didn’t mention Spygate, which was a major reason Belichick did not make it on his first ballot.

And since entertainment is the emphasis, Tomlin will shine once/if he loosens up because he has as colorful a way of expressing himself as anyone on the planet. Will he do that and convince us he knows what he’s doing as an analyst like he did when he was a coach?

“Ask me in about six months,” Tomlin told Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth in a rare unscripted moment of candor.

FOLLOW ARMANDO SALGUERO ON X: @ARMANDOSALGUERO