Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin meets with the media every week ahead of gameday — typically on Tuesdays, pending a deviation in the schedule. You never know what version of Tomlin you’re going to get, either. It’s no secret that he’s not the most “open” of guys — what goes on behind the curtain generally stays behind the curtain. He keeps the problems in-house; it’s part of what has seemingly endeared him to players all over the NFL, but especially those within his own organization.

There’s never any shortage of “Tomlinisms” in any given presser — “We do not care;” “He’s got a serial killer’s mentality;” “I can’t give you all the ingredients to the hot dog, you might not like it.” The dude’s never short of a quote you wouldn’t immediately want to print on a t-shirt.

It felt like Tuesday’s presser ahead of Week 14’s home game against the Cleveland Browns offered a little something extra though (you know, in addition to all of those Tomlinisms) — a sincere display of his leadership on the podium, showcasing what it is that makes him so special as a head coach in the National Football League.

In the Q&A portion of his Tuesday presser, Tomlin was asked, “When you’re the head coach in one place as long as you have been, how do you go about ensuring your voice is fresh for players, and how do you avoid burnout in a profession that can promote it?”

“That question’s easy for me. I love what I do. It’s my job and my hobby, so burnout is not a component of the equation for me. I’m excited each and every week about the challenges that this role provides me and us.”

“In regards to the messaging getting stale, I work with extreme urgency because I realize the careers of these players are short. And so, my audience is forever changing. So, I’m less concerned about getting stale and I’m more concerned about matching the urgency that is the short career for most of these players. You know, there are outliers like Cam [Heyward] who’s been in there for 25 years listening to me, you know, but I care less about how he receives the message and more about developing guys like [Keeanu] Benton, who’s a year and a half into receiving these messages, and I just want to continue to hammer home values, culture values and how to play and so forth. Experience has taught me that the ‘stale’ component is overblown.”

On follow-up: “How do you and your coaching staff manage the highs and lows of individual players from week to week, whether it’s T.J. Watt or Dan Moore Jr. or Joey Porter Jr.?”

“I could talk forever about that, or I could give you a two-word answer. The bottom line is — that’s coaching. Coaching is being what they need you to be, whether it’s encouragement or criticisms, not only in your words but in your actions. That’s the job. Beyond the strategic component, the motivational component of individuals and collectives — we need to be what it is they need us to be.”

Brooke Pryor of ESPN followed that response up with a question specifically on WR George Pickens, who has at times appeared to struggle with managing his emotions in-game, coming off a week with two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties — one that counted toward a potential ejection.

Tomlin shut it down.

“I’m not gonna give you any detail about what goes on behind the scenes in terms of his growth and development. You know that’s my style, and I’m gonna be really consistent in it. Being transparent with [the media] doesn’t necessarily help or accelerate the growth process, and that’s my agenda, not necessarily feeding the beast.”

Three responses Tuesday told you everything you ever needed to know about the type of coach Tomlin is. He protects his players. He understands their time in the league is precious and wants to do them justice in that right.

Mike Tomlin is not a perfect head coach. The team’s frequent occurrences of falling short against “easier” opponents always feel like an indictment on preparation and focus — which of course can be traced right back to the coaching staff. Still, there’s a gravitational pull around him that makes Pittsburgh Football feel like the center of the universe, and you can tell the players feel it too. The idea of coaching being what a particular player needs in that moment? Never being too big to meet them where they’re at? That’s leadership. And Mike Tomlin has it.

You can watch Tomlin’s full presser ahead of Week 14 on the team’s Facebook page.