Mike Tomlin earns rave reviews as legendary NFL coach makes his NBC debut at Hall of Fame game: 'He's must see TV'

Mike Tomlin has officially started life as an NFL analyst after signing with NBC for the upcoming season and viewers were instantly impressed.

The 54-year-old legendary head coach stepped down from his job with the Pittsburgh Steelers back in January after 19 seasons in charge.

Almost every network coveted the Super Bowl champion but NBC won the race and he will be the lead analyst on NBC's flagship Sunday pregame show 'Football Night in America' this season.

But his duties began on Thursday night at this year's Hall of Fame game between the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers in Canton, Ohio. 

Tomlin was alongside host Maria Taylor, former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett and Devin McCourty, as he will be for their primetime 'Sunday Night Football' games in the coming months.

He started with a flourish, too. Tomlin interviewed Panthers quarterback Bryce Young before the game and immediately appeared at ease as he discussed this year's Hall of Fame class.

Tomlin also tipped the Los Angeles Rams to win the Super Bowl in February and, as a former AFC North head coach, hailed their move to sign defensive powerhouse Aaron Donald from the Cleveland Browns.

Viewers quickly went to social media to heap praise on Tomlin, with one describing him as 'made for TV'.

Another commented: 'Mike this is your rest of life job man. You built for this.. going to enjoy SNF with Tomlin.'

A third posted: 'Mike Tomlin is a natural with the microphone in this fashion. He's going to be making big bucks doing this in no time.'

'Mike Tomlin is going to be great at this,' another declared.

One viewer posted: 'Mike Tomlin is tremendous on NBC. Incredible. I can't get enough. He's must see TV.'

'No way Mike Tomlin is this good on TV already but I'm not surprised,' another admitted.

Another viewer added: 'Mike Tomlin is talking on my TV and this makes me very happy. I'm excited to see him grow in this new broadcaster analyst role. You know he will keep it real.'

Fox, who are paying Tom Brady $375million over 10 years to call games, reportedly showed interest in Tomlin as a replacement for Jimmy Johnson but NBC has been busy refreshing its roster this offseason.

The network has been overhauling its pregame shows and parted ways with NFL legend Tony Dungy after 17 seasons on the air last month.

Tomlin, who won the Lombardi Trophy with the Steelers at the end of the 2008 season, walked away after his team suffered a disappointing playoff exit against the Houston Texans in January.

He signed with veteran sports media agent Sandy Montag's agency, who represented John Madden and handles the affairs of a stunning group of on-air talent, including Mike Tirico, Jim Nantz, Scott Van Pelt, James Brown and Dick Vitale. 

Tomlin ensured the Steelers never had a losing season while he was in charge. But the franchise enjoyed a frustrating lack of playoff success, last winning a postseason game in 2016.

The Steelers' 30-6 loss to the Texans in January's wild card round means they have now lost seven straight playoff games, the longest active streak in the league.

He was replaced by Mike McCarthy, another Super Bowl-winning coach, and Aaron Rodgers has returned for what will be his final season.

Tomlin told his players he would be taking a break from coaching and, true to his word, he didn't interview for a single opening in the NFL this offseason.

He finally addressed his Steelers exit in in an interview with Taylor back in April, admitting he grew tired of the 'loneliness' that comes with being a head coach.

'It's probably not an overnight decision, but it's probably not something that I can articulate or share with people,' Tomlin said.

'There is a loneliness with leadership. I just thought it was a good time for me personally, and by that I just mean where I am in life.

'And I thought it was a good time for the organization, to be quite honest with you.'