One of the great Mike Tomlin cliches—of many—is the Tomlinism, “We don’t live in our fears”. It’s the idea that you don’t decide against doing something simply because you’re afraid of what might happen if it doesn’t work out. It’s a statement about risk-taking, but doesn’t advocate for foolishness.
Because he says it often enough, however, it often gets pointed out—as I am now—whenever something comes up that indicates his decision-making skews in a conservative way. For the 2022 season, his choices on fourth down had the Steelers as among the most conservative teams in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.