The Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up mandatory minicamp on Thursday, but not before a speech from Mike Tomlin telling his players that the type of men he’s looking for are “capable of hoisting that damn Lombardi.”
“I’m an information motivator. I believe when I’m working with capable men, if I give them enough answers, if I’m transparent enough with them, they’ll do the rest. If you right-minded, if you mature enough, and those are the guys, man, that I desire to do business with. Those are the guys that are gonna comprise a team that’s capable of hoisting that damn Lombardi,” Tomlin said in a clip via Steelers.com.
That Coach Tomlin energy and motivation 💪
Coming soon on the next episode of The Standard. pic.twitter.com/QdRePZYzQv
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) June 14, 2024
It’s interesting to get an inside look into the Steelers’ meeting room and to hear Tomlin’s coaching philosophy directly from him. He’s a coach players want to play for and respect, but in the NFL, you can’t have your hand held at every corner. Tomlin’s core idea is that he’ll give guys the information, and it’s up to them to execute and take the reins.
Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said the other day that the vibe has changed within the Steelers’ locker room with players talking about playoff success as early as OTAs and minicamp, and it seems as if that’s starting with Tomlin talking about winning a Super Bowl. He knows what it takes, as he led the Steelers to a victory in Super Bowl XLIII, but the team hasn’t won much in the postseason lately, with their last playoff win coming in 2016.
That’s obviously not acceptable in Pittsburgh, and it’s important for Tomlin to make it a focus now and put it in the mind of players ahead of their month-plus long break before they report to training camp on July 24. The standard is always to win a Super Bowl, and the Steelers need to take meaningful steps toward that by winning in the postseason this year.
The team underwent a number of changes this offseason, from adding Arthur Smith as its offensive coordinator to Russell Wilson and Justin Fields joining the quarterback room, and the Steelers have the pieces in place to win in the playoffs. Tomlin is emphasizing the importance of the guys in the room being a part of that early in the offseason, and hopefully the mindset sticks, and it can translate to actual success.
