By Christopher DiMarino
I live in an area deep with sports history. There has been a lot of success here and it is home to many dedicated fans. Unfortunately I\’m not one of them. That is of course because I live right outside of Detroit. Don\’t get me wrong, I don\’t hate the Lions. In fact, teams that have had long sustained hardships are often the target of my remorse (Cleveland notwithstanding). But while I\’ve admitted to cheering for them against many a competitor, I can\’t be called a fan of them. The main reason? They don\’t have the recipe for prolonged success in the NFL.
This piece isn\’t just about the Detroit Lions, it\’s about the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Lions are a great example of why I love the Steelers. Player discipline. We\’ve all laughed at the Cincinnati Bengals and their player issues, yet what do they do differently? The answer is in their tolerance of player mishaps. I\’ll be the first to admit that not all players need to be role models, but that doesn\’t excuse them from the professional nature that comes along with being employed. In fact, their heightened wage and responsibility to fans should only enforce the importance of their ethics at work. Many teams don’t have problems because few issues come up. More importantly, certain teams like the Steelers deal with it well, while others definitely don’t.
What I\’ve found in the past few years is you have one freebee. Once a player makes a mistake, it is rash to jump to conclusions. You could get rid of them, but that could scare other players because zero tolerance policies create an image of rigidity. Many organizations go above and beyond to appear flexible and caring to their players. But, once the second or even third discretion happens, action is needed. Pittsburgh made a bold move when they sent Santonio Holmes packing just one year after being a Super Bowl hero because of his problems with the law. Some may think that keeping Ben Roethlisberger is a double standard, but he never was charged with a crime and he has taken the steps to make amends nonetheless.
Detroit is not Pittsburgh and their tough times have bred opportunities to succeed. Several bad seasons lead to multiple early draft picks which turned into many high profile players. But it\’s difficult when players, especially high round draft picks, make mistakes that deserve dismissal. Parting with them is tough because they represent considerable value to the team. However, if you fail to send a message, you encourage more issues. If you haven’t heard about the Detroit Lions issues let me recap:
– Nick Fairley DT(2011 1.13 pick): arrested for marijuana possession, then arrested for DUI and eluding police a few months later.
– Mikel LeShoure RB(2011 2.57 pick): fined for “using” marijuana in February, then arrested in March for eating marijuana as cops arrived.
– Titus Young WR(2011 2.44 pick): kept out of OTAs for sucker punching a teammate (Delmas).
– Johnny Culbreath (2011 7th round): arrested for marijuana possession.
Of course let’s not forget the dirty stomp by Ndamukong Suh against the Green Bay Packers as well. This young roster that had so much upside seems to be spiraling out of control. How do they stop this spiral? One NFL executive recommended cutting someone as an example to the others. Also, these are guys who were drafted and had red flags against them. So not every gamble pays off cleanly. That is why I believe player discipline is key. It\’s hard to believe these grown men don\’t inherently have discipline to tune their bodies to compete at such a high level. And the one constant that they\’ve had leading them to this high level is coaching.
When riots happen in jails (dated reference albeit) the warden is typically to blame. Jim Schwartz dropped a few notches in my book after the way he handled the Thanksgiving Day loss. For those who don\’t remember, he pouted after Harbaugh (I don\’t care to mention which one because I hate them equally) slapped him on the back during the coaches’ handshake. That is why I like Mike Tomlin. Sure the guy inherited a great defense and a franchise quarterback, but coaching is more of a figurehead job than many give it credit for. He has that quiet intelligence that makes you choose your words carefully and that binary thought process that leaves excuses at the door. It\’s not so hard to blame a reporter for misquoting Tomlin into apparently promoting bounties because he is driven. Tomlin has his eyes on the prize, and that is something he can share with his players. He, however, also has the integrity and ethics to approach those goals like a working man and not cut corners. That is exactly the type of behavior for his players to mirror and avoid problems with the law.
Many see the coach as an image of the overall team. Tomlin is a young, intense guy so it only adds to the Pittsburgh tough defensive mentality (a la Bill Cowher). A historically incorrect portrayal was when the Giants media was calling for Tom Coughlin\’s head. Coach/player relations are always a hotbed issue. The key to learn from this is that you don\’t have to be a player\’s best friend, but you do have to earn their respect. Did you respect your parents when they disciplined you? While at the time it might not have seemed like it, I bet you do now. That is what mentality coaches must have. The more the players are focused on the game and disciplined, the better they will perform and the less chances they will end up in trouble with the law.
