Training camp may be around the corner, but the practical reality is that we’ve still got some time to kill before we get there. And that gives us time to go back and revisit old discussions that were had during the course of the offseason.
One that I missed while I was on leave in May was an appearance by Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin on the Rich Eisen Show. While he had some interesting things to say about the latest draft picks and his love of coaching, he also shared his perspective on a potential future for himself in broadcasting, one that may be surprising to some.
“I just really don’t have a strong desire to evaluate my peers in that way, to participate in the game in that way”, he told Eisen about potentially becoming a commentator or analyst himself. “I respect it and I appreciate it. I think our fans need it. I think it’s very helpful to us in terms of bridging the gap between what we do and helping our fans appreciate it. It’s just not my area of expertise or desire. I like to get my nails a little bit more dirty”.
Many, many coaches eventually take that step into the booth, including some extremely prominent, Super Bowl-winning celebrities. That even encompasses the Steelers organization. Tomlin’s predecessor, Bill Cowher, is arguably one of the best football commentators on network television, and certainly does his second profession a credit with his work.
We’ve also seen great successful careers by the likes of Jon Gruden, and of course the legendary John Madden. Sean Payton was all set to fully transition into that world before accepting the Denver Broncos’ head coaching job in January, but we can safely surmise that he’ll slide right back in when he retires permanently from coaching.
Certainly one of Tomlin’s great strengths is his oratory ability and his general capacity for sharing information and conveying emotions in an impactful way. In many ways, he would be an ideal candidate among current head coaches to step into the world of broadcasting.
Yet those who really know him publicly very well probably wouldn’t be surprised by his opinion about stepping into the booth himself. Even as a coach, he remains a very boots-on-the-ground guy, including on the college scouting circuit.
If you listen to his interviews, he frequently answers global questions by claiming he “hadn’t thought about it in that way”, or something synonymous. Whether that’s actually true—and often enough it probably isn’t—it speaks to his personality of wanting to focus on what’s in front of him.
Of course, his tune may change by the time he retires, which is something he’s not thinking about right now. Being handed big, fat paychecks won’t hurt, even if he and his immediate family shouldn’t be in need of money any time soon. Broadcasting isn’t easy work, but many coaches and former players do find it to be a satisfactory way of keeping themselves close to the game in some capacity. So don’t give up all hope just yet that he’ll never change his mind.
