“The standard is the standard,” is one of Mike Tomlin’s go-to sayings. But Damien Woody thinks it should be amended.
The standard is the standard…unless you’re good enough to ignore it.
In a long segment Thursday on ESPN’s First Take, Dan Orlovsky, Shannon Sharpe, and Woody, three former NFL players, discussed the state of the Steelers following George Pickens’ questionable effort and Tomlin’s response to it. Woody took Tomlin to task, believing he’s letting standards drop because of perceived talent.
“When I look at Mike Tomlin, okay, so you’re siding with talent over the standards right here, right? And what message does that send to the rest of the Steelers locker room when guys are busting their behinds trying to win football game?” Woody said. “And there’s clearly a guy who’s not giving you max effort, but ‘oh, we need this guy. We need his talent out on the field.'”
Speaking to reporters in a rare press conference following his usual noon session with the media, Tomlin confirmed Pickens will play this weekend. When asked why he would suit up and not be benched in an attempt to send a message, Tomlin said Pickens gives them the best chance to win.
“He’s got talents,” Tomlin told reporters. “We want to utilize them. He’s very much in growth and development, but it’d be the same if we were winning games or if he said appropriate things with you guys yesterday.”
Mired in a three-game losing streak, the Steelers started the month 7-4 and in contention to win the AFC North. Now 7-7, they are on the outside looking in heading into Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. To make the playoffs, Pittsburgh will have to win out and receive help along the way, making its postseason hopes bleak.
Orlovsky said that Pickens isn’t being benched because Tomlin knows the Steelers aren’t good enough to win without him.
“George Pickens should, because of his effort, be benched. They can’t bench him because they’re not talented enough to overcome what that talent gap or drop off would be,” Orlovsky said.
As Dave Bryan has pointed out, Pittsburgh lacks a replacement it if sat Pickens. And in a must-win game, Tomlin is going to put his best players out on the field even at the cost of still supporting and playing someone clearly not giving his all, almost certainly to the frustration of RB Jaylen Warren and others in that locker room.
Sharpe added on, saying Tomlin has been allowing these things to happen for far too long.
“You either coached this or you condoned this. And so I’m saying Mike Tomlin, you condoned this because when Antonio Brown was missing meetings, when he was showing up late, you played him,” Sharpe said. “Because he could give you production that you couldn’t get. You remember when he went Facebook Live in the locker room immediately after? And what did Mike T say? We not gonna punish ourselves. He was tolerating things in wins he never would in a loss. Now if that was okay in a win, why isn’t it okay in a loss? Because you condone it.”
Though it’s not a complete defense, Brown had the benefit of being a generational talent, one of the best at his position over the last 20 years. He made plays no one else could. While Pickens has had some incredible moments, he’s nowhere near Antonio Brown levels. A struggling passing offense isn’t helping maximize Pickens’ talents but even on his best day, Brown is still the superior player. And on-field effort was never the concern with him.
Tomlin’s other adage is that he won’t treat every player equally but he’ll treat them fairly. Give them what they need. It’s fair to wonder if how he’s treating Pickens is what he needs right now. If it’s best for him and if it’s best for the team. Time will tell.
