Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin delivered some interesting comments about Diontae Johnson this week. Asked about facing his former receiver with the Baltimore Ravens, he basically said the Steelers have bigger fish to fry. But why did he say it, and what did he mean by it? It has served as something of a Rorschach test, with people interpreting it in different ways. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk offered his reading of Tomlin’s comments on 93.7 The Fan.
“’We want volunteers, not hostages. But if you don’t volunteer to be here, screw you’. I think that’s just Tomlin being Tomlin”, Florio said of his comments about Diontae Johnson. “That’s my guess. I don’t know that. But, hell, he came out and took a shot at the guy. He’s not worried about the guy. He’s not afraid of the guy. He’s not bashful about stirring the guy up.
“I have a feeling based upon his years with Diontae Johnson, [Mike Tomlin] knows that that’s exactly the comment to make to get under his skin in a bad way, to throw him off, to keep him from coming in and having a big game. Or he’s just not concerned about Diontae Johnson really doing much of anything based upon what they’ve seen on film so far”.
One thing we do now about Tomlin is that he prides himself in being able to motivate people and push the right buttons. But does he also try to push the “wrong” buttons when you find yourself on the wrong side of him? Tomlin coached Diontae Johnson for five years and surely signed off on trading him.
Chances are he has a good idea of what to say to him and what not to say. Johnson was always a bit mercurial and emotional, and sometimes his emotions got the better of him. He is also coming off two ugly games in his debut with the Ravens. Was Tomlin in any way thinking, “Let’s make this three bad games”?
Asked about facing Diontae Johnson during his Tuesday press conference, Tomlin said, “I hadn’t thought a lot about it. He’s not on a lot of their video and so at this stage of the week, I don’t know that I’ve weighed what he might mean to the matchup. They got more significant pieces with larger roles that are occupying my attention at this part of the week”.
The Ravens do, of course, have more significant pieces than Diontae Johnson that Tomlin has to worry about. They have Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman at wide receiver, and Tylan Wallace just scored an 84-yard touchdown. At tight end, they have Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. At running back, they have Derrick Henry and Keaton Mitchell.
The only reason Diontae Johnson has any chance of playing a big role in the Ravens’ game plan this week is if they want him to have a big game against Mike Tomlin and the Steelers. And maybe that’s exactly what John Harbaugh wants to do. But he won’t do that at the risk of losing a pivotal game—or any game, for that matter. They got him for peanuts, and so far, they’re using him like shells on the floor of a steakhouse.
