Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin has been the star of the NFL’s in-season Hard Knocks series. Whether he likes it or not, Ben Roethlisberger suggests, is up for debate.
Although Roethlisberger said he hasn’t watched Hard Knocks, he “saw the George Pickens [clip] right after that play” on his Footbahlin podcast. He is referring to a clip showing Tomlin talking to Pickens after an early pick-six in Cincinnati.
On the play, Bengals CB Cam Taylor-Britt pulled Pickens to the ground, but the officials didn’t throw a flag. The Steelers quickly found themselves down a touchdown. But Mike Tomlin was in Pickens’ ear, keeping him focused, letting him know that wouldn’t decide the game.
“I’ve seen Mike [Tomlin] do that for 15 years that I played with him”, Roethlisberger said. “But it’s cool that the rest of the world gets to see that. You get to see who he is and what he is. Of course, does he love the Tomlinisms and does he love the show a little bit? Sure. But you’re getting to see who he is and how much he cares for the game, how much he cares for the players. Because he truly does care for the players”.
In other words, it’s nothing new for Roethlisberger to see that side of Mike Tomlin. But it is a glimpse into the world the players always talk about. It’s hard to find a player Tomlin coached who doesn’t talk about his motivational skills. But we haven’t often had the opportunity to peer behind the curtain and see it as a fly on the wall.
That’s largely because Tomlin and the Steelers had been steadfastly against appearing on Hard Knocks. But the NFL backdoored them this year by creating a new in-season series focusing on divisions. First up, to nobody’s surprise, was the AFC North. Or, the Pittsburgh Steelers, with cameo appearances by the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and Cincinnati Bengals. Which is what they always wanted.
Mike Tomlin is carrying a lot of cache right now, but that has more to do with the Steelers’ 10-3 record with a questionable quarterback situation entering the season than it does his magnetic television presence. Although can we even call it television anymore if most people are watching on various iThings?
Back to Roethlisberger’s point, suffice it to say that George Pickens isn’t the first mercurial player Mike Tomlin has coached. He is not the first ear into which Tomlin divulged his on-the-spot wisdom along the sideline. And he will not be the last.
