Mike Tomlin didn’t want Hard Knocks in his building. And he certainly didn’t want them on his clothing. Today, he had no choice. Tomlin was mic’d up for today’s thrilling game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, a 44-38 Steelers win.
Walking out of the tunnels, OT Broderick Jones noticed Tomlin had a mic on. And Tomlin wasn’t happy about it. As captured by ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, here’s how the exchange went.
“Aw man, you’re mic’d up?
“Shut up. Shut yo ass up, let’s go.”
The irony here being that this viral moment is now more likely to be included by Hard Knocks, giving the HBO show a great soundbite before the game.
Obviously, Jones and Tomlin are having fun with each other. Jones commenting on his microphone, Tomlin trying to downplay it.
First announced this offseason, the in-season version of Hard Knocks features an entire division instead of just one team. The AFC North was chosen because it was expected to be the NFL’s most competitive one. In 2023, all four teams finished above .500 despite the Cleveland Browns and Bengals losing their starting quarterbacks and Pittsburgh starting three different passers.
The division hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. The Browns’ season has been over since Halloween while the Bengals, now 4-8 after today’s loss, have their season wrapped just after Thanksgiving. But there will be a strong battle at the top between Pittsburgh and Baltimore in a race that will likely go down to the wire. The Steelers are hoping to win the AFC North for the first time since 2020.
The first episode of Hard Knocks premieres Tuesday night on HBO/Max. It’s the first time the Steelers have ever been featured on the show and its director is elated over the opportunity. Clearly, Mike Tomlin isn’t nearly as thrilled about any of this. But getting a big win over the Bengals will take the edge off having a camera crew all around him and the team the rest of the year.
