Mike Tomlin is one of the best coaches in the NFL. Although the Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled in recent years, Tomlin has still managed to get the most out of them. However, there are still some things Tomlin does that are absolutely maddening. Former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe criticized Tomlin for some of his wide receivers’ behavior over the years Monday.
“The question is, why is this a reoccurring theme in Pittsburgh, and it doesn’t seem to be a reoccurring theme with that position [more than] in any other place?” Sharpe said on ESPN’s First Take. “Why does this happen all the time in Pittsburgh? He does deserve some blame for that because behavior, penalties, things of that nature, you coach it, or you condone it.”
Sharpe makes an interesting point because it’s tough to put all of the blame for those players’ actions on Tomlin. However, as the head coach, Tomlin is in charge of them. The Steelers do have a lengthy history of problem wide receivers.
It’s not like they’re the only team with troublesome receivers, though. They might have the most examples, but it isn’t just the Steelers. For decades, receivers with big personalities have been part of football. The Steelers have drafted well at receiver, which might be part of the reason they deal with this issue so often. There’s usually some bad to go along with the good.
During that same segment, former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky provided some insight on this topic based on a conversation he had with Tomlin.
“I’ve had [Tomlin] say to me, the development of the man is something that he takes very personally,” Orlovsky said. “I do think he tries to hang on as long as possible with some guys that maybe need a little bit more of that support system.”
That would explain why the Steelers are so ready to take on players with baggage, and why they try to make them work, despite any personal issues. Antonio Brown is a great example. He was arguably the best receiver in the NFL during his prime, but it was clear he had some attitude issues. He has since talked about what a strong role Tomlin took in mentoring him as a man, not just as a player.
Obviously, that story didn’t have a happy ending, but it goes to show how dedicated Tomlin is to developing his players as people too. That might be frustrating, but it’s not the worst thing in the world. It’s probably part of what makes him such an amazing coach.
The Steelers have shown they aren’t afraid to move on from those players as well. That might be a good defense against Sharpe’s point. They dealt with Brown for nearly a decade, but that’s because of what an insane talent he was. Players like Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson were traded shortly after their attitude became a problem.
George Pickens is the latest in a long line of Steelers receivers with issues. He’s unbelievable on the field, but sometimes, he lets his emotions get the better of him. Watching him can be maddening sometimes. It might seem like Tomlin is condoning that behavior, but he’s likely working behind the scenes to help Pickens.
The Steelers have done a good job of churning out talented receivers, but the turnover rate might be nullifying that positivity at this point. They don’t have the offensive talent to deal with Pickens’ attitude problems. It’s a double-edged sword. Tomlin probably does deserve some blame, but it’s tough to fault the Steelers for trying to acquire talented players. It is just unfortunate things haven’t worked out recently.
