Mike Tomlin claps back at Kirk Herbstreit for his opinion of the Steelers' effort against Baltimore
If you watched the first half of the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, it was fair to question if the team had just rolled over and called it a day. And while they showed some fight in the second half, it wasn't until after NFL on Prime analyst Kirk Herbstreit called out the […]
If you watched the first half of the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, it was fair to question if the team had just rolled over and called it a day.
And while they showed some fight in the second half, it wasn't until after NFL on Prime analyst Kirk Herbstreit called out the Steelers' fight and effort.
And when notified of such a statement on Tuesday, Coach Tomlin had his own opinion…
Tomlin Responds to Herbstreit effort comments
"You know, I just think everyone's entitled to their opinions," said Tomlin when asked about Herbstreit's comments. "It sounds like what you shared is an opinion. I won't spend a whole lot of time addressing and disputing the opinion. I respect the opinion, but it's not often a reality for me, and so, you know, I tend to focus my energies on how we constructed the work and I worry less about opinions."
The Steelers' culture has come under fire as of late, with the Ravens game being a catalyst for such findings. It began with questions about Patrick Queen's effort, a couple of RBs calling out the coaches, a rookie refusing to play in the playoffs, and the latest, a bombshell report on George Pickens.
Pickens sat out the next two games with a hamstring injury. When he was finally healthy, how did he respond? By showing up late for the Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Tomlin asks players to report to games at least two hours before kickoff. On Dec. 25, Pickens walked through the media entrance an hour and 25 minutes before kickoff. That was after inactive players were announced.
Mike DeFabo, The Athletic
While there has been a lot of talk about trading Tomlin due to six straight first-round exits and eight overall in his Steelers tenure, if Art Rooney pulls the plug, (which seems even less likely after Monday's end-of-season presser) it won't be because of the product on the field.
It will be because Coach Tomlin has lost the locker room.
Judging by the team's actions this season and especially down the stretch, that may have already happened in Pittsburgh.
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Didn’t see that one coming.
