Steelers' Mike Tomlin: Patriots are getting 'accountable, professional' starter via Chuks Okorafor
Rarely do coaches throw shade on former players of theirs, especially not in professional settings. A bad way of doing business, it's best to keep things buttoned up when the cameras are out, even if it's not authentic. And while no one would ever accuse Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin of being inauthentic, you have […]
Rarely do coaches throw shade on former players of theirs, especially not in professional settings.
A bad way of doing business, it's best to keep things buttoned up when the cameras are out, even if it's not authentic.
And while no one would ever accuse Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin of being inauthentic, you have to wonder how he really feels following some comments about a recently released veteran:
Signing a different tune
"They're getting a very versatile, capable guy, a guy that's starter-capable at both left and right tackle, and a guy that's accountable and professional," Tomlin told reporters when asked about the Patriots signing Steelers' former starting RT Chuks Okorfaor.
Once again, I'm not saying I expected Coach Tomlin to blast Chuks, but the way he framed him is opposite of the way he has been perceived over the past four to five months.
A tenured starter who had just signed an extension two years ago, Okorafor was a team player and a solid producer. But following some comments he made about the offense, Chuks was benched ahead of the Steelers Week 9 game, ceasing to play another snap and then being among the first to be cut by the team the day after the Super Bowl.
And look, one situation certainly doesn't define someone. But to bench and then release a player that was highly valued and very expensive compared to his offensive counterparts just for something he said…
That's telling, and I believe would certainly garner a different set of adjectives than Coach Tomlin presented at the league owners' meetings if you asked him to describe Chuks behind closed doors.
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