On Friday, while you may have been doing some last-minute Christmas shopping, and the Steelers were hours away from their Week 16 showdown against the division-rival Ravens that could determine their postseason hopes, former Steelers great Terry Bradshaw was on TV sharing his thoughts on coach Mike Tomlin.
The short version: "Great cheerleader, not a great coach."
The facts don't align with Bradshaw's opinion, and even less so now in the wake of the Steelers' 31-27 victory over the Ravens that pushed Tomlin's career record to 102-57. Afterwards, Tomlin's players were asked about their coach.
"No offense to Terry," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said, via Steel City Insider's Jim Wexell. "I think he is one of the greatest of all time. I consider him Steeler family. But this is the real family, the tight-knit family that we have in here in this locker room. And when people talk, it's dust in the wind, if you will.
"I laughed at it because, well, it was what it was. But we can't dwell on it. Some people may have taken it to heart and said, 'Hey we're going to play for him because of what was said.' I think I've been in this long enough and heard enough stuff that for me it wasn't as big of a deal."
Running back Le'Veon Bell added: "I didn't see it, but I heard about it. So for me it wasn't a rallying cry. My mindset was to go out here and get the win regardless. I didn't care what people were saying, but for him, for Coach T, obviously we want to win for that man. I love him to death. To me, he's a great coach. He puts us in the right situations. He's real savvy. He thinks a lot like me, and obviously I'm excited about the win."
Linebacker Lawrence Timmons, Tomlin's first-ever draft pick with the Steelers, joined the chorus.
"(Tomlin is) the best ever," he told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Chris Adamski. "I stand by him and endorse him, I feel like he's the premier NFL coach."
Then there's left guard Ramon Foster.
"He can coach," he said. "Look, nobody's ever talked bad about Mr. Bradshaw. Nobody's ever mentioned him in a bad light. I don't know where that comes from. But we'll see. I would love to hear his comments now."
Even former Ravens coach Brian Billick has a hard time wrapping his head around Bradshaw's remarks.
 | @AKinkhabwala | |
Just now on @gmfb, @CoachBillick says of #Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin: "If he's just a cheerleader, he's a damn good cheerleader."
| ||
Here are Bradshaw's original remarks:
"I don't think he's a great coach at all," Bradshaw said, when asked if Tomlin, the Steelers' coach since 2007, still needs to prove himself. "He's a nice coach. He's really a great cheerleader guy. I don't know what he does, but I don't think he's a great coach at all. His name never even pops in my mind when we think about great coaches in the NFL."
Worth noting: Tomlin was coaching his young defensive backs on the Ravens' last drive. He's done this before, but since Bradshaw claims he's not sure what Tomlin does, it's certainly worth noting here.
There's also this: In 10 seasons, Tomlin has led the Steelers to six (and soon to be seven after Sunday's victory) playoff appearances, has never had a losing season and reached 100 wins faster than the two guys who preceded him in Pittsburgh -- the legendary Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher.
Put another way: If Bradshaw is right, more owners should think about hiring cheerleaders.
No comments:
Post a Comment