The Pittsburgh Steelers have had more than a few issues with their star players over the past two seasons, and some of that has to do with contract situations and the overall business of the NFL. But if you ask some people around the league, there is clearly a perception that Mike Tomlin bears some of the responsibility.
As part of his examination of whether or not Tomlin has lost his locker room, Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman spoke with some assistant coaches around the NFL. One NFC South assistant had a harsh assessment of what is going on in Pittsburgh.
“It’s a circus there, and Mike has no control over it,” the coach said. “He’s one of the best coaches of my generation, but the players have too much control there.”
Tomlin has long been viewed as a players’ coach, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Pete Carroll is just as into fist-pounding and chest-bumping his players as Tomlin is, and the Seattle Seahawks have enjoyed great success under him. The same can be said for the Steelers under Tomlin, yet Freeman said “most coaches” around the league will tell you he doesn’t have enough control over his players — even though Tomlin’s peers have great respect for him.
Brown has made Tomlin and the Steelers look bad on numerous occasions, and there have been no known consequences for the star receiver’s actions. Since Sunday he has blown up on a coach on the sidelines, sent a tweet that some interpreted as a challenge to the Steelers to trade him and skipped team meetings without giving the team advanced notice. It doesn’t seem like Brown will face any disciplinary action from the organization, just as he didn’t with his infamous locker room broadcast after a playoff win two seasons ago.
Tomlin has not had a losing record with the Steelers, who pride themselves on continuity with their head coaches. He seems unlikely to be fired, but Brown’s antics and Le’Veon Bell’s lengthy holdout have certainly created drama in Pittsburgh that we’re not used to seeing.
