January 14, 2026 • 41 mins
Charlie Batch and Merril Hoge call in to discuss the major breaking news from yesterday of the Steelers looking for a new head coach after Mike Tomlin announced he would not be returning next season.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Guaranteed human.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Man certainly disappointing into our season, which has certainly got
to give Houston a lot of credit in particularly their
defensive unit.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
I thought they ruled the day.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
They certainly had a reputation for that coming in, and
they confirmed it with their performance.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
And that's just how it goes.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
Mike Tomlin's comments after being defeated by the Houston Texans
in the wild Card game on Monday night, and it
would be about fifteen hours later it would be announced
he steps down as the Steelers head coach after nineteen years.
I am one of those people who think that this
can be mutually beneficial and that I think there needed
(00:51):
to be a change. But I am filled with gratitude
and appreciation for everything that Mike Tomlin did for the
Pittsburgh Steelers, and I feel kind of sad and I
don't want him to go. And I think the vast
majority of Steeler fans have that level of respect for
Mike Tomlin and feel sort of the same way that
this is not something to be celebrated so much at
(01:14):
his leaving, so much as the celebration should be about
what he accomplished here. We had meaningful football all nineteen
years that he coached here. That is unbelievably rare. That is,
he is one of one to do that, and there
are people who will try to diminish that accomplishment. I've
(01:35):
never been one of those people. I've had issues with
coach Tomlin. I don't think there's a coach you can
find where I wouldn't, as a fan say, oh, I
can't stand that he does this. I always thought talent
assessment was the biggest issue, but I guess that's probably
the toughest thing for any coach GM tandem to pull off.
I certainly am not celebrating that Mike Tomlin's gone. Who
(01:56):
It's gonna be a rough road ahead. This doesn't just
turn around super easy. We're not in a great situation here,
so it's gonna be rocky. Also, I acknowledged that things
needed to change. I don't think that what we were
doing was working. That doesn't mean I don't think coach
Tomlin was an incredible coach.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
Wasn't an incredible coach. I think he was.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
I think he is one of the elite motivators in
coaching history. I do think that he one of his
achilles was thinking that every former great player was a
reclamation project that he could take on and fix get
the last good bit of football out of somebody. I
(02:39):
always described that as he's the guy who goes around
instead of refilling the soap dispensers.
Speaker 5 (02:44):
He'd be like, I just put some water in there,
shake it up. You can get plenty of soap out
of it. You know, it's like there's no more soap.
Coach Darius Slake can't even run.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
But that's just because he had great belief in players,
and that's why those guys love playing for him.
Speaker 5 (03:00):
Filled with gratitude and appreciation.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
For Mike Tomlin. On a personal level, he was a
really fun guy to be around. And he was like
he was cool, you know what I mean, Like it
was fun. When you saw coach t you'd.
Speaker 6 (03:11):
Be like, oh man, what's up? Like he was He's
a good dude. You know cowor wasn't like you know cowar,
You'd be like, oh Jesus quiet, yeah, right, Coach Tomlin was.
And the idea here, the one thing I want to
push back on to.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
Is the idea there's a group of people celebrating thinking
that they got Tomlin run out of town. Weirdo behavior
just ridiculous. That guy loved Steelers fans. All he had
to do was spend five minutes with him in Latrobe
to see the joy that he gleaned from the crowds
(03:47):
that were there to watch them practice. He had an
appreciation for Steeler nation that went far beyond anything that
these idiots are recognizing. And they think that by throwing
together some sort of campaign to get him mouseed that
I had anything to do with it. I hate to
tell you that his resilience was far greater than whatever
counter you could have mounted. He was never going to
(04:09):
be pushed out. That's not what happened in any way.
I think he might have been burned out. I think
that there might have been an element of truth to
what Benzi was saying last hour or two about the
fact that he might have walked in and wanted assurance
that his option was going to be picked up, and
Art Rooney might have just said something along the lines
of at this time, we can't do that, and he said,
(04:31):
all right, let's cut this off here. After nineteen years
and never having a losing season, next year was going
to be a tough one no matter what, because you're
starting over and you're looking for your new quarterback. More
to come from so many people. Charlie Batch is calling
us in a few minutes here Merrill Hodge, Rob King,
Jeremy Fowler, who broke the story with Schefter yesterday, joins
us A forty five, Max Starks and Mark Madden. So
(04:53):
much more to come abbey this hour.
Speaker 7 (04:55):
He is brought to you by Keystone Basement Systems Wet
Basement Keystone Basementsystems dot Com.
Speaker 8 (04:59):
It's going to be cloudy and rainy.
Speaker 7 (05:01):
Today and high of forty six, and we've seen kind
of what we do here in the media. I want
to remind you that British tabloids are always the worst. Okay,
there was a headline that caught my eye a couple
days ago and I thought, like, we just don't even
know what's happening over there.
Speaker 8 (05:19):
Half the time.
Speaker 7 (05:20):
There was a headline that just said Rod Stewart's sexless.
Speaker 8 (05:23):
Marriage what and like, here's the thing. You have to remember,
he's eighty it should probably be a sexless marriage at
this point.
Speaker 7 (05:35):
But it went into detail saying that he and Penny
Lancaster are facing immense challenges in their marriage, but it's
due to his demanding schedule at the age.
Speaker 5 (05:49):
Of oh, he doesn't have time to get it on.
Speaker 7 (05:53):
Because he is making these relentless professional commitments.
Speaker 8 (05:59):
He's easier than ever.
Speaker 7 (06:01):
He's juggling the one last time tour across North America.
He's got residency shows at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas
and studio recordings that showed no signs of slowing his
prolific career. Apparently, he's also working on a country album.
Speaker 5 (06:17):
Everybody does.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
I mean there, I always feel like they're the most
patronized fan base out there because Steven Tyler's like, you
know what, let's rip off a country album. See if
these roobs will buy it. That's what it feels like
to me. You know, Hoody was like, well, let's try country,
and then it worked. He's like, I'm country now, I'm
country now. I mean, he was a South Carolina guy,
so I think he had a little he's a little
(06:39):
more steeped in I think, yeah, than most of the
people like Rod Stewart. But you know, I also don't
think it depends on what kind of country, because rock
and roll it's not too far of a leap from country.
You know, there's a lot of the foundations are similar.
Speaker 7 (06:55):
Yeah, Maggie May, you could make a country song pretty easily.
Speaker 8 (06:58):
Oh my gosh, yeah, week and everything.
Speaker 7 (07:01):
But Penny Lancaster is obviously significantly younger than him.
Speaker 5 (07:06):
How much younger?
Speaker 7 (07:07):
I feel like she's in her sixties.
Speaker 5 (07:10):
She's a spring chicken, a spring didn't compare to him.
Speaker 7 (07:14):
But he continues to prioritize his career over his private life.
She feels neglected and feels like he is married to
his career instead of her.
Speaker 8 (07:22):
He used to prioritize their private time.
Speaker 7 (07:25):
He is no longer doing that, so she feels like
she's single at this point. And again they kind of
went through a much more British fashion than they're just
not getting it on anymore.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
Wake up, Penny, it's time to continue to not have send.
Maybe Penny doesn't want to have sex with eighty year
old Rod Stewart.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Do you ever see that.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
Picture of Rod Stewart back in his heyday when he
was married to that sweet Britt Eklund, the Swedish model,
And he's like sitting at he's hanging out by his pool,
and he's wearing a the top is a like a
track suit, like a tracksuit from the soccer team that
he owned, I think, and he just has bikinis like
bottoms on, you know, bikini and his pubes are flying out. Yeah,
(08:14):
just really just tons of pubes and he's sitting there
and I like, with no shame at all, And I thought, like,
is that a British thing that it's just okay to
have your proof?
Speaker 5 (08:27):
Apparently No, that was.
Speaker 8 (08:28):
Just a raw Stewart thing.
Speaker 5 (08:30):
Yeah, oh what year. Oh just google Rod Stewart Brett
Ecklin picture.
Speaker 8 (08:40):
Don't search Rod Stewart. Pube computer, Randy is going to
search that never mind.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
Oh yeah, this is not my computer to worry about
that pubes. And then you hit image. Yeah right there,
I mean the first thing that comes up. Yeah, yeah,
there you go. Nineteen seventy. So it was a different
times hack. It was a different souring.
Speaker 8 (09:03):
Out of there also with a shag haircut.
Speaker 5 (09:07):
That's the thing.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
I mean, she's so incredibly beautiful that your eye is
kind of drawn away for a moment, and then you
notice that it looks like he's got Rosie Greer in
a headlock, and you think her leg lock, I should say,
Rosie Greer. Kids, look it up. Google it free to
be you and me.
Speaker 7 (09:25):
I mean, he is worth three hundred million dollars according
to this article, So if I were a penny, I
would say that's a pretty good consolation prize to not
having sex with an eighty year old man.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
All I know is, you know, he essentially took over
for one of the all time great singers when he
took over it when faces went from small faces to faces.
Speaker 5 (09:51):
And why am I blanking on his name?
Speaker 9 (09:53):
Mary?
Speaker 8 (09:54):
Yes, one of my favorite singers of all times.
Speaker 5 (09:57):
Yes, but who else could have done that except for
Rod Stewart?
Speaker 8 (10:02):
Completely agree? Yeah, And also at this moment he looks
like Lady Elaine.
Speaker 5 (10:07):
He kind of does. Unfortunately.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
Joining us right now from the Steelers Audio Network, brought
to you by Egis Knynder and Associates, Local lawyers helping
local people. Charlie Batch and Charlie I know you were
on the NFL network yesterday talking about this. Pretty shocking
the news, the way that it broke, It was very sudden.
I wasn't I wouldn't have been surprised if a change
(10:30):
were in the works, but to have come down that
quickly after losing to Houston on Monday night was a
big surprise.
Speaker 10 (10:37):
Yeah, that was the part that shocked me more than
anything just on the timing of it and how quickly
it happened, because that took me right back to you know,
obviously twenty years ago, when coach Kawer was going through it.
We had our team meeting after the two thousand and
six season, and then we even had exit interviews with
the head coach, and then ultimately a decision was made
after all the players left the building. But in this case,
(10:58):
it sounds like he went into the team meeting alerted
everybody at that time, so everybody was shocked learning that news.
So yeah, that was the part that got me more
than than anything.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Now.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
I mean, it's reported that it was of his own
volition that Mike Tomlin wanted the change, but you suggested
that maybe he got nudged.
Speaker 10 (11:20):
Yeah, it's possible, and I think ultimately, when you look
at this whole thing, the reason why I didn't think
he was going to get fired was because the money
that was owed to him and being around the Steelers
organization for twenty four years now, I've never seen the
Rooney family fire coach and allow him to sit home
and collect money, and I thought ultimately there would be
(11:40):
some type of mutual understanding, how do you resolve the
money issue?
Speaker 1 (11:44):
But because he was not.
Speaker 10 (11:45):
Fired, now that steal comes into play because Mike Tolland
is not a free agent, so he cannot go and
sign wherever he chooses to go to without the permission
of the organization. So the Steelers still control his rights.
And if he chooses to go somewhere else, whether it's
this year potentially next year, the Steelers rule one compensation
for this. So this is still a story in progress
(12:08):
for sure, Charlie.
Speaker 5 (12:09):
They've had a type over the years.
Speaker 11 (12:11):
They find a young, up and coming defensive coach and
hire a guy who they think has the tools that
can grow into the job and be there a long time.
They did that three times in the last with sixty
something years. Each guy won at least one Super Bowl.
But has the game changed and is it time to
(12:32):
look for a young, offensive minded coach?
Speaker 10 (12:36):
Yeah, and I think, you know, just based off of
comments that you read throughout the years, especially the last
couple of years, you know, you start to kind of
see as this shifting offense is happening.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Through the league.
Speaker 10 (12:46):
Yeah, you want to score more points, so you're starting
to see people lean in that direction, you know, where
do you go, where do you look for?
Speaker 3 (12:52):
You know?
Speaker 10 (12:52):
And ultimately you know is that coach out there? And
I think as this process happens, I think the Ruinies
wild take their time like they always have done, even
though you do have a few teams that are a
week ahead of them with their interviews. But what direction
that he chooses to go is obviously going to be
something that we're all paying attention to, only because he
wants to get it right and making sure that you're
(13:14):
not making this coaching decision every four to five years.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
He wants somebody who's going to be here ten plus years.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
Did you feel it was time for a change.
Speaker 10 (13:23):
I didn't necessarily feel it was time for a change
because I've been on some bad teams I was in Detroit.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
And then when you have an organization.
Speaker 10 (13:30):
Who's learning how to or trying to learn how to
win versus one who knows how to win, you understand, yes,
you can be right there on edge and you just
need a little nudge to kind of get over that hurdle.
And I think that's ultimately what I feel needed to
happen here. Listen, the move is made and now Steeler
fans who wanted Tomlin gone got their wish and ultimately,
(13:51):
and I would always ask people, well.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
If he's gone, who would you want? And they say, well,
anybody but him? And I said, the process is not
that easy. Who else is out there?
Speaker 10 (14:00):
And I think ultimately I just developed that a little
bit more help nudging near Ultimately you still stay stable
because you're winning ten wins. Now you're trying to get
to that fourteenth win ultimately, which is a super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Title if you had to go on the road and
do that. So I just think we're there.
Speaker 10 (14:15):
I just think now an ultimate reset this is going
to be something that is going to be challenging, only
because the next head coach is not inheriting a Ben Roethlisberger.
You now have to rebuild at that quarterback position.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
So this is going to be a process for sure.
Speaker 4 (14:29):
In appreciation of what Mike Tomlin did here, you played
for Mike Tomlin. What was it in your mind that
made him special, set him apart from other head coaches.
Speaker 10 (14:39):
Yeah, for me, it was always the communication because when
he stepped into a room, his message was always clear
and concise and he was able to communicate that, which
a lot of Steelers' nation, you know, fell in love
with his press conferences and its colinisms and those type
of things, and that was the part that you always
appreciated in my relationship with them. And quite frankly, it
was different because he was only three years older than me. Right,
(15:00):
you know, we stepped into the meeting, he's coached Tomlin.
But if we're out on the street, your mic to me.
And that's just what we were. And we had a
really good rapport that way. And he was able to
balance that not only with myself but with multiple players,
especially when the age gap became greater and greater.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
And those are the things that I just truly appreciate.
Speaker 10 (15:17):
The players still the message still resonated with these guys,
and I think ultimately when you hear and read the comments,
even when he did make the med that they delivered
the message to the team. His players gave him a
stand in ovation because not just what he did currently,
but just the length of his career.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
And people appreciate that.
Speaker 10 (15:34):
And I appreciated what him and his family has done
for not only Latasha and I, but our foundation as
a whole.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Yeah, do you see there being one thing or a
couple of things that might have changed his fortune. I mean,
I talk about his inflexibility with some things and possibly
not adapting to changes in the NFL as being you know,
one of one of the achilles that he had. Is
(16:01):
there anything that you think, like, boy, if you might
have just accepted this, he would have had, you know,
a better outcome in terms of playoff success. Or is
that just how the cookie crumbles in the NFL. And
you know, it's hard to win, it's hard to get
playoff success.
Speaker 10 (16:19):
It is, and I think, you know, there's a lot
of that, all that that combines there, and I think
ultimately everybody's trying to win, you know, right. One of
his phrases was football is our game. Winning is our business,
and that's how we're evaluated. But I think ultimately people
are growing They were growing weary of that because you're
not having a success in the playoffs. But listen, that's
what happens when you come out the gate hot and
(16:40):
you win a super Bowl in your second year, you
go your second super Bowl in your fifty year.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
That's the expectation that everybody wants you to continue to have.
Speaker 10 (16:48):
It's not just the winning seasons, and those are things
that ultimately kind of played out. But I think it
really all came to a head in November when those
boot burrs came out. Maybe he's thinking maybe potentially down
that road and it started to happen and ultimately not
having any success in the playoffs. Sometimes there is a
point where you say the time is now, and ultimately
that decision was made and here we are reacting to it.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
Charlie Batch from the Steelers Audio netwhere Charlie, thanks as always, Buddy,
appreciate your time this morning.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Yeah, I appreciate you. Thanks for having okay.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
Man, we'll see him. We got a lot more to come.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
Merrill Hodge, Rob King, Jeremy Fowler, who broke the story
with Adam Schefter yesterday eight forty five, Max Starks, and
Mark Madden. Still they come, plus Mike Persuda with the
latest on what happens now.
Speaker 5 (17:31):
Art Rooney's gonna speak with the media today, Mike just.
Speaker 11 (17:33):
Yeah, he's gonna speak, and then he's gonna get out
of the coach store and get a great coach and
they're gonna win a Super Bowl next year, no problem,
because it was all Tomlin's ful.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Well.
Speaker 11 (17:41):
The only thing holding them back was Tomlin, that's it.
They should have done this ten years ago.
Speaker 4 (17:47):
There are a lot of people who think that. You know,
I like what Charlie said, though he used a victim
of his own success. You know, super Bowl in year
two and then year five you go back and it's
like you set the bar so well, and you.
Speaker 11 (17:59):
Know, part of the non losing seasons thing that it
was not the ultimate goal, but that seemed to be
the ceiling the last nine years, and that was an
issue to a lot of people.
Speaker 5 (18:11):
No doubt about it.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
All Right.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
The latest when we returned Mike Tomlin stepping down a
Steeler's head coach. It's your radio, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers,
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Speaker 10 (18:23):
This is WDV Pittsburgh, the fourth.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
Suitor now with your sports on your radio, home of
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Speaker 5 (18:32):
Sports that brought to you by Bridgeville Appliance.
Speaker 11 (18:35):
The news of Mike Thomlins's resignation breaking mid afternoon yesterday,
a lot of people taken by surprise, I'm guessing it,
even those who thought this might be a possibility and
that was probably a very small number.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
Weren't expecting it.
Speaker 11 (18:49):
In the immediate aftermath of Texans thirty Steelers six, I
was driving home from here we taped the Extra point yesterday, myself,
Rob King and Matt Williams, and I was listening to
serious Radio because Steve Bushatti, the Ravens owner, was having
a press conference to detail why he fired John Harbaugh.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
And that's when Barshatti found out and at Pittsburgh he
did Is it official? That's what I keep hearing.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
So is he a candidate here?
Speaker 12 (19:22):
Holy shit, Mike, wouldn't that be awesome? Only if John
takes the Pittsburg child. Wow, wouldn't that be interesting? I
don't know that that thing last week maybe.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
Just qualified one of I. He did to kiss the
cameye opening after our kicker, misterie kick, to let them advance.
Good for Mike. Yeah, I don't know, talk to him.
I love Mike.
Speaker 12 (19:59):
I mean I I've admired Mike for eighteen years and
that's really shocking that that that he did it that way.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
But yeah, that's that's kind of crazy.
Speaker 5 (20:15):
He didn't say no.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Do you imagine?
Speaker 4 (20:19):
I don't think Tomlin switching jobs? And again, like I
said Stefanski gets rehired by the Browns.
Speaker 5 (20:26):
That makes the most sense.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Or tame that the Bengals for Zach Taylor in the
fifth roup.
Speaker 5 (20:30):
Zach Taylor's getting Mike Tomlin.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
Right now, we talked about Tomlin being a victim of
his own success, you know, the same as Zach Taylor.
Expectations get set high, you don't get back there. People
are like, all right, you can't do it anymore next.
Speaker 11 (20:42):
Probably that going on in Detroit, Michigan too. I think
definitely I never quite got there. He got to the
brink Dan Campbell, did.
Speaker 5 (20:49):
I think Buffalo was approaching that point?
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Man?
Speaker 5 (20:52):
But now I no, I don't know, dude, that defense
he's doing some cool things.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
So at any rate with Mike Tomlin, I don't think
he's going to be coaching anywhere next year. Too much
would have to happen for that to be the case,
because the Steelers still retain the rights to Mike Tomlin.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Yeah. I did have to get some compensation.
Speaker 5 (21:10):
Yeah, a little something for the effort.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
It's not that much to happen.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
He was owed fifty million dollars and he walked away
from that. I might have toughed it out, I might
have toughed it out. Well, think you've about the last
fifty he had a chance to earn. Well, that's just
it is. I think that he's looking at it and
his agent's going, hey, you'll go make twenty eight next
year for you know, Fox, if you want to go
and sit next to Howie and Terry.
Speaker 5 (21:31):
He might be like, I'd rather talk to Tim Binns.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
But that would be shocking.
Speaker 9 (21:37):
Yeh.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
Still though, when he returns to coaching, because I don't
think there's any doubt he's going to and is if
the reports are true, Tad apparently it has to be
warm weather.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
He's he's gotten very dainty in his demands. Yeah, right,
it's critical.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up
in Tampa in two years.
Speaker 5 (21:57):
That's where he started.
Speaker 4 (21:59):
I could see him going right back there, and that
if there was any truth to the warm weather demand,
it would fit that bill too.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
But I don't think he's going to be coaching next year.
Speaker 4 (22:08):
I genuinely think he's burnt and wants a little bit
of a break here and refresh, recharge and get back
at it. And also to the whole point of this,
the money will be insane when he comes back, so
giving up this fifty doesn't matter.
Speaker 11 (22:24):
Included in Mike Tomlins's statement released yesterday, quote, I want
to thank Steeler Nation. Your passion, loyalty, and high expectations
represent what makes this franchise truly special. Coaching in Pittsburgh
is unlike anywhere else, and I will always take great
pride in having been a steward of this team. Well,
this chapter comes to a close, my respect and love
for the Pittsburgh Steelers will never change. I'm excited for
(22:46):
what the future holds for this organization, and I will
forever be grateful for my time coaching in Pittsburgh. I
think when his history is written here, the reason there
wasn't more success, the reason there wasn't ultimate success is
the player evaluation component.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
As he might, I.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
Think that's the first thing, and the second thing is
his reluctance to allow for coordinators to be independent and
people who have had success.
Speaker 5 (23:19):
You and I disagree on this.
Speaker 4 (23:20):
I always think his lack of a coaching tree is
an indictment.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Well, I'm not.
Speaker 11 (23:24):
Saying you don't have good coaches. I'm just saying maybe
you need better coaches.
Speaker 5 (23:32):
Yeah, but Randy Fiekner.
Speaker 4 (23:35):
You know, I think the best coaches he had are
the ones he inherited when he got on the job,
and the fall off after was precipitous, and I don't
think that's a coincidence with the lack of postseason success.
Speaker 11 (23:49):
Although one of the reasons he got the job was
he was in agreement to keep Lebau Dick Lebau on
his defensive coordinator and Bruce Arians and this was a
defensive coach. Yes, who to have a legendary defensive coach
stay on his staff. So, you know, maybe just made
some wrong decisions there. I don't think he wanted bad coaches,
and I.
Speaker 5 (24:09):
Don't think no.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
I think he wanted to be in control, is my point. Well,
that certainly does not make him exclusive in the NFL
head coach.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
I know that.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
But that I think was he was stirring too many pots.
Maybe a couple other arguments I'd like to shoot down.
Speaker 11 (24:26):
The idea that he had an outdated philosophy always made
me laugh. You know, he wants to run the ball
too much. Last year they got run over by the
Ravens who ran them out of the playoffs, and then
the Eagles won the Super Bowl by running the ball.
Speaker 5 (24:42):
I don't think he wanted to run the ball to
I don't think he ran the ball enough.
Speaker 11 (24:44):
And then defensively, you know he wants he's low scoring
defensive struggles. Well, when he had Ben Roethlisberger, he did,
and he wanted to score thirty eight points. And when
he had Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown, he wanted to
throw it all over the yard. He wanted to do
what he thought his players could do. And the idea
that defense doesn't matter anymore, Well, they just got smashed
(25:05):
by the best defense in the NFL. I mean, these
things don't go out of stop running the ball, having
a great defense, and being plus minus in turnover do
not go out of style. They're not exclusive to Mike
Toumblin or how the game's played.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
I agree with you there.
Speaker 4 (25:19):
I think that they didn't have the level of success
that he wanted to in those areas and that's what
bit them.
Speaker 3 (25:23):
No question.
Speaker 11 (25:23):
The are yeah like people saying, you know, his philosophy's
wrong or the game's passed him by.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
No, the philosophy right, But again, you know, schematically, if
you don't have the badasses that Houston has you kind
of have to.
Speaker 5 (25:42):
Do some things to take it up.
Speaker 11 (25:45):
And I don't think if you was what Darius Slay
and one thorn Hill can do, you got a problem.
Then you're going on to scrap heap and picking up
Kyle Duggan and you still got a problem if you
think Roman Wilson's worth the third round pick and he
ends up not being that out a problem and then
you end up going to the scratch like that's a
hard way to get it done.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
He sat on this show and said the defense had
a chance to be historic, which was hyperbolic for Mike
Tomlin to say something like that, Who would you know
say that all the time.
Speaker 5 (26:15):
We all have a chance to be great. You know,
that's what this is all about.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
But for him to go out on the limb and
say that that he was that confident because of Jalen Ramsey,
because of Darius Lay, because of Thornhill, because of TJ.
Watpion and full Bore and Derek Harmon joining the defensive
line and Herbig also having another year and okay, all
of that. Yes, Sawyer was actually another one of a
piece of that puzzle that just told me in retrospect,
(26:42):
like man, he overestimated what these guys could do by
leaps and bounds.
Speaker 11 (26:46):
Yeah, And I wonder if this is just pure speculation
on my part, But they put so much time, effort,
energy resources into making the run defense better and rebuilding
the secondary, and when they needed it else to run
defense was not better and the secondary was not better.
And I wonder if he thought, Wow, maybe I need
to rethink some stuff.
Speaker 5 (27:06):
Yeah, maybe, I don't know. It's gonna be interesting to
see what happens.
Speaker 4 (27:10):
Now, turning to the future, who's the new Steeler head coach.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Going to be?
Speaker 4 (27:14):
I keep hearing Chris Shula, Marcus Freeman, Brian Flores. I mean,
I thought it was a bad move to let Brian
Flores walk out in the first place. Imagine if you
never let Mike Munchak go. Imagine if you had Munchak
and Brian Flores. Well, it's a whole lot different from
what they had at defensive coordinator in Tarrell Austin, no doubt,
and in Randy Feiekner, Matt Canada and Arthur Smith.
Speaker 11 (27:37):
Don't the college guys make more than the NFL guys?
They do, now, I believe.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
Yeah, that's why everybody's talking about Signetti coming here.
Speaker 5 (27:44):
I'm like, I think he's good.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
And is Freeman gonna get to schedule Navy and Purdue?
Speaker 5 (27:50):
Where did Marcus Freeman guarantee him the spot in the playoffs?
Speaker 9 (27:54):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (27:54):
Right?
Speaker 4 (27:54):
How did that name get thrown into the mix based
on what these things happen been and his names appear instantly? Well,
I think a lot of times it's agents that that
you know, put that stuff in it.
Speaker 11 (28:06):
You feel like they got a writer say something, so
they writer or say something and just move on. You know,
that wasn't anywhere near in the same ballpark.
Speaker 4 (28:14):
But Merrill Hodge joins us next and we'll talk about
what the Steelers do going forward and his thoughts on
Mike Tomlin and his legacy.
Speaker 5 (28:21):
But first, Mike Randal.
Speaker 11 (28:22):
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Speaker 13 (29:23):
Wherever you're driving, DVE has everything you need for the drive.
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Speaker 1 (29:42):
On DVE, Pittsburgh.
Speaker 8 (29:44):
Winter's call for Cozy nights and funnest.
Speaker 4 (29:48):
To your radio home of the Pittsburghteelers. One on two
point five DVE. Mike Tomlins steps down as head coach
of the Steelers after nineteen years and joining us right now,
brought to you by Castle Rock Hormone Health in South
South Fills, Kia has a ride and the price You'll love.
Speaker 5 (30:03):
Meryl Hodge joining us right now, Me maryl.
Speaker 4 (30:05):
Normally I'd be doing the Maryland clapping and going nuts,
but I'm not feeling too celebratory today.
Speaker 5 (30:11):
I Uh, As much as I think a.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
Change needed to happen, I am only filled with gratitude
at what Mike Tomlin did for us here in Pittsburgh.
And I'm not one of those people who are are
cheering this change thinking this solves everything. I don't know
where you fall in this argument, but I know you
have an appreciation for Mike Tomlin's abilities as a coach,
and you can speak to that first if you'd like.
(30:34):
But did you think this was the right time for
a change for both Mike and the organization?
Speaker 9 (30:40):
Well, I'll just answered the first one is yeah. I
think that they all felt that, and I think that's
actually you know, I think Mike's not dumb man, you know.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
I think Mike.
Speaker 9 (30:50):
Sensed it too, and instead of you know, thinking about it,
I think all of these Chuck, Bill and Mike all resigned.
Correct me if I'm wrong. Nobody got fired. I think
serious have ever fired a head coach in like almost
seventy years. Okay, They've all decided to move on, and
I think all of them, you know, felt that that
(31:11):
there was time that they needed to move on and
it was best for not just them, but I think
the organization.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
So I'd say yes to that.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
Now.
Speaker 9 (31:18):
I'm fortunate that I played for two of the three
coaches in STEO history, which is when I when I
said I can't even believe I can say that, you know,
two of them ended up being in the Hall of Famers.
I remember when Chuck left, you could feel it in
the air the last few weeks. You just could feel
either there was something different. We didn't know he was
going to resign, but there was something different in the air.
(31:41):
Then were Bill Cower left as of ESPN at the time,
And I remember ESPN came to me, They're like, oh
my gosh, some my gosh, who do you think on
their staff is going to be the next head coach.
I said, they all better run for their lives because
they ain't nobody to be the next head coach there
if they do what they normally did.
Speaker 3 (31:56):
I wouldn't do that.
Speaker 9 (31:58):
And I go and I can't tell you how good
the head coach will be, and tell you can tell
me whose staff is period. That's really what makes a
great head coach. But then I got to work with Mike.
You know, I didn't play for him, but if I
worked with him, I've been in the same room with him.
I've watched him oparade and you know, correct me if
I'm wrong on this one. But the Seeders will probably
end up with three Hall of Fame coaches back to
(32:20):
back to back. Yeah, when it's all said and done,
I enjoyed working with my because you know, he's unique
and how he goes about things, he's confident, and how
he goes about.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
Things, he models things.
Speaker 9 (32:34):
And I'm going to leave it right there, because the
greatest you can take leadership and you can say, hey,
here's the five principles in leadership, and which one's most important.
I think all of them usually are, But if I
had to pick one, it's like there's one that this
is just concrete.
Speaker 3 (32:50):
It never goes wrong.
Speaker 9 (32:51):
And that's modeling, you know, because what you see somebody
do is going to be far more impactful than what
you hear them say, especially if it doesn't match. Now,
if they say something and then they model it, which
Bill Cower Chuck, No, they were impeccable with that. And
so it was Mike.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
And so.
Speaker 9 (33:11):
You listen nineteen years or something to not be like,
I feel like there's something.
Speaker 3 (33:16):
Listen. My wife is one of the bigges steel fans.
Speaker 9 (33:17):
I can't watch TV with the game sometimes because within
thirty seconds of the game, if something doesn't go right,
it's over, you know.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
And she's Italian. So the start he's a Steelers fan.
Speaker 5 (33:26):
No, yeah, he said he's a Steelers fan. I know, yeah, yeah, right.
Speaker 9 (33:33):
Right right. So I'm sitting there, that's crazy because I
didn't I got I got drafted by the Pittsburgh Steels.
I didn't live in Pittsford. I didn't grow up in Pittsburgh.
I'm like, I'm watching somebody who grew up in Pittsburgh,
and I'm like, wow, that's Odd's what I loved about
the Steelers fan that they are so passionate.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
They are so committed.
Speaker 9 (33:52):
And let me tell you this. I think I've told
this before many times.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
When I was a year stand for some twenty five.
Speaker 9 (33:57):
Years, everybody that I got to work with that was
not a Pittsburgh steel fan, every one of them referred
to the Steelers fan as being the best. And here's
why they're a smart fan.
Speaker 3 (34:06):
Do they get mad?
Speaker 9 (34:07):
Did they get angry? Yes, but they appreciate your one
hundred percent commitment, win or lose. If the end all,
you gave everything you had.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
Okay, they they can swallow that.
Speaker 9 (34:17):
They want chance, they want a championship, absolutely, but they
can accept somebody who gave everything they have.
Speaker 3 (34:22):
It just didn't work out for us. Maryland.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
Well, what I wanted to ask you that dovetailing into
your experience working with Mike one of the knocks against him.
Did you ever sense that he was reluctant to accept
feedback from those around him, or that he was reluctant
to put the best people in the room as he
possibly could to come out with the best performance that
(34:46):
the team could muster.
Speaker 9 (34:49):
Now you could sit there, here's where I he was
off coach too. Okay, so I didn't just play off coach.
I've bet a position coach coordinator and a head coach,
and I've always believed.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
I'll go back to what I said.
Speaker 9 (35:00):
At the very beginning, when Bill Tower came or if
they were going to go chuck it or Bill resigned,
They're like, who's you know, who's going to be the
next head coach and how good will they be? I
was like, until I know the staff, I cannot really
tell you. And that is really the truth. And if
you look at it at his history, he's he hasn't
put the you know, smarter people around as smart as
(35:22):
people that he can run. The tree tells you that,
you know, if there is there was one flaw that Mike,
Mike had baby was not the evaluation of coaches and
getting people in that you know, we're just smarter in
an area.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Listen.
Speaker 9 (35:36):
It's nice to be in a room and come up
with an idea and then have somebody go, well, I
think we should do it and you're like, oh, yeah,
that's smart.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
That's better now.
Speaker 9 (35:43):
I did, you know? And if there was probably in
his is these nineteen years, there was never really any
you know, great depth around him aside from initially you.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
Know, the transition came with quite a stable of coordinators, right.
Speaker 9 (36:01):
And so you know, those guys never really eclipsed like
you know, true greatness, so they moved on and evolved.
So you know the evaluation of staff. But you know,
I could tell you this. He has a great belief
in what he does, in a commitment to what he does.
And sometimes you don't really go back and look at
(36:21):
us till you can just remove yourself and reflect on stuff.
You know, you're in the blender it's hard to see
what's going on sometimes, and so I did give him
that liberty because that's happened to me many times. You're
in the blender, and there wasn't until I got out
of the blender that I was like, Okay, wow, jeez,
I couldn't see it in the blender, but man, I
got it out of it, and see, it's easy to
(36:42):
judge from the outside. Now I have a perspective of that,
so I can evaluate that a little better. But I
also do know when you're in the blender, it's hard.
It's so hard. And that's what he did for nineteen years.
If he just listed all the things, you know, a
lot of them are never been done.
Speaker 3 (36:59):
You know that.
Speaker 9 (37:00):
Don't never take that lightly. The league's been around or
one hundred years or more. I mean a lot of
great coaches, great coaches, Hall of Fame coaches, something that
he proceeded, that didn't do what he did, you know,
just to put it in light of the greatness that
he did. He did have and I think every coach
could go back and go about even Chuck no who
(37:21):
I think he is the greatest leader I have ever seen,
the greatest man I've ever been around. Still with this day,
nobody has ever eclipsed him. And I could go back
and look at things that we could have done, like
his commitment to being physical and practice. I'm telling you
that on Friday we were just like I don't know
if I got enough for Sunday, you know.
Speaker 3 (37:41):
So there's a lot of.
Speaker 9 (37:42):
Things you know, that evolved in and change over time
that somebody could go back.
Speaker 3 (37:47):
But here's why I give all three of them.
Speaker 9 (37:50):
In the environment they were in, all the information they
had at that time, they did their very best, and
they gave everything they had. And there's nothing more you
can ask of a human being in those two things.
Speaker 5 (38:00):
You have a favorite tomlinism. We'll go out on that.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
I don't.
Speaker 4 (38:06):
Did you like that that that technique using the metaphoric, And.
Speaker 9 (38:11):
Yes, I like those type of things, like because I
think they could be powerful, especially when you you've implemented that,
you've implemented in your life, you know the effects they
can have. Like I've always been like as a kid,
I ran across Aristotle on accident. I don't know who
that guy was at the time, and I don't even
know why I read the stuff he reads more more,
I read the march that.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
I became.
Speaker 9 (38:39):
So stowing stuff like to me resonates with me, and
I was so when he does says stuff, I get that.
I get like where's coming from, you know, and how
it resonates in his life and he transfers it to
the people he's leads, you know, and Orde's trying to
explain stuff too.
Speaker 3 (38:55):
So uh.
Speaker 9 (38:56):
I think he was a terrific head coach. I think
he's unique in his in his approach to it. I
think he was a tripic leader period, and his history
will speak for itself when he's when he goes to
the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 4 (39:09):
Mine's again will forever be. There's a fine line between
between drinking wine and stomping grapes.
Speaker 3 (39:20):
Yeah, you know that something.
Speaker 9 (39:22):
If you know, the first time you hear that, you
start going. You got to make think. That's one thing
I think he's trying to do is make you think,
you know, because it's not the norm.
Speaker 3 (39:30):
So you know that.
Speaker 9 (39:31):
There's a lot of people go ahead.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
Do you think he'll stay on TV? Like you know
he's going to head back to coaching.
Speaker 9 (39:41):
No, I think he goes to TV. I think there's
any doubt because when listen, he the Steelers if he
has another year on his contract, right too? Yeah, okay too,
so he can't coach. Look, I guess you can't coach,
you know, but the Steels he's not going. I believe
he's going to television. I have no information on that.
I just believe that when you resign, you have two
years you'll go. You're gonna go onto television, You're gonna
(40:04):
go into broadcasting.
Speaker 3 (40:06):
That's what I believe.
Speaker 4 (40:07):
Merril Hodge brought to you by Castle Rock, Hormone Health
and Southhiels Key this morning on DV. Love you, Meryl,
Thanks Budy. We'll talk to you next week. Absolutely all right, man,
we'll see it when we come back. Tad Whistle's thoughts
on coach Tomlin's tenure here in Pittsburgh. Rob King, voice
of the Steelers on the Steelers Audio Network, joining US
eight forty five, Jeremy Fowler, who broke the story along
(40:27):
with Adam Schefter free ESPN yesterday, Max, Max Starks, Mark Madden.
All still to come, and we'll go over some of
our favorite tomlinisms for you. There certainly are plenty to
choose from. Some of them drove me crazy, but that's
part of the power of them, as they're supposed to
drive the standard. Is the standard used to drive me nuts?
(40:48):
I'm like, that's too vague. Let's just do it shake.
So yeah, and uh also, Abby will have some news
later this morning nine am. We'll we'll check back in
what's going on news because it's kind of a slow
news day outside of Mike Tomlin, right, I don't think.
Speaker 8 (41:05):
We care about anything other than Mike Tomlin.
Speaker 7 (41:07):
But you know what will restore people's trust in their
nightly news alcohol agreed, that is what could potentially be
coming to CBS Whiskey Fridays.
Speaker 4 (41:16):
Oh that's Look, if there's one thing that the evening
news is needed, it's a touch of Booze, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (41:23):
Merril Hodge.
Speaker 3 (41:24):
Here.
Speaker 5 (41:24):
I faced a lot in my life here
Guaranteed human.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Man certainly disappointing into our season, which has certainly got
to give Houston a lot of credit in particularly their
defensive unit.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
I thought they ruled the day.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
They certainly had a reputation for that coming in, and
they confirmed it with their performance.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
And that's just how it goes.
Speaker 4 (00:30):
Mike Tomlin's comments after being defeated by the Houston Texans
in the wild Card game on Monday night, and it
would be about fifteen hours later it would be announced
he steps down as the Steelers head coach after nineteen years.
I am one of those people who think that this
can be mutually beneficial and that I think there needed
(00:51):
to be a change. But I am filled with gratitude
and appreciation for everything that Mike Tomlin did for the
Pittsburgh Steelers, and I feel kind of sad and I
don't want him to go. And I think the vast
majority of Steeler fans have that level of respect for
Mike Tomlin and feel sort of the same way that
this is not something to be celebrated so much at
(01:14):
his leaving, so much as the celebration should be about
what he accomplished here. We had meaningful football all nineteen
years that he coached here. That is unbelievably rare. That is,
he is one of one to do that, and there
are people who will try to diminish that accomplishment. I've
(01:35):
never been one of those people. I've had issues with
coach Tomlin. I don't think there's a coach you can
find where I wouldn't, as a fan say, oh, I
can't stand that he does this. I always thought talent
assessment was the biggest issue, but I guess that's probably
the toughest thing for any coach GM tandem to pull off.
I certainly am not celebrating that Mike Tomlin's gone. Who
(01:56):
It's gonna be a rough road ahead. This doesn't just
turn around super easy. We're not in a great situation here,
so it's gonna be rocky. Also, I acknowledged that things
needed to change. I don't think that what we were
doing was working. That doesn't mean I don't think coach
Tomlin was an incredible coach.
Speaker 5 (02:17):
Wasn't an incredible coach. I think he was.
Speaker 4 (02:19):
I think he is one of the elite motivators in
coaching history. I do think that he one of his
achilles was thinking that every former great player was a
reclamation project that he could take on and fix get
the last good bit of football out of somebody. I
(02:39):
always described that as he's the guy who goes around
instead of refilling the soap dispensers.
Speaker 5 (02:44):
He'd be like, I just put some water in there,
shake it up. You can get plenty of soap out
of it. You know, it's like there's no more soap.
Coach Darius Slake can't even run.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
But that's just because he had great belief in players,
and that's why those guys love playing for him.
Speaker 5 (03:00):
Filled with gratitude and appreciation.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
For Mike Tomlin. On a personal level, he was a
really fun guy to be around. And he was like
he was cool, you know what I mean, Like it
was fun. When you saw coach t you'd.
Speaker 6 (03:11):
Be like, oh man, what's up? Like he was He's
a good dude. You know cowor wasn't like you know cowar,
You'd be like, oh Jesus quiet, yeah, right, Coach Tomlin was.
And the idea here, the one thing I want to
push back on to.
Speaker 4 (03:27):
Is the idea there's a group of people celebrating thinking
that they got Tomlin run out of town. Weirdo behavior
just ridiculous. That guy loved Steelers fans. All he had
to do was spend five minutes with him in Latrobe
to see the joy that he gleaned from the crowds
(03:47):
that were there to watch them practice. He had an
appreciation for Steeler nation that went far beyond anything that
these idiots are recognizing. And they think that by throwing
together some sort of campaign to get him mouseed that
I had anything to do with it. I hate to
tell you that his resilience was far greater than whatever
counter you could have mounted. He was never going to
(04:09):
be pushed out. That's not what happened in any way.
I think he might have been burned out. I think
that there might have been an element of truth to
what Benzi was saying last hour or two about the
fact that he might have walked in and wanted assurance
that his option was going to be picked up, and
Art Rooney might have just said something along the lines
of at this time, we can't do that, and he said,
(04:31):
all right, let's cut this off here. After nineteen years
and never having a losing season, next year was going
to be a tough one no matter what, because you're
starting over and you're looking for your new quarterback. More
to come from so many people. Charlie Batch is calling
us in a few minutes here Merrill Hodge, Rob King,
Jeremy Fowler, who broke the story with Schefter yesterday, joins
us A forty five, Max Starks and Mark Madden. So
(04:53):
much more to come abbey this hour.
Speaker 7 (04:55):
He is brought to you by Keystone Basement Systems Wet
Basement Keystone Basementsystems dot Com.
Speaker 8 (04:59):
It's going to be cloudy and rainy.
Speaker 7 (05:01):
Today and high of forty six, and we've seen kind
of what we do here in the media. I want
to remind you that British tabloids are always the worst. Okay,
there was a headline that caught my eye a couple
days ago and I thought, like, we just don't even
know what's happening over there.
Speaker 8 (05:19):
Half the time.
Speaker 7 (05:20):
There was a headline that just said Rod Stewart's sexless.
Speaker 8 (05:23):
Marriage what and like, here's the thing. You have to remember,
he's eighty it should probably be a sexless marriage at
this point.
Speaker 7 (05:35):
But it went into detail saying that he and Penny
Lancaster are facing immense challenges in their marriage, but it's
due to his demanding schedule at the age.
Speaker 5 (05:49):
Of oh, he doesn't have time to get it on.
Speaker 7 (05:53):
Because he is making these relentless professional commitments.
Speaker 8 (05:59):
He's easier than ever.
Speaker 7 (06:01):
He's juggling the one last time tour across North America.
He's got residency shows at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas
and studio recordings that showed no signs of slowing his
prolific career. Apparently, he's also working on a country album.
Speaker 5 (06:17):
Everybody does.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
I mean there, I always feel like they're the most
patronized fan base out there because Steven Tyler's like, you
know what, let's rip off a country album. See if
these roobs will buy it. That's what it feels like
to me. You know, Hoody was like, well, let's try country,
and then it worked. He's like, I'm country now, I'm
country now. I mean, he was a South Carolina guy,
so I think he had a little he's a little
(06:39):
more steeped in I think, yeah, than most of the
people like Rod Stewart. But you know, I also don't
think it depends on what kind of country, because rock
and roll it's not too far of a leap from country.
You know, there's a lot of the foundations are similar.
Speaker 7 (06:55):
Yeah, Maggie May, you could make a country song pretty easily.
Speaker 8 (06:58):
Oh my gosh, yeah, week and everything.
Speaker 7 (07:01):
But Penny Lancaster is obviously significantly younger than him.
Speaker 5 (07:06):
How much younger?
Speaker 7 (07:07):
I feel like she's in her sixties.
Speaker 5 (07:10):
She's a spring chicken, a spring didn't compare to him.
Speaker 7 (07:14):
But he continues to prioritize his career over his private life.
She feels neglected and feels like he is married to
his career instead of her.
Speaker 8 (07:22):
He used to prioritize their private time.
Speaker 7 (07:25):
He is no longer doing that, so she feels like
she's single at this point. And again they kind of
went through a much more British fashion than they're just
not getting it on anymore.
Speaker 4 (07:36):
Wake up, Penny, it's time to continue to not have send.
Maybe Penny doesn't want to have sex with eighty year
old Rod Stewart.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Do you ever see that.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
Picture of Rod Stewart back in his heyday when he
was married to that sweet Britt Eklund, the Swedish model,
And he's like sitting at he's hanging out by his pool,
and he's wearing a the top is a like a
track suit, like a tracksuit from the soccer team that
he owned, I think, and he just has bikinis like
bottoms on, you know, bikini and his pubes are flying out. Yeah,
(08:14):
just really just tons of pubes and he's sitting there
and I like, with no shame at all, And I thought, like,
is that a British thing that it's just okay to
have your proof?
Speaker 5 (08:27):
Apparently No, that was.
Speaker 8 (08:28):
Just a raw Stewart thing.
Speaker 5 (08:30):
Yeah, oh what year. Oh just google Rod Stewart Brett
Ecklin picture.
Speaker 8 (08:40):
Don't search Rod Stewart. Pube computer, Randy is going to
search that never mind.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
Oh yeah, this is not my computer to worry about
that pubes. And then you hit image. Yeah right there,
I mean the first thing that comes up. Yeah, yeah,
there you go. Nineteen seventy. So it was a different
times hack. It was a different souring.
Speaker 8 (09:03):
Out of there also with a shag haircut.
Speaker 5 (09:07):
That's the thing.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
I mean, she's so incredibly beautiful that your eye is
kind of drawn away for a moment, and then you
notice that it looks like he's got Rosie Greer in
a headlock, and you think her leg lock, I should say,
Rosie Greer. Kids, look it up. Google it free to
be you and me.
Speaker 7 (09:25):
I mean, he is worth three hundred million dollars according
to this article, So if I were a penny, I
would say that's a pretty good consolation prize to not
having sex with an eighty year old man.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
All I know is, you know, he essentially took over
for one of the all time great singers when he
took over it when faces went from small faces to faces.
Speaker 5 (09:51):
And why am I blanking on his name?
Speaker 9 (09:53):
Mary?
Speaker 8 (09:54):
Yes, one of my favorite singers of all times.
Speaker 5 (09:57):
Yes, but who else could have done that except for
Rod Stewart?
Speaker 8 (10:02):
Completely agree? Yeah, And also at this moment he looks
like Lady Elaine.
Speaker 5 (10:07):
He kind of does. Unfortunately.
Speaker 4 (10:09):
Joining us right now from the Steelers Audio Network, brought
to you by Egis Knynder and Associates, Local lawyers helping
local people. Charlie Batch and Charlie I know you were
on the NFL network yesterday talking about this. Pretty shocking
the news, the way that it broke, It was very sudden.
I wasn't I wouldn't have been surprised if a change
(10:30):
were in the works, but to have come down that
quickly after losing to Houston on Monday night was a
big surprise.
Speaker 10 (10:37):
Yeah, that was the part that shocked me more than
anything just on the timing of it and how quickly
it happened, because that took me right back to you know,
obviously twenty years ago, when coach Kawer was going through it.
We had our team meeting after the two thousand and
six season, and then we even had exit interviews with
the head coach, and then ultimately a decision was made
after all the players left the building. But in this case,
(10:58):
it sounds like he went into the team meeting alerted
everybody at that time, so everybody was shocked learning that news.
So yeah, that was the part that got me more
than than anything.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Now.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
I mean, it's reported that it was of his own
volition that Mike Tomlin wanted the change, but you suggested
that maybe he got nudged.
Speaker 10 (11:20):
Yeah, it's possible, and I think ultimately, when you look
at this whole thing, the reason why I didn't think
he was going to get fired was because the money
that was owed to him and being around the Steelers
organization for twenty four years now, I've never seen the
Rooney family fire coach and allow him to sit home
and collect money, and I thought ultimately there would be
(11:40):
some type of mutual understanding, how do you resolve the
money issue?
Speaker 1 (11:44):
But because he was not.
Speaker 10 (11:45):
Fired, now that steal comes into play because Mike Tolland
is not a free agent, so he cannot go and
sign wherever he chooses to go to without the permission
of the organization. So the Steelers still control his rights.
And if he chooses to go somewhere else, whether it's
this year potentially next year, the Steelers rule one compensation
for this. So this is still a story in progress
(12:08):
for sure, Charlie.
Speaker 5 (12:09):
They've had a type over the years.
Speaker 11 (12:11):
They find a young, up and coming defensive coach and
hire a guy who they think has the tools that
can grow into the job and be there a long time.
They did that three times in the last with sixty
something years. Each guy won at least one Super Bowl.
But has the game changed and is it time to
(12:32):
look for a young, offensive minded coach?
Speaker 10 (12:36):
Yeah, and I think, you know, just based off of
comments that you read throughout the years, especially the last
couple of years, you know, you start to kind of
see as this shifting offense is happening.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
Through the league.
Speaker 10 (12:46):
Yeah, you want to score more points, so you're starting
to see people lean in that direction, you know, where
do you go, where do you look for?
Speaker 3 (12:52):
You know?
Speaker 10 (12:52):
And ultimately you know is that coach out there? And
I think as this process happens, I think the Ruinies
wild take their time like they always have done, even
though you do have a few teams that are a
week ahead of them with their interviews. But what direction
that he chooses to go is obviously going to be
something that we're all paying attention to, only because he
wants to get it right and making sure that you're
(13:14):
not making this coaching decision every four to five years.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
He wants somebody who's going to be here ten plus years.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
Did you feel it was time for a change.
Speaker 10 (13:23):
I didn't necessarily feel it was time for a change
because I've been on some bad teams I was in Detroit.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
And then when you have an organization.
Speaker 10 (13:30):
Who's learning how to or trying to learn how to
win versus one who knows how to win, you understand, yes,
you can be right there on edge and you just
need a little nudge to kind of get over that hurdle.
And I think that's ultimately what I feel needed to
happen here. Listen, the move is made and now Steeler
fans who wanted Tomlin gone got their wish and ultimately,
(13:51):
and I would always ask people, well.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
If he's gone, who would you want? And they say, well,
anybody but him? And I said, the process is not
that easy. Who else is out there?
Speaker 10 (14:00):
And I think ultimately I just developed that a little
bit more help nudging near Ultimately you still stay stable
because you're winning ten wins. Now you're trying to get
to that fourteenth win ultimately, which is a super Bowl.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Title if you had to go on the road and
do that. So I just think we're there.
Speaker 10 (14:15):
I just think now an ultimate reset this is going
to be something that is going to be challenging, only
because the next head coach is not inheriting a Ben Roethlisberger.
You now have to rebuild at that quarterback position.
Speaker 1 (14:27):
So this is going to be a process for sure.
Speaker 4 (14:29):
In appreciation of what Mike Tomlin did here, you played
for Mike Tomlin. What was it in your mind that
made him special, set him apart from other head coaches.
Speaker 10 (14:39):
Yeah, for me, it was always the communication because when
he stepped into a room, his message was always clear
and concise and he was able to communicate that, which
a lot of Steelers' nation, you know, fell in love
with his press conferences and its colinisms and those type
of things, and that was the part that you always
appreciated in my relationship with them. And quite frankly, it
was different because he was only three years older than me. Right,
(15:00):
you know, we stepped into the meeting, he's coached Tomlin.
But if we're out on the street, your mic to me.
And that's just what we were. And we had a
really good rapport that way. And he was able to
balance that not only with myself but with multiple players,
especially when the age gap became greater and greater.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
And those are the things that I just truly appreciate.
Speaker 10 (15:17):
The players still the message still resonated with these guys,
and I think ultimately when you hear and read the comments,
even when he did make the med that they delivered
the message to the team. His players gave him a
stand in ovation because not just what he did currently,
but just the length of his career.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
And people appreciate that.
Speaker 10 (15:34):
And I appreciated what him and his family has done
for not only Latasha and I, but our foundation as
a whole.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Yeah, do you see there being one thing or a
couple of things that might have changed his fortune. I mean,
I talk about his inflexibility with some things and possibly
not adapting to changes in the NFL as being you know,
one of one of the achilles that he had. Is
(16:01):
there anything that you think, like, boy, if you might
have just accepted this, he would have had, you know,
a better outcome in terms of playoff success. Or is
that just how the cookie crumbles in the NFL. And
you know, it's hard to win, it's hard to get
playoff success.
Speaker 10 (16:19):
It is, and I think, you know, there's a lot
of that, all that that combines there, and I think
ultimately everybody's trying to win, you know, right. One of
his phrases was football is our game. Winning is our business,
and that's how we're evaluated. But I think ultimately people
are growing They were growing weary of that because you're
not having a success in the playoffs. But listen, that's
what happens when you come out the gate hot and
(16:40):
you win a super Bowl in your second year, you
go your second super Bowl in your fifty year.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
That's the expectation that everybody wants you to continue to have.
Speaker 10 (16:48):
It's not just the winning seasons, and those are things
that ultimately kind of played out. But I think it
really all came to a head in November when those
boot burrs came out. Maybe he's thinking maybe potentially down
that road and it started to happen and ultimately not
having any success in the playoffs. Sometimes there is a
point where you say the time is now, and ultimately
that decision was made and here we are reacting to it.
Speaker 4 (17:09):
Charlie Batch from the Steelers Audio netwhere Charlie, thanks as always, Buddy,
appreciate your time this morning.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
Yeah, I appreciate you. Thanks for having okay.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
Man, we'll see him. We got a lot more to come.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
Merrill Hodge, Rob King, Jeremy Fowler, who broke the story
with Adam Schefter yesterday eight forty five, Max Starks, and
Mark Madden. Still they come, plus Mike Persuda with the
latest on what happens now.
Speaker 5 (17:31):
Art Rooney's gonna speak with the media today, Mike just.
Speaker 11 (17:33):
Yeah, he's gonna speak, and then he's gonna get out
of the coach store and get a great coach and
they're gonna win a Super Bowl next year, no problem,
because it was all Tomlin's ful.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
Well.
Speaker 11 (17:41):
The only thing holding them back was Tomlin, that's it.
They should have done this ten years ago.
Speaker 4 (17:47):
There are a lot of people who think that. You know,
I like what Charlie said, though he used a victim
of his own success. You know, super Bowl in year
two and then year five you go back and it's
like you set the bar so well, and you.
Speaker 11 (17:59):
Know, part of the non losing seasons thing that it
was not the ultimate goal, but that seemed to be
the ceiling the last nine years, and that was an
issue to a lot of people.
Speaker 5 (18:11):
No doubt about it.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
All Right.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
The latest when we returned Mike Tomlin stepping down a
Steeler's head coach. It's your radio, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers,
one on two point five DV live from the Don's
Appliances Studios where Pittsburgh shops for appliances.
Speaker 10 (18:23):
This is WDV Pittsburgh, the fourth.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
Suitor now with your sports on your radio, home of
the Black and Gold DVE.
Speaker 5 (18:32):
Sports that brought to you by Bridgeville Appliance.
Speaker 11 (18:35):
The news of Mike Thomlins's resignation breaking mid afternoon yesterday,
a lot of people taken by surprise, I'm guessing it,
even those who thought this might be a possibility and
that was probably a very small number.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
Weren't expecting it.
Speaker 11 (18:49):
In the immediate aftermath of Texans thirty Steelers six, I
was driving home from here we taped the Extra point yesterday, myself,
Rob King and Matt Williams, and I was listening to
serious Radio because Steve Bushatti, the Ravens owner, was having
a press conference to detail why he fired John Harbaugh.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
And that's when Barshatti found out and at Pittsburgh he
did Is it official? That's what I keep hearing.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
So is he a candidate here?
Speaker 12 (19:22):
Holy shit, Mike, wouldn't that be awesome? Only if John
takes the Pittsburg child. Wow, wouldn't that be interesting? I
don't know that that thing last week maybe.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
Just qualified one of I. He did to kiss the
cameye opening after our kicker, misterie kick, to let them advance.
Good for Mike. Yeah, I don't know, talk to him.
I love Mike.
Speaker 12 (19:59):
I mean I I've admired Mike for eighteen years and
that's really shocking that that that he did it that way.
Speaker 3 (20:10):
But yeah, that's that's kind of crazy.
Speaker 5 (20:15):
He didn't say no.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Do you imagine?
Speaker 4 (20:19):
I don't think Tomlin switching jobs? And again, like I
said Stefanski gets rehired by the Browns.
Speaker 5 (20:26):
That makes the most sense.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
Or tame that the Bengals for Zach Taylor in the
fifth roup.
Speaker 5 (20:30):
Zach Taylor's getting Mike Tomlin.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
Right now, we talked about Tomlin being a victim of
his own success, you know, the same as Zach Taylor.
Expectations get set high, you don't get back there. People
are like, all right, you can't do it anymore next.
Speaker 11 (20:42):
Probably that going on in Detroit, Michigan too. I think
definitely I never quite got there. He got to the
brink Dan Campbell, did.
Speaker 5 (20:49):
I think Buffalo was approaching that point?
Speaker 3 (20:51):
Man?
Speaker 5 (20:52):
But now I no, I don't know, dude, that defense
he's doing some cool things.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
So at any rate with Mike Tomlin, I don't think
he's going to be coaching anywhere next year. Too much
would have to happen for that to be the case,
because the Steelers still retain the rights to Mike Tomlin.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
Yeah. I did have to get some compensation.
Speaker 5 (21:10):
Yeah, a little something for the effort.
Speaker 3 (21:11):
It's not that much to happen.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
He was owed fifty million dollars and he walked away
from that. I might have toughed it out, I might
have toughed it out. Well, think you've about the last
fifty he had a chance to earn. Well, that's just
it is. I think that he's looking at it and
his agent's going, hey, you'll go make twenty eight next
year for you know, Fox, if you want to go
and sit next to Howie and Terry.
Speaker 5 (21:31):
He might be like, I'd rather talk to Tim Binns.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
But that would be shocking.
Speaker 9 (21:37):
Yeh.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
Still though, when he returns to coaching, because I don't
think there's any doubt he's going to and is if
the reports are true, Tad apparently it has to be
warm weather.
Speaker 5 (21:48):
He's he's gotten very dainty in his demands. Yeah, right,
it's critical.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up
in Tampa in two years.
Speaker 5 (21:57):
That's where he started.
Speaker 4 (21:59):
I could see him going right back there, and that
if there was any truth to the warm weather demand,
it would fit that bill too.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
But I don't think he's going to be coaching next year.
Speaker 4 (22:08):
I genuinely think he's burnt and wants a little bit
of a break here and refresh, recharge and get back
at it. And also to the whole point of this,
the money will be insane when he comes back, so
giving up this fifty doesn't matter.
Speaker 11 (22:24):
Included in Mike Tomlins's statement released yesterday, quote, I want
to thank Steeler Nation. Your passion, loyalty, and high expectations
represent what makes this franchise truly special. Coaching in Pittsburgh
is unlike anywhere else, and I will always take great
pride in having been a steward of this team. Well,
this chapter comes to a close, my respect and love
for the Pittsburgh Steelers will never change. I'm excited for
(22:46):
what the future holds for this organization, and I will
forever be grateful for my time coaching in Pittsburgh. I
think when his history is written here, the reason there
wasn't more success, the reason there wasn't ultimate success is
the player evaluation component.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
As he might, I.
Speaker 4 (23:05):
Think that's the first thing, and the second thing is
his reluctance to allow for coordinators to be independent and
people who have had success.
Speaker 5 (23:19):
You and I disagree on this.
Speaker 4 (23:20):
I always think his lack of a coaching tree is
an indictment.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Well, I'm not.
Speaker 11 (23:24):
Saying you don't have good coaches. I'm just saying maybe
you need better coaches.
Speaker 5 (23:32):
Yeah, but Randy Fiekner.
Speaker 4 (23:35):
You know, I think the best coaches he had are
the ones he inherited when he got on the job,
and the fall off after was precipitous, and I don't
think that's a coincidence with the lack of postseason success.
Speaker 11 (23:49):
Although one of the reasons he got the job was
he was in agreement to keep Lebau Dick Lebau on
his defensive coordinator and Bruce Arians and this was a
defensive coach. Yes, who to have a legendary defensive coach
stay on his staff. So, you know, maybe just made
some wrong decisions there. I don't think he wanted bad coaches,
and I.
Speaker 5 (24:09):
Don't think no.
Speaker 4 (24:09):
I think he wanted to be in control, is my point. Well,
that certainly does not make him exclusive in the NFL
head coach.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
I know that.
Speaker 4 (24:16):
But that I think was he was stirring too many pots.
Maybe a couple other arguments I'd like to shoot down.
Speaker 11 (24:26):
The idea that he had an outdated philosophy always made
me laugh. You know, he wants to run the ball
too much. Last year they got run over by the
Ravens who ran them out of the playoffs, and then
the Eagles won the Super Bowl by running the ball.
Speaker 5 (24:42):
I don't think he wanted to run the ball to
I don't think he ran the ball enough.
Speaker 11 (24:44):
And then defensively, you know he wants he's low scoring
defensive struggles. Well, when he had Ben Roethlisberger, he did,
and he wanted to score thirty eight points. And when
he had Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown, he wanted to
throw it all over the yard. He wanted to do
what he thought his players could do. And the idea
that defense doesn't matter anymore, Well, they just got smashed
(25:05):
by the best defense in the NFL. I mean, these
things don't go out of stop running the ball, having
a great defense, and being plus minus in turnover do
not go out of style. They're not exclusive to Mike
Toumblin or how the game's played.
Speaker 5 (25:18):
I agree with you there.
Speaker 4 (25:19):
I think that they didn't have the level of success
that he wanted to in those areas and that's what
bit them.
Speaker 3 (25:23):
No question.
Speaker 11 (25:23):
The are yeah like people saying, you know, his philosophy's
wrong or the game's passed him by.
Speaker 4 (25:30):
No, the philosophy right, But again, you know, schematically, if
you don't have the badasses that Houston has you kind
of have to.
Speaker 5 (25:42):
Do some things to take it up.
Speaker 11 (25:45):
And I don't think if you was what Darius Slay
and one thorn Hill can do, you got a problem.
Then you're going on to scrap heap and picking up
Kyle Duggan and you still got a problem if you
think Roman Wilson's worth the third round pick and he
ends up not being that out a problem and then
you end up going to the scratch like that's a
hard way to get it done.
Speaker 4 (26:04):
He sat on this show and said the defense had
a chance to be historic, which was hyperbolic for Mike
Tomlin to say something like that, Who would you know
say that all the time.
Speaker 5 (26:15):
We all have a chance to be great. You know,
that's what this is all about.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
But for him to go out on the limb and
say that that he was that confident because of Jalen Ramsey,
because of Darius Lay, because of Thornhill, because of TJ.
Watpion and full Bore and Derek Harmon joining the defensive
line and Herbig also having another year and okay, all
of that. Yes, Sawyer was actually another one of a
piece of that puzzle that just told me in retrospect,
(26:42):
like man, he overestimated what these guys could do by
leaps and bounds.
Speaker 11 (26:46):
Yeah, And I wonder if this is just pure speculation
on my part, But they put so much time, effort,
energy resources into making the run defense better and rebuilding
the secondary, and when they needed it else to run
defense was not better and the secondary was not better.
And I wonder if he thought, Wow, maybe I need
to rethink some stuff.
Speaker 5 (27:06):
Yeah, maybe, I don't know. It's gonna be interesting to
see what happens.
Speaker 4 (27:10):
Now, turning to the future, who's the new Steeler head coach.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Going to be?
Speaker 4 (27:14):
I keep hearing Chris Shula, Marcus Freeman, Brian Flores. I mean,
I thought it was a bad move to let Brian
Flores walk out in the first place. Imagine if you
never let Mike Munchak go. Imagine if you had Munchak
and Brian Flores. Well, it's a whole lot different from
what they had at defensive coordinator in Tarrell Austin, no doubt,
and in Randy Feiekner, Matt Canada and Arthur Smith.
Speaker 11 (27:37):
Don't the college guys make more than the NFL guys?
They do, now, I believe.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
Yeah, that's why everybody's talking about Signetti coming here.
Speaker 5 (27:44):
I'm like, I think he's good.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
And is Freeman gonna get to schedule Navy and Purdue?
Speaker 5 (27:50):
Where did Marcus Freeman guarantee him the spot in the playoffs?
Speaker 9 (27:54):
Yeah?
Speaker 6 (27:54):
Right?
Speaker 4 (27:54):
How did that name get thrown into the mix based
on what these things happen been and his names appear instantly? Well,
I think a lot of times it's agents that that
you know, put that stuff in it.
Speaker 11 (28:06):
You feel like they got a writer say something, so
they writer or say something and just move on. You know,
that wasn't anywhere near in the same ballpark.
Speaker 4 (28:14):
But Merrill Hodge joins us next and we'll talk about
what the Steelers do going forward and his thoughts on
Mike Tomlin and his legacy.
Speaker 5 (28:21):
But first, Mike Randal.
Speaker 11 (28:22):
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Speaker 13 (29:23):
Wherever you're driving, DVE has everything you need for the drive.
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Speaker 1 (29:42):
On DVE, Pittsburgh.
Speaker 8 (29:44):
Winter's call for Cozy nights and funnest.
Speaker 4 (29:48):
To your radio home of the Pittsburghteelers. One on two
point five DVE. Mike Tomlins steps down as head coach
of the Steelers after nineteen years and joining us right now,
brought to you by Castle Rock Hormone Health in South
South Fills, Kia has a ride and the price You'll love.
Speaker 5 (30:03):
Meryl Hodge joining us right now, Me maryl.
Speaker 4 (30:05):
Normally I'd be doing the Maryland clapping and going nuts,
but I'm not feeling too celebratory today.
Speaker 5 (30:11):
I Uh, As much as I think a.
Speaker 4 (30:13):
Change needed to happen, I am only filled with gratitude
at what Mike Tomlin did for us here in Pittsburgh.
And I'm not one of those people who are are
cheering this change thinking this solves everything. I don't know
where you fall in this argument, but I know you
have an appreciation for Mike Tomlin's abilities as a coach,
and you can speak to that first if you'd like.
(30:34):
But did you think this was the right time for
a change for both Mike and the organization?
Speaker 9 (30:40):
Well, I'll just answered the first one is yeah. I
think that they all felt that, and I think that's
actually you know, I think Mike's not dumb man, you know.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
I think Mike.
Speaker 9 (30:50):
Sensed it too, and instead of you know, thinking about it,
I think all of these Chuck, Bill and Mike all resigned.
Correct me if I'm wrong. Nobody got fired. I think
serious have ever fired a head coach in like almost
seventy years. Okay, They've all decided to move on, and
I think all of them, you know, felt that that
(31:11):
there was time that they needed to move on and
it was best for not just them, but I think
the organization.
Speaker 3 (31:16):
So I'd say yes to that.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
Now.
Speaker 9 (31:18):
I'm fortunate that I played for two of the three
coaches in STEO history, which is when I when I
said I can't even believe I can say that, you know,
two of them ended up being in the Hall of Famers.
I remember when Chuck left, you could feel it in
the air the last few weeks. You just could feel
either there was something different. We didn't know he was
going to resign, but there was something different in the air.
(31:41):
Then were Bill Cower left as of ESPN at the time,
And I remember ESPN came to me, They're like, oh
my gosh, some my gosh, who do you think on
their staff is going to be the next head coach.
I said, they all better run for their lives because
they ain't nobody to be the next head coach there
if they do what they normally did.
Speaker 3 (31:56):
I wouldn't do that.
Speaker 9 (31:58):
And I go and I can't tell you how good
the head coach will be, and tell you can tell
me whose staff is period. That's really what makes a
great head coach. But then I got to work with Mike.
You know, I didn't play for him, but if I
worked with him, I've been in the same room with him.
I've watched him oparade and you know, correct me if
I'm wrong on this one. But the Seeders will probably
end up with three Hall of Fame coaches back to
(32:20):
back to back. Yeah, when it's all said and done,
I enjoyed working with my because you know, he's unique
and how he goes about things, he's confident, and how
he goes about.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
Things, he models things.
Speaker 9 (32:34):
And I'm going to leave it right there, because the
greatest you can take leadership and you can say, hey,
here's the five principles in leadership, and which one's most important.
I think all of them usually are, But if I
had to pick one, it's like there's one that this
is just concrete.
Speaker 3 (32:50):
It never goes wrong.
Speaker 9 (32:51):
And that's modeling, you know, because what you see somebody
do is going to be far more impactful than what
you hear them say, especially if it doesn't match. Now,
if they say something and then they model it, which
Bill Cower Chuck, No, they were impeccable with that. And
so it was Mike.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
And so.
Speaker 9 (33:11):
You listen nineteen years or something to not be like,
I feel like there's something.
Speaker 3 (33:16):
Listen. My wife is one of the bigges steel fans.
Speaker 9 (33:17):
I can't watch TV with the game sometimes because within
thirty seconds of the game, if something doesn't go right,
it's over, you know.
Speaker 3 (33:23):
And she's Italian. So the start he's a Steelers fan.
Speaker 5 (33:26):
No, yeah, he said he's a Steelers fan. I know, yeah, yeah, right.
Speaker 9 (33:33):
Right right. So I'm sitting there, that's crazy because I
didn't I got I got drafted by the Pittsburgh Steels.
I didn't live in Pittsford. I didn't grow up in Pittsburgh.
I'm like, I'm watching somebody who grew up in Pittsburgh,
and I'm like, wow, that's Odd's what I loved about
the Steelers fan that they are so passionate.
Speaker 3 (33:50):
They are so committed.
Speaker 9 (33:52):
And let me tell you this. I think I've told
this before many times.
Speaker 3 (33:55):
When I was a year stand for some twenty five.
Speaker 9 (33:57):
Years, everybody that I got to work with that was
not a Pittsburgh steel fan, every one of them referred
to the Steelers fan as being the best. And here's
why they're a smart fan.
Speaker 3 (34:06):
Do they get mad?
Speaker 9 (34:07):
Did they get angry? Yes, but they appreciate your one
hundred percent commitment, win or lose. If the end all,
you gave everything you had.
Speaker 3 (34:15):
Okay, they they can swallow that.
Speaker 9 (34:17):
They want chance, they want a championship, absolutely, but they
can accept somebody who gave everything they have.
Speaker 3 (34:22):
It just didn't work out for us. Maryland.
Speaker 4 (34:24):
Well, what I wanted to ask you that dovetailing into
your experience working with Mike one of the knocks against him.
Did you ever sense that he was reluctant to accept
feedback from those around him, or that he was reluctant
to put the best people in the room as he
possibly could to come out with the best performance that
(34:46):
the team could muster.
Speaker 9 (34:49):
Now you could sit there, here's where I he was
off coach too. Okay, so I didn't just play off coach.
I've bet a position coach coordinator and a head coach,
and I've always believed.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
I'll go back to what I said.
Speaker 9 (35:00):
At the very beginning, when Bill Tower came or if
they were going to go chuck it or Bill resigned,
They're like, who's you know, who's going to be the
next head coach and how good will they be? I
was like, until I know the staff, I cannot really
tell you. And that is really the truth. And if
you look at it at his history, he's he hasn't
put the you know, smarter people around as smart as
(35:22):
people that he can run. The tree tells you that,
you know, if there is there was one flaw that Mike,
Mike had baby was not the evaluation of coaches and
getting people in that you know, we're just smarter in
an area.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Listen.
Speaker 9 (35:36):
It's nice to be in a room and come up
with an idea and then have somebody go, well, I
think we should do it and you're like, oh, yeah,
that's smart.
Speaker 3 (35:42):
That's better now.
Speaker 9 (35:43):
I did, you know? And if there was probably in
his is these nineteen years, there was never really any
you know, great depth around him aside from initially you.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
Know, the transition came with quite a stable of coordinators, right.
Speaker 9 (36:01):
And so you know, those guys never really eclipsed like
you know, true greatness, so they moved on and evolved.
So you know the evaluation of staff. But you know,
I could tell you this. He has a great belief
in what he does, in a commitment to what he does.
And sometimes you don't really go back and look at
(36:21):
us till you can just remove yourself and reflect on stuff.
You know, you're in the blender it's hard to see
what's going on sometimes, and so I did give him
that liberty because that's happened to me many times. You're
in the blender, and there wasn't until I got out
of the blender that I was like, Okay, wow, jeez,
I couldn't see it in the blender, but man, I
got it out of it, and see, it's easy to
(36:42):
judge from the outside. Now I have a perspective of that,
so I can evaluate that a little better. But I
also do know when you're in the blender, it's hard.
It's so hard. And that's what he did for nineteen years.
If he just listed all the things, you know, a
lot of them are never been done.
Speaker 3 (36:59):
You know that.
Speaker 9 (37:00):
Don't never take that lightly. The league's been around or
one hundred years or more. I mean a lot of
great coaches, great coaches, Hall of Fame coaches, something that
he proceeded, that didn't do what he did, you know,
just to put it in light of the greatness that
he did. He did have and I think every coach
could go back and go about even Chuck no who
(37:21):
I think he is the greatest leader I have ever seen,
the greatest man I've ever been around. Still with this day,
nobody has ever eclipsed him. And I could go back
and look at things that we could have done, like
his commitment to being physical and practice. I'm telling you
that on Friday we were just like I don't know
if I got enough for Sunday, you know.
Speaker 3 (37:41):
So there's a lot of.
Speaker 9 (37:42):
Things you know, that evolved in and change over time
that somebody could go back.
Speaker 3 (37:47):
But here's why I give all three of them.
Speaker 9 (37:50):
In the environment they were in, all the information they
had at that time, they did their very best, and
they gave everything they had. And there's nothing more you
can ask of a human being in those two things.
Speaker 5 (38:00):
You have a favorite tomlinism. We'll go out on that.
Speaker 3 (38:04):
I don't.
Speaker 4 (38:06):
Did you like that that that technique using the metaphoric, And.
Speaker 9 (38:11):
Yes, I like those type of things, like because I
think they could be powerful, especially when you you've implemented that,
you've implemented in your life, you know the effects they
can have. Like I've always been like as a kid,
I ran across Aristotle on accident. I don't know who
that guy was at the time, and I don't even
know why I read the stuff he reads more more,
I read the march that.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
I became.
Speaker 9 (38:39):
So stowing stuff like to me resonates with me, and
I was so when he does says stuff, I get that.
I get like where's coming from, you know, and how
it resonates in his life and he transfers it to
the people he's leads, you know, and Orde's trying to
explain stuff too.
Speaker 3 (38:55):
So uh.
Speaker 9 (38:56):
I think he was a terrific head coach. I think
he's unique in his in his approach to it. I
think he was a tripic leader period, and his history
will speak for itself when he's when he goes to
the Hall of Fame.
Speaker 4 (39:09):
Mine's again will forever be. There's a fine line between
between drinking wine and stomping grapes.
Speaker 3 (39:20):
Yeah, you know that something.
Speaker 9 (39:22):
If you know, the first time you hear that, you
start going. You got to make think. That's one thing
I think he's trying to do is make you think,
you know, because it's not the norm.
Speaker 3 (39:30):
So you know that.
Speaker 9 (39:31):
There's a lot of people go ahead.
Speaker 4 (39:33):
Do you think he'll stay on TV? Like you know
he's going to head back to coaching.
Speaker 9 (39:41):
No, I think he goes to TV. I think there's
any doubt because when listen, he the Steelers if he
has another year on his contract, right too? Yeah, okay too,
so he can't coach. Look, I guess you can't coach,
you know, but the Steels he's not going. I believe
he's going to television. I have no information on that.
I just believe that when you resign, you have two
years you'll go. You're gonna go onto television, You're gonna
(40:04):
go into broadcasting.
Speaker 3 (40:06):
That's what I believe.
Speaker 4 (40:07):
Merril Hodge brought to you by Castle Rock, Hormone Health
and Southhiels Key this morning on DV. Love you, Meryl,
Thanks Budy. We'll talk to you next week. Absolutely all right, man,
we'll see it when we come back. Tad Whistle's thoughts
on coach Tomlin's tenure here in Pittsburgh. Rob King, voice
of the Steelers on the Steelers Audio Network, joining US
eight forty five, Jeremy Fowler, who broke the story along
(40:27):
with Adam Schefter free ESPN yesterday, Max, Max Starks, Mark Madden.
All still to come, and we'll go over some of
our favorite tomlinisms for you. There certainly are plenty to
choose from. Some of them drove me crazy, but that's
part of the power of them, as they're supposed to
drive the standard. Is the standard used to drive me nuts?
(40:48):
I'm like, that's too vague. Let's just do it shake.
So yeah, and uh also, Abby will have some news
later this morning nine am. We'll we'll check back in
what's going on news because it's kind of a slow
news day outside of Mike Tomlin, right, I don't think.
Speaker 8 (41:05):
We care about anything other than Mike Tomlin.
Speaker 7 (41:07):
But you know what will restore people's trust in their
nightly news alcohol agreed, that is what could potentially be
coming to CBS Whiskey Fridays.
Speaker 4 (41:16):
Oh that's Look, if there's one thing that the evening
news is needed, it's a touch of Booze, Yeah.
Speaker 5 (41:23):
Merril Hodge.
Speaker 3 (41:24):
Here.
Speaker 5 (41:24):
I faced a lot in my life here
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