Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's for an iHeart radio station guaranteed.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Human like like, I don't know if anything is absolute,
you know what I mean. But I had to add
enough confidence to feel comfortable.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
I'll tell you that.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
But certainly, you know, as they say, in this business man,
nothing is solid in his business to the inks dry
and so but I felt very confident.
Speaker 4 (00:33):
Coach Tomlin talking about this Pittsburgh Steeler campaign with us
at Steelers training camp in La Trobe this past August,
and that will be his nineteenth and final, which is
hard to believe.
Speaker 5 (00:47):
It's hard to believe.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
He won't be uh walking around the field art Runey
Field there Saint Vincent College in the summer, welcoming the
throngs of Steeler fence. By the way, you have to
say throngs throngs of Steeler fans who pilgrimage out to
La Trobe each and every summer.
Speaker 5 (01:04):
And you can say La Trobe or Latrobe. It doesn't matter. Apparently,
it's not gonna feel real.
Speaker 6 (01:08):
I think it's it's really it's going to hit another
layer of setting in when he's not a camp this year.
Speaker 4 (01:15):
I agree it's going to field well. The first game
on the sidelines who is this guy?
Speaker 5 (01:21):
Yeah? Like what if? Like, how's the new guy gonna dress?
Will he wear a hat?
Speaker 6 (01:26):
There's a high bar, Yeah, there's not a very high
I think, and a hat is really all he did.
Vast gentleman's vest. Yes, tech guy vest.
Speaker 4 (01:38):
I wonder who you know what kind of coach of
the Steelers gonna go out and get now tad, you know,
will it be a meathead? Will it be an analytics guy?
You know, one of the many archetypes. Will it be
a storied uh uh nfl uh like Tom Donahoe, not
Tom don Tom Coughlin type, you know, disciplinary, Yeah, one
(02:00):
of those guys. I don't know what it's gonna end
up being. Sounds like it's going to be a young
guy again. Chris Shula, Marcus Freeman.
Speaker 5 (02:08):
We keep hearing.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
You know.
Speaker 6 (02:09):
I think with teams that replace their head coaches a lot,
and I feel this way in all sports. If you
had the crazy yells all the time guy, when that
guy gets fired, the pendulum swings the other way and
you get the most Solly to John Russell, Yes and
also like the yes, yeah, but the Steelers obviously have
a thing that they like to do. Mike talked about it,
(02:32):
you know, young defensive minded guy.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:35):
I know you have your reflections on these past nineteen years, Dad, Yeah,
you know it's been a somber time, a reflection for me.
Speaker 5 (02:43):
I don't know if it's really set in yet, but
I was.
Speaker 6 (02:45):
I sat back yesterday and you know, tried to think
about the the legacy of Mike Tomlin here and some
of my memories with them. Nineteen years is a long
time to do anything. I remember his first press conference,
this plucky thirty four year old defensive coordinator from the Vikings.
It was well spoken, and he chalked up an early
win with Steeler fans by wearing a black suit with
(03:07):
a gold tie, as if to say, these are the
team's colors.
Speaker 5 (03:12):
Yes, and I'm aware of that. That's right.
Speaker 6 (03:14):
Tam established himself as a no nonsense guy pretty early.
On two thousand and eight, he put the kaibosh on
Santa Claus visiting the coaches. Prescott's right, that's right. Yeah,
we'll have to ask Mike about that at some point.
It's sort of it set like the precedent for his
moral code. If I think something is stupid, I'm out.
(03:37):
It feels pretty easy to break Mike Tomlin's tenure into
two periods, the ten years before the twenty seventeen Divisional
round loss to the Jaguars and the nine years that followed.
I mean, the first decade was extremely fun, you know,
I thought it was all very fun.
Speaker 5 (03:52):
Maybe the message got stale.
Speaker 6 (03:54):
Maybe the team was constructed to win in an antiquated
way that can't make you elite. And yeah, TJ and
Derrick Watt, the Haywards, Nate and Nick Herbig. He obviously
developed some kind of brothers fetish over the years.
Speaker 5 (04:10):
You forgot about the Edmonds.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
He was.
Speaker 6 (04:14):
Trying to engineer that one. And maybe yeah they were
triplets too. Yeah, if only Tremaine were worse, we could
get him. He had so many great qualities. You know,
let's not overlook that he should go into the Hall
of Fame for his management of Antonio Brown alone. It's
his players seem to love him. He was, by all accounts,
(04:35):
highly regarded by his peers. And let's not forget Mike
Tomlin was cool as hell. Oh yeah, cooler than every
other coach in the league anyway.
Speaker 5 (04:43):
Put it this way. He never ran out of the
tunnel with toilet paper on the show it did not happen.
Speaker 6 (04:47):
I have a vivid recollection of watching Hard Knocks in
my parents' basement. In twenty twelve, Miami was the featured
team and Joe Philben was their head coach.
Speaker 5 (04:57):
I remember thinking to.
Speaker 6 (04:58):
Myself, Wow, this dude sucks. There is nothing interesting about
this guy at all.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (05:07):
It felt like at any moment Joe Philbin was going
to call a team meeting and try to sell them
supplemental insurance. At the very least, the Tomlin led Steeler
team would never be dorks.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
Yeah, like John Gannon in uh oh, Arizona. You know,
like one of those guys where it's like they just
they're just awkward and weird or boring and it's just
not fun to reof for him.
Speaker 6 (05:30):
Completely unrelatable, like to ownership, and I think to the players, yeah,
who are you serving?
Speaker 5 (05:35):
Yeah, Like a lot of people didn't like that.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
Tomlin was super cocky, would like do the blow of
the kiss and all that and pet the chest pound
which was owed to uh.
Speaker 5 (05:43):
I can't remember who who was he? Yes, some UFC guys.
I thought it was sweet. I don't know. You know
me too.
Speaker 6 (05:51):
He was a smooth dude. We'll always have the tomlinisms
among my favorites.
Speaker 5 (05:55):
We do not care. I'd rather have to say woa
than sick. That's a good one.
Speaker 6 (06:00):
The fine line between drinking wine and squashing grapes. If
you're gonna dance all night, you better wear a diaper.
Speaker 5 (06:08):
I don't remember that one. I made that last one
up a right, But that.
Speaker 6 (06:13):
Was the beauty of Mike t the order he could
casually drop a phrase like that at the podium after
a big win and it would sound legit.
Speaker 5 (06:20):
Yeah uh yeah, be prepared, right, that's what that means.
Speaker 6 (06:22):
Maybe it'd be on a T shirt in the Strip
District by noon on Mondays? Would a Steelers team led
by Mike Tomlin was never a laughing stock. People hate
the non losing season staff. To put it in perspective,
the Browns have finished under five hundred and sixteen times
since the Mike Tomlin airly coow sixteen times.
Speaker 5 (06:45):
It's a lot.
Speaker 6 (06:46):
I see a lot of high thinking Steeler fans talking
about going three and fourteen to improve their draft position.
Speaker 5 (06:52):
Wow, heady stuff.
Speaker 6 (06:55):
I think it was sun Zoo who once said to
be good, one must first suck, and I think.
Speaker 5 (07:02):
I deserve a little credit for not turning that into
a Bobby sub guy.
Speaker 6 (07:06):
Yes, yes, yes, anyway, sure, hey, yeah, let's tag for
a year.
Speaker 5 (07:10):
Sounds great.
Speaker 6 (07:11):
If anyone needs me, I'll be on a twelve month bender.
Speaker 5 (07:17):
Who wants to do that? I know it's Madden.
Speaker 4 (07:22):
Was was endorsing that yesterday. He wanted a three and
fourteen year with Will Howard at quarterback. And I'm like,
I don't want that. Will Howard doesn't want that. No,
Will Howard is very much in the why do I
have to suck?
Speaker 7 (07:36):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (07:37):
Yeah, I was drafted.
Speaker 6 (07:40):
Being a head coach in the NFL means fighting battles
on a strategic level that we the fans haven't even
considered the game within the game, if you will. And
in that regard, Tomond had many rivals. Tomlin versus the clock, Oh,
Tomlin versus his fears.
Speaker 5 (07:56):
He lived in him sometimes he did.
Speaker 6 (07:58):
Did Tomlin vers challenge the call on the field? Tomlin's
leg versus Jakobe Jones, Tomlin versus Jory Rand's press conference question?
Speaker 5 (08:09):
Now you reminded me of this.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
I forgot when Jory Ran worked for Channel two back
in the day that he and Tomlin just did not jive.
Speaker 5 (08:20):
My first go.
Speaker 6 (08:20):
Round with a clear channel like fifteen years ago. Ever,
iHeart days three, iHeart yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (08:26):
I was a gopher and one of my responsibilities was
to record sound at the Tomlin press conference. And every
week Jory Rand respectfully would wait till the end of
the press conference to ask him the TV questions that
no one that were like ridiculous and fluffy. Yeah, so
he'd be like very allowed to be like any more questions,
(08:48):
and jury would go.
Speaker 5 (08:49):
Mike, what are you gonna dress up for us Halloween?
Speaker 6 (08:54):
Mike full candy bar, fun size stuff like that, and
Tomlin was into it.
Speaker 5 (09:01):
It was awesome, a formidable time.
Speaker 4 (09:06):
Jory works for the Jacksonville Free Press now and things
are going much better for him.
Speaker 6 (09:11):
No, he's killing it good, dude. I mean, I'm happy
for Mike Tomlin. The job sounds like a horrible grind.
I can't imagine he ever sleeps. Coach t deserves some rest.
Get into fishing, sure, take a pottery class, go on
a guy's trip with John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski.
Speaker 5 (09:31):
Raise a little hell Myrtle Geneva on the lake. I
don't know.
Speaker 6 (09:39):
Then he can come back with a full heart and
right the coming of middle aged Buddy movie in which
Tomlin is played by Michael B. Jordan, Chris Pine and
has cast is Kevin Stefanski and John Harbaugh's character is
played by a muppet NAMEDI. Coach Tomon was a huge
(10:00):
part of our lives of the Zeitgeists, Yeah Pittsburgh over
these last two decades. I feel like I grew up
with the guy. And this can't be overstated. You know
this doesn't happen that we are witnessing the Yinzer conclave
right now. Soon the smoke will rise from the south
side facility and a new Stealer head coach will be named.
(10:24):
So how will we remember Mike tomalind the ninth winning
is coach in NFL history. Well, at some point that
it may be hard to believe these right now will
become the good old days, especially if the next guy sucks.
Speaker 5 (10:37):
Which there's a good chance the next guy sucks.
Speaker 6 (10:41):
He might suck, So I'm gonna choose to remember Coach
t the way we were. Also, just a quick note,
this is per Adam Schefter tomand will have to worry
the exact same sweater Bill Kaher wore at the.
Speaker 4 (10:53):
Press conference when he resigned it's the humiliation ritual that
the Rudies make you do on the way out.
Speaker 5 (10:58):
It's a clause. I never wondered to wear those fliters.
Speaker 4 (11:02):
I like the idea of the ins or conclave and
like black and gold smoke coming out of the Hinds
stacks or something.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
You know.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Well done, Tad, thanks for for just summing up everybody's
feelings this morning.
Speaker 5 (11:16):
It stop Rob King joining.
Speaker 4 (11:17):
Us from the Steelers Audio Network and King her You
were in here all morning yesterday, well not all morning,
but a good portion of it, and we had no indication,
nobody seemingly had any indication that this was going to happen.
How surprised were you that Mike Tomlin decided, you know what,
that's it.
Speaker 7 (11:39):
Yeah, I would say very you know, like you said,
we had no inkling. You know there was I suppose
if you look back, you know there were people reporting, hey,
there's a there's a coach, you might step want to
step aside, and all this sudden stuff. But you know,
you see a lot of that kind of reporting, and
a lot of it is just quick bait or nonsense
or whatever. Well, maybe they were referring to my tomin
(12:01):
I don't know they were. You know, there were some
rumblings along the way, but I really didn't I really
didn't put much stock in that. You know. The one
thing when you listen to my Tom talk is that,
you know, I've said this before. My favorite part of
his press conference on Tuesdays when he starts talking about
the other team and he was saying, Yeah, I met
that guy when he's a senior in high school and
(12:22):
I took another guy, took his parents out on Pro
Day and you know, watch some work out, and you know,
he just loves football, and that love that's when it
really comes through to me. But he loves to be
involved in every aspect of it, down at the Senior
Bowl and all.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
The other things he did.
Speaker 7 (12:38):
And I just didn't think that, you know, I didn't
get the indication that this was going to be it.
But it's it, at least for now.
Speaker 4 (12:47):
So do you think that it was something that the
Rooney family and Rooney knew about in advance and they
had both sort of been working with the knowledge that
all right, if we don't make it all the way
this year, we're gonna shake hands and say, you know,
so long, Or do you think our Rooney was also
(13:09):
taken by surprise.
Speaker 7 (13:11):
I don't know. All I can tell you is that
I think Jerry do like that that they reported that
they had not had that conversation. Jerry has very good
sources within the students organization. I had to take his
word for it. I don't know. I mean, I just
I could make up an answer for you. With the
playing factor matters, Randy, I don't know. I had no
idea whether they had any conversation. I mean, I was
(13:31):
very very surprised yesterday with that announcement came, and I
don't know anybody else who wasn't. And I don't know
whether that includes the people internally in the stews organization
or not.
Speaker 4 (13:42):
Do you think that the message was getting stale as
so many have opined, or was there another factor that
was conspiring to just make it not work for them
in the postseason over the last eight years.
Speaker 7 (13:58):
Yeah, it's a great question. I don't think that. I mean,
it's a legitimate question, for sure. You know a lot
of people are asking me, and I don't think that's
the case, Randy, because you know, first of all, there's
a lot of roster turnover, right, A lot of guys
are new, and I think he's gotten to that point
and gotten to that status where players want to play
for him. You know, there was always there used to
be those polls. I don't know if they still do them,
(14:19):
Hey who's the player's coach? Who would you most like
to play for? And he was always on those lists.
And I don't think that that is going to diminish
as he gets further on into his career. I think
people still want to play for him. You know, there
was some impassioned defenses of him by Cam Hayward and
Aaron Rodgers example, a lot of people saying Aaron Rodgers
came here because he wanted to play for Mike Toma
(14:40):
and wanted to win a championship. You know, I thought
of the past. You know, it's hard to separate everything out,
but I think, you know, it's I think it's easy
in one way to lump all these years together and say,
look all these years of failure, this this is you know,
it is, this is like one item. But I think
that you know, in many of those years, they're just
(15:02):
they didn't they weren't good enough, you know, they just
didn't have a good enough roster. Yeah, and you know
that began at the quarterback position. When you think about
all the quarterbacks he's had. You know, I don't know
if I mentioned this yesterday, but this is the first team.
This Steelers team is the first time team in a
quarter of a century to make the playoffs three consecutive
years with three different starting quarterbacks. I mean, it's really
(15:22):
hard to win in the NFL without great quarterback play.
I thought this year they were going to be able
to break through and win and at least win a
game in the playoffs. I think this is the best
team they've had in several seasons, and this one fell short.
So this one, to me is more disappointing than the others.
I think I could look at the others and just say, hey,
they just weren't good enough this year. I thought they
(15:43):
had a good enough team to at least win a game.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
Agreed, all right, So we've heard all the names being
bandied about as a replacement. What do you think will
be the most important attribute the next coach of the
Steelers has for Art Room needed to consider.
Speaker 7 (15:59):
I think, you know, young, energetic. You know, those would
be two things like when I think of you know,
to see this coaches, you know Chuck Knowle was really
young when he was hired. Bill Cowell was really young
when he was hired. Mike Tomlin was really young when
he was hired. One other thing that's in common when
you think about all these names, I don't think any
of those guys were considered top of the Okay, this
(16:23):
is the guy, this is gonna be the guy. In fact,
if I'm correct, I think Dan Rooney back when he
hired Chuck Knowle, was resisting, you know, the overtures of
others to say he got to hire a more experienced guy,
a more well known guy. They will go with somebody.
I think it's an extremely attractive coaching position. Just look
at the stability. How would you like to be a
coaching step into that stability with this ownership and this
(16:45):
track of record and a pretty good roster as well.
So I don't know, if you know you hear the names,
I wouldn't be surprised if it's if it's somebody you know,
all of a sudden, they're gonna be like, oh hey,
check out this. You know, assistant offensive line coach for
the Broncos. You know he's the guy because they're looking
for a for a guy who I think you know,
brings those sort of attributes, the intelligence, certainly the football intelligence,
(17:10):
and the work ethic and the energy. I think that
those are the kind of things and that they'll be
looking for.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
Rob King, Voice of the Steelers here on the Steelers
Audio Network, your flagship station of the Black and Gold,
one of two point five TV.
Speaker 5 (17:22):
King or thanks for your time this morning. Appreciate it, buddy.
Speaker 7 (17:24):
Thanks man to see it.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
Okay, we'll see you pursuit of joining us next Jeremy
Fowler from ESPN. He broke the story yesterday with Adam Schefter.
He'll join us at eight forty five. Max Starks, Mark
Madden More to come as we chronicle the last crazy
forty eight hours in Pittsburgh that has ended with Mike
Tomlin stepping down as the head coach of the Steelers
after nineteen years and plus we'll pick some of our
(17:47):
favorite tomlinisms for you.
Speaker 5 (17:49):
I'm gonna be sad to see those go. Those were great. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
Yeah, this squashing grapes and drinking wine will Yeah, it's
just a good it's a newer one.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (17:57):
Yeah, it's a last three years, five years. Yeah, but
I understand, you know, it's one of those one. Yeah,
there is a fine line.
Speaker 4 (18:02):
Yeah one sucks, and yeah there's enjoying the fruit of
your labor.
Speaker 5 (18:07):
That's good. Yeah, I need these to be fermented.
Speaker 4 (18:09):
Just imagine him saying that next to Howie Long next year,
Terry Bradshago, I need to see these ahead of town
live from the town's appliances studios where Pittsburgh shops for appliances.
Speaker 5 (18:25):
This is WDV Pittsburgh.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
The fourth ghost of Christmas Past that lingers way too
long is showing up everywhere Holiday bills.
Speaker 5 (18:37):
DVB gues here on your radio, Home of the Steelers DV.
Speaker 4 (18:40):
Mike Tomlin stepping down after nineteen years as head coach.
It's still hard to believe. I'm having a hard time
wrapping my head around this.
Speaker 5 (18:48):
Didn't see it coming, not this.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
Way now, and I do think there needs to be
some sort of change. I just wasn't sure how it
was going to come about.
Speaker 8 (19:00):
Sports is Up brought to you by Bridgevial Applied, so
it was fairly confident change was on the horizon. Didn't
think there was any way Mike Tomlin was going to
get fired after he won ten games in the Acon
North Division Championship but Tomlin also is a guy who's
resistant to staff change for a lot of reasons, and
I thought, Okay, this is going to come up, particularly
the way it ended. Had the Houston game gone the
(19:23):
way a lot of us were anticipating it was going
to be a thirteen to ten rock fight, somebody, Okay,
that's one result, thirty to six, and getting just steamrolled
the way they did probably ramped up the degree to
which change was going to be demanded. But I have
no idea if any of that was what Mike Tomlin
(19:43):
was thinking about or not. He just decided that's it
and there's nothing anybody can do about it.
Speaker 5 (19:50):
Jeremy Fowley, Yeah, and there's nothing gonna be done.
Speaker 4 (19:52):
Jeremy Fowler eight forty five, who was part of the
team with along with Schefter that broke that story. I
want to ask him about the notion that this is
just Was it Art Rooney going.
Speaker 5 (20:02):
Hey, well, Mike, good, what are you gonna do this year?
You know, whatever you want, I'm fine with anything. Hey,
what you want a coffee? Are you thinking about Quinton? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (20:11):
Was it that?
Speaker 4 (20:12):
Or was it I don't think of Art Rooney saying, hey,
we're gonna need to bring in some coordinators and I've
you know, Omar and a couple other people are gonna.
Speaker 5 (20:20):
I don't put some names out there.
Speaker 8 (20:22):
It hasn't been reported that they even spoke yet. I mean,
I don't know that they had their quote unquote meeting.
I think he just came in and said, I'm done.
Well that's what I want to, yeah, figure out here.
I'm gonna get to the bottom of it, dammit. As
much we know, Mike Tomlin went out, Uh like Mike Tomlin.
Speaker 5 (20:38):
I mean, do you think that'll be his legacy here?
Speaker 3 (20:40):
Though?
Speaker 5 (20:41):
What's that when all of a sudden done, Will people.
Speaker 4 (20:42):
Be like he didn't win a playoff game for the
last eight years or well they think like, now you
want a Super Bowl year?
Speaker 5 (20:49):
He never every year we had.
Speaker 4 (20:50):
A chance, we had meaningful football for the entire nineteen
years he was here.
Speaker 8 (20:54):
Yeah, I think people choose to embrace these days. What
they choose to embrace, and they don't let the facts
get in the way.
Speaker 5 (20:59):
Is very true. They just make up.
Speaker 8 (21:01):
Their mind on something and that's it, and if they
need a little reinforcement, they find somebody who agrees with
them and say, there you go.
Speaker 5 (21:07):
See, but this is the reality I want to live.
Speaker 8 (21:11):
Then, you know, he was Mike Tomlins to the end.
Let's rewind back to training camp. Will turn out to
be Mike tomlins last training camp at Saint Vincent College.
Juan Thornhill, one of these Steelers perceived solutions heading into
the twenty twenty five season, said that he thought the
Steelers had a chance to be the NFL's one of
the NFL's all time best defenses this season. And when
(21:33):
Mike Tomlins sat down with the DV Morning show in Latrobe,
he didn't run away from that, he ran toward it.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
You know, we feel really good about the prospects of
this group.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
We do. We got to write that story.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
But we got enough talent, we got enough stematics to
do big, big things. And when I say big things,
I'm talking about the stored.
Speaker 5 (21:57):
Things piled on.
Speaker 8 (22:00):
And I talked to a number of people about that
in the wake of that comment. I think the best
answer I got was from Cole Holcombe, inside linebacker, and
he said, well, he's challenging us, he wants us to
he's daring us to be great. You know, I don't
know that it was so much a prediction. Yeah, we're
gonna break the eighty five Bears record for points against
the Ravens.
Speaker 4 (22:21):
Record for suggesting that we plucked out something that he
said and then maybe pumped a little context behind it
that didn't exist.
Speaker 8 (22:30):
Since it was on our show, probably us more than anybody. Yeah, yeah,
that's how this crap.
Speaker 5 (22:35):
Stunned out went and make sure make that note. But no,
that's kind of who it was. He was. He often
talked in.
Speaker 8 (22:45):
Riddles. Is probably not the right word, but uh the
word is it?
Speaker 5 (22:49):
Yeah, he was.
Speaker 8 (22:52):
He would come up with wild analogies and and and
try to be entertaining and uh, he would go on
and on about stuff. But he was also very direct
at times and very singularly focused. That was one of
his favorite Uh. You know, he wanted to win and
win big, and he thought they could every year.
Speaker 4 (23:10):
He was a vasive at times, and you'd use language
to dance around things, no question about it. He's linguistic gymnastics.
As I used to say that he would perform on
a weekly basis.
Speaker 5 (23:20):
I think, you know the whole message thing.
Speaker 8 (23:22):
I think the fan base got tired of hearing from
him more than the players.
Speaker 5 (23:27):
Fans arned it.
Speaker 8 (23:28):
For nineteen years, players did not right, and he got
to the point you knew what he was going to
say after a game, you knew what he was going
to say on Tuesday, and he would do.
Speaker 5 (23:37):
The low resume his resume.
Speaker 8 (23:39):
Craven Brown's are fine football team and they're gonna be Yeah,
Rockers is a good football team.
Speaker 5 (23:45):
You know it's sixty eight to three. They'd win.
Speaker 8 (23:48):
You know, that's a TV show. He has to talk
for so long. That's why he does that. I mean,
what a lot didn't win enough? So now what do
you do if I'm the Steelers?
Speaker 5 (23:59):
Yeah?
Speaker 8 (24:00):
Hi, John Harbaugh, No, for real. I can't wait to
hear what Ur Rooney has to say about it today.
Art does not often make declarative statements, but if you
listen close, he usually gives you a hint or two
as to how he's thinking. Yeah, and you know the playbook,
going back to the Chuck Nole higher was you find
(24:20):
a young defensive coach that you think has great coaching
chops and great potential, a guy that will not be
overwhelmed initially and who can grow into the job and
be there for a long time. They did that with
Noel won four Super Bowls. He's in the Hall of Fame.
They did that with Bill Kauer won a Super Bowl.
He's seen in the Hall of Fame. Yet who cower? Yeah,
(24:41):
we were there for it. And now you got Mike
Tomlin won a Super Bowl and he's going to the
Hall of Fame. So do you do you keep running
that play or do you take a look at the
way the game is evolving? Not the defense will never
be unimportant, but his offense more important. Now you know
it's the old defense, excellent's champions think championships thing going
(25:02):
out of style.
Speaker 4 (25:04):
Jeremy Fowler from ESPN, along with Adam Schefter, broke the
news yesterday. Jeremy Fowler joins us next on your radio
home of the Steelers DVE.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
DVV has your No Destruction rock and roll at Jenny
m and three p Michelle, My Thoughts and Chad Tyson
bring you Workforce commercial three hours every weekday on DVE.
Speaker 4 (25:27):
We i's Randy Bauman at the DV Morning Show and
your radio home of the Pittsburgh Steelers one A two
point five DVE and joining us right now, one of
the guys along with Adam Schefter, who broke the story
of Mike Tomlin resigning after nineteen years as head coach
of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jeremy Fowler our old friend, joining
us now on the DV morning show.
Speaker 5 (25:47):
Jeremy, good morning. How are you?
Speaker 3 (25:50):
Hey, good morning gang, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
Well, thanks for making time for us this morning. I
mean that news is still taking me by surprise. To
be honest with you, do you have any sense of
the concrete reasons why, Well, I think.
Speaker 3 (26:07):
There are a few, uh, a couple of those I'll
lean on. Really what I heard he said to the
team yesterday, which is basically that, uh, I'm sorry, uh
got a call and get a get out of that
and get back.
Speaker 5 (26:22):
In my notes. Tell you're talking to he said something.
Speaker 3 (26:27):
Now, you're good, You're good, said, really, someone has to
move the franchise forward. That I couldn't deliver for you anymore.
Like he kind of put it on himself not getting
it done. Now that said, I know for a while
Tomlin had been thinking about stepping away. I don't think
it was a situation where it was a mandate that
he leave or anything like that, but in the meeting
(26:48):
with the team he did say, hey, look, this is
sort of a game of throne style business. It's cut
throats and if you don't get it done, you don't
get it done. And I didn't get it done for you.
So I do think he recognize to the team that
renewed optimism was needed for the franchise, that he wasn't
delivering that anymore, even though you could argue that a
(27:10):
lot of these teams overachieved in part because of him,
and so you have that dynamic, you have the TV component.
I do think is real that he's going to be
courted here. I think that's been on the table since
the summer, to be honest, not formally, but I think
like it's been made known to him, Hey, you're gonna
have some some good opportunities here if you do, if
(27:31):
and when you do step away. And I think he
from what I was told directly from sources I've been
talking to me for the last few weeks, is that
he just needs a life reset. Kids are out of
school now, out of the house. You know, he's been
doing it and giving it all he can for two
decades really, and it's just probably time.
Speaker 4 (27:50):
Was there any notion that Art Rooney pushed back on
it and said, no, no, you're you're good.
Speaker 5 (27:57):
We like you.
Speaker 4 (27:58):
It can work or was seld Yeah right, you're oh
my god.
Speaker 5 (28:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
I'm wondering if he got any pushback from Art Rooney
there and in the form of him trying to course
him to stay.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
You know, I haven't got an answer on that in particular.
So it's certainly possible that the Rooney felt like it
was time as well, but I cannot speak directly to that.
But what I do know is that Mike Common went
into Monday with a purpose. Part of that purpose was
to let our Rooney know his plans, and then he
(28:37):
knew at the team meeting at two o'clock. He was
telling the team, so he had a plan carefully crafted out.
What Art Rooney the Second's involvement in that plan was,
I don't know exactly, but I do believe it was
truly a stepping down situation. And I don't think it
was like, hey, you know you like, you know, we're
ready to for you to move on. Why don't you
(28:59):
tell the team it's your decision. I really don't think it.
Speaker 4 (29:01):
Was that, and it wasn't something that he shared with
Art Rooney. You know, several weeks ago that he was
leaning in this direction in case they wanted to start
to get their ducks in a rows.
Speaker 5 (29:13):
Some people are asserting.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
The indication that I've gotten is that that was not
the case. I cannot say that for certain, but I'm
just not aware of those kind of talks. The indication
I was getting was that this was a Tomlin driven plan.
Speaker 4 (29:31):
When you talk about the carrot being dangled with TV,
I mean much easier lifestyle, really good money. Also, do
you get the sense that that is the final destination
for him or will this be more of a Sean
Payton situation?
Speaker 3 (29:47):
Well, Champayne late a night blueprint for him, Right, go
do TV for a year, come back, and then the
team that you previously coached retains your rights like the
Steelers do, unless they worked out some sort of buyout
or negotiation I'm not aware of, but they would own
his rights because he's still under contract. He'd have to
swing of trade with that new perspective team, and obviously
(30:08):
I think it's it goes without saying his market would
be really strong for that for another team to land in.
I know I've had to several coaching agents that are
sort of rejoicing thinking Tom and will sity here come
back and get the biggest contracts in the NFL to
reset the entire coaching landscapes, that is something that's sort
of been anticipated. But beyond that, I know Tom and
(30:31):
essentially told the team that, you know, I don't want
to coach anywhere else, But he worded it in such
a way where it's like, I think people walked away saying, Okay, well,
if he comes back down the road, it's because you know,
he just loves football and the competitive juices that go
with that. But right now, you know, he's not looking
for some sort of lateral or even lesser job like
(30:55):
he valued coaching. The Steelers is one of the very
best franchises in all of sports, So it's not like, hey,
I got to get out and get somewhere else, and
so he indicated that to the team. But he's sort
of slightly left the door open to potentially coach down
the road, but it's not on the radar right now.
Speaker 4 (31:10):
Jeremy Filer from ESPN with us right now, what does
this do to the coaching searches league wide? I would
imagine there are teams who are in need of a
head coach who are thinking, we better get our guy quick,
because there's a pretty attractive position now open.
Speaker 3 (31:27):
Yes, yeah, it is attractive. There's no doubt. I'll say
that with a caveat now the Steelers, it's a job
that people will line up for you in part because
of the tremendous tenure in patients that you will be
afforded with. You know, obviously the famous line about three
head coaches since nineteen sixty nine. So at the very least,
you're going to get a very patient ownership, very thoughtful
(31:51):
that's going to help you ride the ups and downs.
That said, it's a team that has some holes, as
you know, particularly a quarterback hasn't had a stable quarterback
option for like seven years or whatever it is, since
since Ben's last year's big then, and so you're you know,
it's a team that has a very old defense. Now,
(32:12):
I was told my Tomins decision was not personnel driven,
and I believe that, but subconsciously, like if he had
the horses to win a Super Bowl, wud he stay
another year? I can't answer that for him, But that's
a question I'm asking. So it's not the easiest job.
It's the resources there are not top shelf, if you
(32:32):
would ask the NFL Players Association, because they do his
rankings every year. I would put the Steelers in line
with like the Chiefs and some of these other teams that,
you know, they're not going out of the way to
modernize the facility and have thirty staff members on the
coaching staff like some teams are doing twenty five thirty members.
There's still a little old school in their ways now
that has proven to be effective, but it's different, you know,
(32:54):
Like I don't expect them to go spend in an
exorbitant amount of money on a new coach, you know,
I think it could be an up and comer situation
where you get somebody young and assertive and you build
with them.
Speaker 8 (33:05):
Who's the Chuck Mall, Bill Kawer, Mike Tomlin thirty something
defensive coordinator that everybody's gaga about.
Speaker 3 (33:15):
Man, Mike, I'm trying to find that now. I mean,
it's been it's a weird tool this year. If there's
not a Golden Goose, there's not a Ben Johnson. You know,
there's some there's some younger up and coming options that
are intriguing.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
You know.
Speaker 3 (33:28):
Chris Hrula comes to mind from the Rams defensive coordinator
Jeff Hapley with the Packers you know, has a way
about him. He's been a head coach of Boston College,
and I think they'll interview well, you know, Jesse Mentor
is kind of the hot name right now, the Chargers
defensive coordinator. But you know they're all unknown commodities. They're
gonna have to perform well in interviews, and right now,
you know, the only interviews that have really taken place
(33:49):
with those most of those virtual ones that are kind
of cursory and you're just getting to know the other team.
Where you make your head in the second interviews, can
you really impress and what you're gonna do with the
roster and have a plan for the quarterback and so
a lot of that has to take place this year
more than ever. The interviewers are really gonna matter. You know,
you have some really interesting up and coming offensive coaches,
(34:12):
the guys that don't have a lot of experience, like
Nate Shieldhouse and with the Rams passing coordinator, Broncos quarterbacks
coach Davis Webb, Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator, Grant your Dinsky.
Young guys that are coming up, but are you know,
if you want to get ahead of it and say, hey,
here's a guy like McVeigh, or you think he's going
(34:32):
to be really good two to three years down the road,
you would get ahead of it and just hire him now.
Even though they're experienced, there will be some options like that.
And there are now nine jobs, so if one of
those guys got a job, it wouldn't shock me.
Speaker 5 (34:43):
Jeremy followed from ESPN.
Speaker 4 (34:44):
Last thing for you, Jeremy, and this may be impossible
for you to know at this point, but is there
any idea of how this search will play out for
the Steelers?
Speaker 5 (34:54):
Is there a committee?
Speaker 4 (34:55):
Is it just Art who will he put together as
a brain trust for this or will it be for
him a solo effort.
Speaker 3 (35:04):
You know, these are pretty thorough complex situations now, these
interview processes, because you look at Tennessee, they're interviewing like
eighteen people just for their first round. You have to
be well organized. It's hard for one person to do so.
I would be surprised if Team President Rooney just went
into this alone without me help. I do expect Omar
to be involved. Andy White all the assistant GM helped
(35:27):
with Philly search when they landed Nick Sirianni, so he
understands the rhythm of these I expect him to be
involved as well. And then whether there's outside council or not,
I'm not sure, but that's something that some teams tap into.
The Atlanta Falcons did that recently, hiring it like a
search firm for both their GM and their head coaching search.
Speaker 4 (35:45):
Jeremy Fowler from ESPN. Jeremy, thanks as always for your
time this morning. We greatly appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (35:51):
Hey, you guys. Great to hear from you.
Speaker 7 (35:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (35:52):
Man, always good to catch up with you again. Jeremy Fowler,
our old buddy. We just talked to him all the
time back in the day when he was the Steelers
beat guy.
Speaker 8 (35:59):
Now he's on the national front there for ESPN. I've
got to ask him one question. If Tomlin ends up
doing color analysis, Uh huh? Do you think he'll start
talking about a play in the first quarter and still
be talking about the same play in the second?
Speaker 4 (36:13):
He is long winded, He hung up, right, he can't
answer that. We lost him, so yeah, sorry, we didn't
make time for that one. I wonder how he's going
to do with that. You're right, the brevity is going
to be an issue.
Speaker 5 (36:26):
No, But I'm kidding.
Speaker 8 (36:27):
He's smart enough he'll figure it out, but he did
like to ramble on at those press conferences.
Speaker 4 (36:33):
All right, well, we'll go over some of our favorite
tomlinisms and good news for people who watch the news.
Speaker 5 (36:38):
Abby. Oh yeah, I like to drink while I watched
the news. But now the anchor could be drinking too.
Speaker 4 (36:44):
That'll help Max Starks, Mark Madden, and more. As we
recount Mike Tomlin stepping down as the head coach of
the Pittsburgh Steel it's hard to even say that. I like,
I'm really having a tough time with the change here.
Speaker 5 (36:58):
You'll get over true, Pittsburgh. No, I know, I'll get
over it, but it's shocking. I think it's good for everybody.
I do. I think the change is good. We'll see,
said the zen Master. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (37:09):
I like to hear.
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