Even if you don’t think Mike Tomlin is a good football coach, it’s hard to find much wrong with his fantastic response to Terry Bradshaw’s recent criticism of his work.
Bradshaw, a four-time Super Bowl champion with the Steelers now working as an NFL analyst, ruffled some feathers within Pittsburgh’s locker room last week by questioning Tomlin’s coaching competence and referring to him as a “great cheerleader guy.”
Tomlin fired back during a press conference Tuesday but did so in a way that was rational, reflective and, quite frankly, pretty damn funny.
“I appreciate the support. But criticism and critique are very much a part of our business,” Tomlin told reporters, per ESPN.com. “It’s an element of our business that as a competitor I embrace. The term ‘great,’ that’s something I have a great deal of respect for. I certainly don’t think that my résumé to this point reads as great. But very few coaches’ résumés read as that at this point. Guys like Bill (Belichick) in New England probably can say that, Pop (Gregg Popovich) down in San Antonio (with the Spurs). I think the rest of us are just working stiffs, to be quite honest with you.
“Terms like ‘cheerleader guy,’ to me, maybe fall outside of bounds of critique or criticism,” Tomlin continued. “They probably fall more toward the area of disrespect and unprofessional. But what do I know? I grew up a Dallas fan. Particularly a (Thomas) ‘Hollywood’ Henderson fan.”
The final line was the knockout blow, as Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson is a former Cowboys linebacker who once took an epic shot at Bradshaw by saying before Super Bowl XIII that the legendary Steelers quarterback couldn’t spell “cat” if he spotted him the “c” and the “t.”
Of course, we shouldn’t let the witty jab take away from the rest of Tomlin’s message, in which he essentially acknowledges the highs and lows that typically come with being a head coach in any professional sport except for in rare circumstances.
“I believe that stability is a function of winning. I stay focused on winning,” Tomlin said, per ESPN.com. “If I don’t win, I’d imagine you’d be looking at me packing boxes like everybody else. That’s the nature of this job and this level. And I respect it as such.”
Tomlin always has been somewhat of a polarizing coach, despite winning two Super Bowl titles and five AFC North crowns in his 10 seasons as Pittsburgh’s lead man. Bradshaw isn’t the first person to question his coaching chops and probably won’t be the last. Such is life in the NFL.
Thumbnail photo via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images
