CLEVELAND, Ohio — Steelers coach Mike Tomlin couldn’t believe Browns general manager Andrew Berry traded Joe Flacco to the Bengals. Berry couldn’t say no when Cincinnati called.
I can’t believe these two don’t get along.
Heavy sarcasm intended. If Tomlin’s pointed comments perplexed you this week — c’mon, Mike, it’s only Flacco — you don’t follow him close enough.
Yes, the Steelers coach usually avoids creating headlines. But when Berry threw the Bengals a lifeline last week, he did more than help Pittsburgh’s rival. He offended Tomlin’s sensibilities.
Hence the following press conference diss track.
“... Andrew Berry must be a lot smarter than me or us because it doesn’t make sense to me to trade a quarterback that you think enough of to make your opening day starter to a division opponent that’s hurting in that area,” Tomlin said this week. “But that’s just my personal feeling.”
The key word here is personal, and not just because Tomlin’s Steelers play the Bengals this week. Of course, Pittsburgh leads Cincinnati by 2.5 games in the AFC North. So, of course, Tomlin would prefer to game plan against a struggling backup quarterback (Jake Browning) instead of 40-year-old Flacco, who’s won 11 games against Pittsburgh.
But consider the source — _Mike Tomlin —_ on a deeper level. Recall the 2019 season, when his team lost its starting quarterback for the season, started 1-4 and still finished 8-8 with Mason Rudolph and Devlin “Duck” Hodges at quarterback. Count his numerous old-world work ethic sayings.
“Learn to love being miserable.”
“The secret is there is no secret.”
“The standard is the standard.”
You thought he’d stay quiet about this trade?
No chance. Tomlin is so competitive that he can’t understand a transaction designed to do something other than maximize next week’s roster. He’s won enough games to validate his philosophy. And his ethos fits Pittsburgh like fries on a sandwich.
Not only have the Steelers maintained a .500 or better record for 18 straight seasons (and counting) under Tomlin, but they’ve also won at least five games every year since 1969.
Pittsburgh doesn’t believe in bottoming out.
Conversely, Cleveland counts four seasons (and counting) _in the last 10_ with four or fewer wins, a couple of which occurred by design. Last week’s trades signaled a similar approach. And this time, the Browns punted on their season just five games in — and a few days before a key AFC North matchup.
It sounds silly to say after watching Cleveland’s listless loss to Pittsburgh, but the Browns arrived at Acrisure Stadium with legitimate aspirations. Beat the Steelers, and Cleveland pulls within 1.5 games of first place. Check the schedule ahead, and who knows.
Tomlin’s Steelers play five teams with winning records in the next seven weeks. Cleveland plays five of the league’s 10 worst teams in the same span.
And the team is trading veterans?
Only a franchise defined by its failures sees that logic. Here in Cleveland, the playoffs occur during draft season. The Browns’ best picks are their wins. And losing games helps Cleveland stack those wins.
Meanwhile in Pittsburgh, Tomlin maximizes every roster. He cycles through middling-to-bad quarterbacks. He remains competitive every season, anyway. And Pittsburgh apologizes for none of the short-sighted accusations it suffers in the process.
Silly Steelers, they’ll never win another Super Bowl while stuck in football’s middle class.
Maybe, but at least they’ll keep winning. Sunday’s game marked 22 straight over Cleveland in the regular season. Tomlin added one more win at the microphone this week.
But hey, the Browns added a fifth-round pick for Flacco (and a sixth). Can’t say no to that.
Can’t see why Tomlin cares so much, either.
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