It blew up nationally almost immediately after he got out of his chair, walked out of the camera shot, and away from the microphones on Tuesday.
Mike Tomlin’s response to a question about whether he would have any interest in a college coaching job was largely viewed as a master class in, “how to shoot down a coaching rumor with authority and emphasis.”
Yet, there were some who thought the question should have never been asked and that it was foolish to bring this to Tomlin’s attention during a press conference. I think the way this situation played itself out was a win for just about everybody involved. Let’s break this down…
The Question
I thought it was expertly phrased by Tim Benz. He asked if he ever had interest in a high-profile college job and qualified his question by specifically mentioning the names of the people who commented on it or linked him to the positions (Doug Whaley, Ryan Clark, Carson Palmer). Citing the sources gave the question more credibility, considering they were two men who worked for the organization and another who seems to be part of the search committee at USC in some capacity.
The timing of the question was perfect as well. It was the very last one that Tomlin fielded, after all the other inquiries about the team and the upcoming Cleveland Browns had been asked. It gave us that epic walk-off moment. That was a win. Which brings us to…
The Answer
James Franklin: are you paying any attention? Clearly not.
If you’re a front office executive, if you’re a Steelers player, if you’re a Steelers fan, it was exactly what you wanted your head coach to say. Strong.
Direct. Concise. Even a little testy and insulted. Perfect. I thought it was also interesting that Sean Payton and Andy Reid came to mind immediately. It tells me that Tomlin knows exactly who his contemporaries are in the league and knows the heading coach scoreboard. It was a win for those connected to the Steelers not named Mike Tomlin. But it was also a win for…
Mike Tomlin
Yes, he was clearly a little bit irritated by the question and it seemed like he got more fired up about it as he was responding to it.
But let’s not be naïve here…Tomlin wasn’t completely blindsided by it. At the very least, he had been made aware that this kind of talk was circulating about him during the bye week and that there was a chance it would be referenced during the press conference.
And you know what? He won the moment. It allowed him to do what he does best and that’s choose the perfect words to squash a narrative and dunk on that question. He was handed a perfect opportunity to show his loyalty and express just how much this job means to him. And he didn’t miss. I mean, that line that he’s got “one of the best jobs in all of professional sport” followed up by “there’s not a booster with a big enough blank check.” That was gold. It catered to the very best of Mike Tomlin as a head coach.
Carson Palmer
He got a win in this as well. The idea that Mike Tomlin would actually come to USC may have been totally absurd but floating his name out there on The Dan Patrick Show did what it was supposed to do, and that’s create more attention and buzz about the head coaching vacancy there. The only slight loss was that he was essentially rewarded for throwing something against the wall…I don’t love that. Heck, I would even say this situation was a win for…
Sports Talk Radio
Say what you will about the idea being ridiculous and the concept being silly, it showed that sports talk, and the use of high-profile guests on sports talk shows, can influence things. Whaley, Clark and Palmer all made their comments on sports talk shows, whether on 93.7 The Fan or a national platform. The platform can incite a response from one of the most notable head coaches in sports, however beneath him the question might have felt.
I don’t see how we all didn’t benefit from the situation. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy some post-bye week fireworks?
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